Trump claims total exoneration as Dems urge full report

US President Donald Trump has claimed “complete and total exoneration” after the Justice Department announced Special Counsel Robert Mueller’s investigation found no evidence of collusion between Trump’s campaign and Russia in the 2016 election.

Attorney General William Barr, a Trump appointee, said in a four-page summary of the report released on Sunday that Mueller’s team had concluded that no one in Trump’s campaign “conspired or coordinated with the Russian government.”

However, Mueller’s findings left unresolved the issue of whether Trump obstructed justice by undermining the investigations.

Many of the president’s opponents had accused him of obstructing the Russia probe when he fired former FBI Director James Comey in 2017.

PressTV-Mueller issues equivocal report, concludes Russia probe

Special counsel Robert Mueller’s findings fail to implicate US President Donald Trump in collusion with Russia in 2016, but do not exonerate him on the charge of obstruction of justice either.

Responding to the conclusion of the investigation, Trump on Sunday denounced Mueller’s probe as an “illegal takedown that failed,” and called for a new probe to “look at the other side.”

“It’s a shame that our country had to go through this. To be honest, it’s a shame that your president has had to go through this,” Trump told reporters in West Palm Beach, Florida.

“This was an illegal takedown that failed and hopefully somebody’s going is to be looking at the other side,” he added. “So it’s complete exoneration. No collusion, no obstruction.” 

Trump’s remarks came minutes after he tweeted, “No Collusion, No Obstruction, Complete and Total EXONERATION. KEEP AMERICA GREAT!”

Vice President Mike Pence also hailed the equivocal conclusion of Mueller’s 22-month investigation, calling it "a great day for America."

"Today is a great day for America, President Trump and our entire administration. After two years of investigation, and reckless accusations by many Democrats and members of the media, the Special Counsel has confirmed what President Trump said along; there was no collusion between the Trump campaign and Russia during the 2016 election," Pence said in a statement.

"The Attorney General also confirmed that there was no obstruction of justice. This total vindication of the President of the United States and our campaign should be welcomed by every American who cherishes the truth and the integrity of our elections,” he said.

"In the days ahead, the American people can be confident that the President and our entire administration will continue to focus where we always have, on the issues most important to our country."

Meanwhile, White House Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders also claimed in a statement that Muller “did not find any collusion and did not find any obstruction.”

“AG Barr and DAG Rosenstein further determined there was no obstruction. The findings of the Department of Justice are a total and complete exoneration of the President of the United States,” Sanders added.

Mueller, a former FBI director, had been examining since May 2017 whether Trump’s election campaign colluded with Moscow to try to influence the 2016 presidential election and whether the Republican president later unlawfully tried to obstruct his investigation.

US intelligence agencies claim Moscow meddled in the election with a campaign of email hacking and online propaganda aimed at sowing discord in the United States, hurting Democratic candidate Hillary Clinton and helping Trump.

Trump: Russia probe 'greatest witch hunt'

Trump slams a probe into possible collusion between his campaign and Russia as the 'greatest witch hunt' in US history.

Both Trump and Russia have repeatedly denied the accusations. Trump has sought to discredit the investigation, calling the Mueller probe the “greatest witch hunt” in the US history.” He has said there was no collusion with Russia and denying he obstructed justice.

Dems reject Barr’s summary of Mueller report

Democrats, however, have rejected the determination made by the Justice Department on the evidence presented by Muller following his extensive investigations.

They said they wanted to see Mueller’s report for themselves as they launch congressional investigations of their own into the 2016 election and Trump’s business and financial dealings.

Democrats accused Attorney General Barr of putting his own finding on Mueller’s report, saying that the special counsel did not exonerate Trump of obstruction of justice.   

“A sanitized summary from Trump’s handpicked bodyguard is not acceptable,” said Representative Bill Pascrell (D-N.J.). “Barr has his finger on the scale to protect Trump. The full report should be released immediately.”

“From day one, Trump obstructed this investigation and refused to cooperate. Several of his top aides have been convicted in court. If Trump’s AG won’t hold him accountable for his crimes, it’s up to Congress to investigate,” Pascrell added.

House of Representatives Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer said that Mueller did not clear Trump on the obstruction accusations, adding that it “demonstrates how urgent it is that the full report and underlying documentation be made public without any further delay.”

Democratic Senators Elizabeth Warren (Mass.) and Cory Booker (N.J.) also demanded the publication of the complete Muller report.

“The American public deserves the full report and findings from the Mueller investigation immediately — not just the in-house summary from a Trump Administration official,” Booker tweeted.

House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jerrold Nadler (D-N.Y.) announced that his panel would ask Barr to testify.

“In light of the very concerning discrepancies and final decision making at the Justice Department following the Special Counsel report, where Mueller did not exonerate the President, we will be calling Attorney General Barr in to testify before House Judiciary in the near future,” he said.

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