1. “If we had had confidence that the president clearly did not commit a crime, we would have said so.”

In his first public remarks on the two-year-long Russia inquiry, the special counsel, Robert Mueller, declined to clear President Trump of obstruction of justice. And he noted that the Constitution offers methods to formally accuse a sitting president of wrongdoing — a hint at Congress’s impeachment powers.

But in a crucial respect, Mr. Mueller remained as coy as he was in his report, our reporters write in an analysis, leaving his intentions and conclusions open to interpretation.