Robert Mueller today, in part: "If we had had confidence that the President clearly did not commit a crime, we would have said so. We did not, however, make a determination as to whether the President did commit a crime. #thread

Under long-standing Justice Dept policy, a present President cannot be charged w/ a federal crime while in office. That is unconstitutional. Even if the charge is kept under seal. The Special Counsel office is a part of the Justice Dept. and by regulation is bound by that policy.

Charging the POTUS with a crime was, therefore, not an option we could consider. The opinion permits the investigation of a sitting POTUS because the evidence and recollections need to be fresh and documents available.