Mueller declines to clear Trump

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.

“If we had had confidence that the president clearly did not commit a crime, we would have said so,” Mr. Mueller said, reiterating a statement that was in his report.

He said that his team decided not to charge Mr. Trump because of longstanding Justice Department policies, but noted that the Constitution offers other methods to formally accuse a sitting president of wrongdoing — a hint at Congress’s impeachment powers. Here’s a transcript of his statement.

Though Mr. Mueller didn’t rule out testifying before Congress, he said he would speak only about the facts in the report and nothing more. And throughout his brief appearance, he remained coy, leaving his intentions and conclusions open to interpretation.