He continued, “We did not, however, make a determination as to whether the president did commit a crime.”

He also said that while Justice Department policy prohibits charging a sitting president with a crime, the Constitution provides for another process to formally accuse a sitting president of wrongdoing — a clear reference to the ability of Congress to begin impeachment proceedings.

Analysis: Our correspondents wrote that the special counsel left many things unsaid. In a crucial respect, they said, Mr. Mueller remained as coy as he was in his report, leaving his intentions and conclusions open to interpretation.