Republicans celebrate after summary of Mueller report says no evidence of collusion was found
WASHINGTON – Republicans celebrated Sunday after Attorney General William Barr sent a letter to key lawmakers on Capitol Hill that said Special Counsel Robert S. Mueller III did not find any evidence of collusion between members of the Trump campaign and Russian officials.
I have just received topline findings from Attorney General Barr.
Good day for the rule of law.
Great day for President Trump and his team.
No collusion and no obstruction.
The cloud hanging over President Trump has been removed by this report.
— Lindsey Graham (@LindseyGrahamSC) March 24, 2019
Great job by Mr. Mueller and his team to thoroughly examine all things Russia.
Now it is time to move on, govern the country, and get ready to combat Russia and other foreign actors ahead of 2020.
— Lindsey Graham (@LindseyGrahamSC) March 24, 2019
The special counsel’s investigation was long, thorough & conclusive: There was no collusion. There is no constitutional crisis. As the report states, "the evidence does not establish that the President was involved in an underlying crime related to Russian election interference." pic.twitter.com/87bVExwGcK
— Doug Collins (@RepDougCollins) March 24, 2019
After two years, two congressional investigations, and now the closure of a Special Counsel investigation, it is abundantly clear, without a shadow of a doubt, there was no collusion. This case is closed.
My full statement: pic.twitter.com/XiPQZom3Fp— Kevin McCarthy (@GOPLeader) March 24, 2019
No collusion! No obstruction!
It’s time to move on.
— Rep. Jim Jordan (@Jim_Jordan) March 24, 2019
Democrats said further investigations are needed.
“Attorney General Barr’s letter raises as many questions as it answers. The fact that Special Counsel Mueller’s report does not exonerate the president on a charge as serious as obstruction of justice demonstrates how urgent it is that the full report and underlying documentation be made public without any further delay. Given Mr. Barr’s public record of bias against the Special Counsel’s inquiry, he is not a neutral observer and is not in a position to make objective determinations about the report,” Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) said in a joint statement.
But Special Counsel Mueller clearly and explicitly is not exonerating the President, and we must hear from AG Barr about his decision making and see all the underlying evidence for the American people to know all the facts.
— Rep. Nadler (@RepJerryNadler) March 24, 2019
There must be full transparency in what Special Counsel Mueller uncovered to not exonerate the President from wrongdoing. DOJ owes the public more than just a brief synopsis and decision not to go any further in their work.
— Rep. Nadler (@RepJerryNadler) March 24, 2019
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 @HouseJudiciary in the near future.
— Rep. Nadler (@RepJerryNadler) March 24, 2019
I will carefully review Attorney General Barr’s summary of the #MuellerReport, but I will not be satisfied until the full report and all underlying evidence is made available. Americans deserve to know all the facts. #ReleaseTheReport https://t.co/DdJzoQLjDW
— Steny Hoyer (@LeaderHoyer) March 24, 2019
Barr Sunday afternoon sent a summary of Mueller’s report to the chair and ranking members of the House and Senate Judiciary committees.
Barr said that while Mueller’s report did not uncover any evidence that President Trump may have broken the law, “it also does not exonerate him.”
Barr said he will confer with DoJ as to what aspects of the report can be made public.
Democrats have insisted that the full report be made public.
Barr informed lawmakers on Friday evening that Mueller had completed his investigation. The 22-month probe culminated in 37 indictments, including 34 for individuals and 3 for companies.
Trump stringently denied allegations of collusion and repeatedly called Mueller’s investigation a “witch hunt.”
On Sunday evening Trump pointed to the findings of the report as vindication.
https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/1109918388133023744
This article is republished with permission from Talk Media News
Bryan is an award-winning political journalist who has extensive experience covering Congress and Maryland state government.
His work includes coverage of the election of Donald Trump, the confirmation hearings of Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh and attorneys general William Barr and Jeff Sessions-as well as that of the Maryland General Assembly, Gov. Larry Hogan, and the COVID-19 pandemic.
Bryan has broken stories involving athletic and sexual assault scandals with the Baltimore Post-Examiner.
His original UMBC investigation gained international attention, was featured in People Magazine and he was interviewed by ABC’s “Good Morning America” and local radio stations. Bryan broke subsequent stories documenting UMBC’s omission of a sexual assault on their daily crime log and a federal investigation related to the university’s handling of an alleged sexual assault.