US Attorney General Bill Barr rejected allegations in a Senate hearing Wednesday that he had whitewashed the Mueller Russian interference report to protect President Donald Trump, but then refused to appear before the House to answer similar questions.

Barr underwent tough questioning in the Senate Judiciary Committee over his decision last month to declare that Trump had been fully cleared by Special Counsel Robert Mueller's investigation -- a move which Mueller himself objected to days later in a letter.

Democratic members of the committee accused Barr of skewing the truth and deliberately downplaying disturbing behavior by the president, even if it did not add up to a crime.

But Barr rejected the criticisms, saying that after Mueller submitted his final report, it was his "baby" and his prerogative as head of the Department of Justice to sum up its conclusions.

Barr refuses to testify to House

After more than four hours before the Senate panel, Barr was scheduled to testify before the House Judiciary Committee on Thursday, where he likely faced more rigorous questioning, including by a committee lawyer.

But late Wednesday the Justice Department announced he wouldn't appear, and would also not turn over to Committee Chairman Jerry Nadler a complete, unredacted version of the Mueller report.

"Unfortunately, even after the Attorney General volunteered to testify, Chairman Nadler placed conditions on the House Judiciary Committee hearing that are unprecedented and unnecessary," said department spokeswoman Kerri Kupec.

"Chairman Nadler's insistence on having staff question the Attorney General, a Senate-confirmed Cabinet member, is inappropriate."

Impeachment debate

Democrats are debating whether Trump should be impeached for obstruction of justice based on the evidence set out in Mueller's 448-page report into Russian interference in the 2016 election.

Ahead of its release, on March 24 Barr announced that the report found no evidence of crimes of conspiracy with the Russians and inadequate evidence to support obstruction charges.

Barr's summary allowed Trump to declare "complete and total exoneration" over accusations of conspiracy with Russia and obstruction of justice, and to claim that it proved the Mueller probe was a politicized "witch hunt."

But the full report released on April 18 painted an altogether more damaging picture of the president's conduct.

Mueller said his team did not find evidence that Trump's campaign criminally conspired with Russians, but the report detailed repeated efforts by the Trump team to engage with Russians and to benefit from the sabotage.

Mueller also laid out a damning pattern of obstructive behavior by the president and suggested Congress itself should investigate. But he declined to give his own opinion on whether Trump had committed a crime.

Explaining his summary, Barr said it would have been "irresponsible and unfair" to release the report without reaching a conclusion, and he had attempted to "notify the people of the bottom-line conclusion."

'It was my decision'

But Barr's stance drew more criticism after the release Wednesday of a previously unknown March 27 letter in which Mueller criticized Barr's four-page summary of the report.

Mueller complained that Barr "did not fully capture the context, nature, and substance" of his conclusions, and had generated "public confusion."

The letter also made clear that at least twice in March Mueller proposed that Barr release the investigation's own summaries first, and that Barr had ignored that idea to put out his own version.

In testy exchanges with Democrats, Barr branded Mueller's letter as "a bit snitty" and "probably written by one of his staff people."

"It was my decision how and when to make it public, not Bob Mueller's," he said of the report.

Two Democratic senators seeking the party's 2020 presidential nomination lashed into Barr.

Corey Booker assailed Barr for not criticizing the behavior of Trump and his campaign documented by Mueller even if it did not rise up to a crime.

"You seem to be excusing a campaign that had hundreds of contacts with a foreign adversary," Booker said.

"Your conduct seems to be trying to normalize that behavior."

Kamala Harris alleged that Barr had conflicts of interest that should have prevented his involvement in the investigation.

Another Democratic senator, Maizie Hirono, accused Barr of a "public relations effort" to protect Trump.

"You used every advantage of your office to create the impression that the president was cleared of misconduct," she said.

US Attorney General Bill Barr rejected allegations in a Senate hearing Wednesday that he had whitewashed the Mueller Russian interference report to protect President Donald Trump, but then refused to appear before the House to answer similar questions.

