Biodun Iginla, BBC News

Biodun Iginla, BBC News

Sunday, March 24, 2019

ANALYSIS: Trump-Russia inquiry: President 'did not conspire with Russia'


US President Donald TrumpImage copyrightGETTY IMAGES
by Melissa Gruz and Biodun Iginla, BBC News Analysts, Washington 
President Trump's campaign "did not conspire" with Russia during the 2016 election campaign, Special Counsel Robert Mueller's report says.
The summary of the special counsel's report released on Sunday "did not draw a conclusion" as to whether there was any obstruction of justice, either.
It states: "While this report does not conclude that the president committed a crime, it also does not exonerate him".
However, the attorney general says this does not amount to an offence.
The report is the culmination of two years of investigation by Mr Mueller.

What is in the report summary?

"The report outlines the Russian effort to influence the election and documents crimes committed," the letter by Attorney General William Barr to Congress says.
"The special counsel did not find that any US person or Trump campaign official conspired or knowingly co-ordinated with Russia."
Mr Barr ends his letter to Congress by saying he will release more from the full report, but that some of the material is subject to restrictions.
"Given these restrictions, the schedule for processing the report depends in part on how quickly the Department can identify the [grand jury] material that by law cannot be made public.
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"I have requested the assistance of the Special Counsel in identifying all information contained in the report as quickly as possible."
Mr Barr has been poring over the document since he received it on Friday.

What has the reaction been?

Congressman Jerry Nadler, the Democratic Chair of the House of Representatives Judiciary Committee, emphasised that the attorney general did not rule out that Mr Trump may have obstructed justice.
"Barr says that the president may have acted to obstruct justice, but that for an obstruction conviction, 'the government would need to prove beyond a reasonable doubt that a person, acting with corrupt intent, engaged in obstructive conduct'."
However White House press secretary Sarah Sanders described the findings of the report as "a total and complete exoneration of the president".
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Mr Trump's lawyer, Rudy Giuliani, said the report was "better than I expected".
BBC Graphic showing who has been charged in the Robert Mueller investigation, updated 23 March 2019
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