Getty Images Special counsel Robert Mueller, left, and Attorney General Bill Barr

WASHINGTON – Special counsel Robert Mueller found that neither the Trump campaign, nor anyone associated with it, "conspired or coordinated with Russia in its efforts to influence the 2016 presidential election," according to a letter that Attorney General Bill Barr sent to Congress on Sunday. Barr also wrote that after reviewing the evidence compiled by Mueller, he and Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein "concluded that the evidence developed during the Special Counsel's investigation is not sufficient to establish that the President committed an obstruction-of-justice offense." Mueller himself did not reach a conclusion about whether President Donald Trump committed any obstruction offenses, instead presenting the facts his office had gathered and leaving the final call up to Barr. Barr said he and Rosenstein reached their conclusion after consulting with other DOJ officials and the Office of Legal Counsel. Although Trump lauded the attorney general's summary as vindication, Barr wrote that Mueller stated in the report that "while this report does not conclude that the President committed a crime, it also does not exonerate him." Soon after Barr's letter became public, Trump tweeted: "No Collusion, No Obstruction, Complete and Total EXONERATION. KEEP AMERICA GREAT!"

No Collusion, No Obstruction, Complete and Total EXONERATION. KEEP AMERICA GREAT! @realDonaldTrump via Twitter / Via Twitter: @realDonaldTrump

In his letter to Congress, Barr, quoting from Mueller's report, wrote that Mueller recognized that "the evidence does not establish that the President was involved in an underlying crime related to the Russian election interference." The absence of evidence of underlying criminal activity went to the question of whether the president could have committed obstruction, Barr wrote. White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders tweeted that Mueller "did not find any collusion and did not find any obstruction," but that is not what Barr told lawmakers. On the obstruction issue, Mueller's report "sets out evidence on both sides of the question and leaves unresolved" whether the president obstructed justice, Barr wrote. Sanders also described DOJ's findings as "a total and complete exoneration of the President of the United States." Barr wrote that he and Rosenstein had reached their conclusion on the obstruction issue without delving into the "constitutional considerations" around whether a sitting president can be criminally charged. He told Congress that in looking at Trump's actions, including many "which took place in public view," the report didn't identify anything that would "constitute obstructive conduct," was specifically related to a pending proceeding, or was "done with corrupt intent."

Not long after Barr sent the four-page letter to Congress on Sunday summarizing the key conclusions from Mueller's report, House Judiciary Committee Chair Jerry Nadler tweeted that his committee would ask Barr to testify about "very concerning discrepancies and final decision making at the Justice Department" related to the report. The full report from Mueller, which Barr received on Friday, remains confidential. Barr previously told Congress that he, Rosenstein, and Mueller would consider what additional information could be made public going forward.



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