US Attorney General Bill Barr rejected allegations in a Senate hearing Wednesday that he had whitewashed the Mueller Russian interference report to protect President Donald Trump, but then refused to appear before the House to answer similar questions. Barr underwent tough questioning in the Senate Judiciary Committee over his decision last month to declare that Trump had been fully cleared by Special Counsel Robert Mueller's investigation -- a move which Mueller himself objected to days later in a letter. Democratic members of the committee accused Barr of skewing the truth and deliberately downplaying disturbing behavior by the president, even if it did not add up to a crime. But Barr rejected the criticisms, saying that after Mueller submitted his final report, it was his "baby" and his prerogative as head of the Department of Justice to sum up its conclusions. Barr refuses to testify to House After more than four hours before the Senate panel, Barr was scheduled to testify before the House Judiciary Committee on Thursday, where he likely faced more rigorous questioning, including by a committee lawyer. But late Wednesday the Justice Department announced he wouldn't appear, and would also not turn over to Committee Chairman Jerry Nadler a complete, unredacted version of the Mueller report. "Unfortunately, even after the Attorney General volunteered to testify, Chairman Nadler placed conditions on the House Judiciary Committee hearing that are unprecedented and unnecessary," said department spokeswoman Kerri Kupec. "Chairman Nadler's insistence on having staff question the Attorney General, a Senate-confirmed Cabinet member, is inappropriate." Impeachment debate Democrats are debating whether Trump should be impeached for obstruction of justice based on the evidence set out in Mueller's 448-page report into Russian interference in the 2016 election. Ahead of its release, on March 24 Barr announced that the report found no evidence of crimes of conspiracy with the Russians and inadequate evidence to support obstruction charges. Barr's summary allowed Trump to declare "complete and total exoneration" over accusations of conspiracy with Russia and obstruction of justice, and to claim that it proved the Mueller probe was a politicized "witch hunt." But the full report released on April 18 painted an altogether more damaging picture of the president's conduct. Mueller said his team did not find evidence that Trump's campaign criminally conspired with Russians, but the report detailed repeated efforts by the Trump team to engage with Russians and to benefit from the sabotage. Mueller also laid out a damning pattern of obstructive behavior by the president and suggested Congress itself should investigate. But he declined to give his own opinion on whether Trump had committed a crime. Explaining his summary, Barr said it would have been "irresponsible and unfair" to release the report without reaching a conclusion, and he had attempted to "notify the people of the bottom-line conclusion." 'It was my decision' But Barr's stance drew more criticism after the release Wednesday of a previously unknown March 27 letter in which Mueller criticized Barr's four-page summary of the report. Mueller complained that Barr "did not fully capture the context, nature, and substance" of his conclusions, and had generated "public confusion." The letter also made clear that at least twice in March Mueller proposed that Barr release the investigation's own summaries first, and that Barr had ignored that idea to put out his own version. In testy exchanges with Democrats, Barr branded Mueller's letter as "a bit snitty" and "probably written by one of his staff people." "It was my decision how and when to make it public, not Bob Mueller's," he said of the report. Two Democratic senators seeking the party's 2020 presidential nomination lashed into Barr. Corey Booker assailed Barr for not criticizing the behavior of Trump and his campaign documented by Mueller even if it did not rise up to a crime. "You seem to be excusing a campaign that had hundreds of contacts with a foreign adversary," Booker said. "Your conduct seems to be trying to normalize that behavior." Kamala Harris alleged that Barr had conflicts of interest that should have prevented his involvement in the investigation. Another Democratic senator, Maizie Hirono, accused Barr of a "public relations effort" to protect Trump. "You used every advantage of your office to create the impression that the president was cleared of misconduct," she said.

US Attorney General William Barr refuses to testify before House Judiciary Committee on Mueller report

US Special Counsel Robert Mueller complained to the attorney general over his characterization of the Russia probe that allowed<a href="https://www.google.com/url?client=internal-uds-cse&amp;cx=006054055338965708568:09spwrlibei&amp;q=https://www.wionews.com/world/trump-opposed-to-aides-testifying-to-congress-on-mueller-report-213118&amp;sa=U&amp;ved=2ahUKEwicicai7vnhAhWC7XMBHUDwDUUQFjAJegQIABAC&amp;usg=AOvVaw3If3XEJGLQQeqY4_kZ5gX2"> President Donald Trump </a>to declare himself cleared of obstruction of justice, US media reported Tuesday.

Trump cast himself as fully exonerated after Attorney General Bill Barr delivered a four-page memo to Congress on March 24 that he called a summary of the two-year probe's key findings, telling lawmakers the evidence was insufficient to support criminal obstruction charges.&nbsp;

The release of a redacted version of the full 448-page report on April 18, however, revealed that Mueller had detailed numerous attempts by the president to thwart the investigation.

The Washington Post said Mueller's letter to Barr three days later complained that the attorney general's memo "did not fully capture the context, nature and substance of this office's work and conclusions."

"There is no public confusion about critical aspects of the results of our investigation," Mueller reportedly wrote, in stark language that apparently surprised Justice Department officials.

"This threatens to undermine a central purpose for which the Department appointed the Special Counsel: to assure full public confidence in the outcome of the investigations."

Mueller declined to accuse Trump of a crime, referring to Justice Department policy precludes the indictment of a sitting president, but specifically said that what he had uncovered made him unable to exonerate the president.

Democrats in Congress are expected to question Barr at length over his role in the probe and interactions with Mueller as he appears for two days of hearings on Capitol Hill this week.

On Wednesday, several called for his resignation -- with House Speaker Nancy Pelosi also weighing in.

"Attorney General Barr misled the public and owes the American people answers," she said on Twitter.

"It's time for DOJ to release the full report &amp; all underlying docs — and finally allow Mueller to testify. Americans deserve the facts. Barr must stop standing in the way."

"Bill Barr needs to resign," was California congressman Ro Khanna's take.

"He needs to resign tomorrow. At some point, we need to distinguish fact from spin."

Mark Warner, the Democratic vice chairman of the powerful Senate intelligence committee, said Barr had "lost all credibility."

"This is exactly why I said Mr Barr should never have been confirmed in the first place."

Sabotage&nbsp;

A rift between the special counsel's office and Barr, Mueller's boss and longtime friend, appeared to emerge in the days following the release of the attorney general's memo, as investigators reportedly let it be known through intermediaries that they felt frustrated by Barr's representation of their work.

The New York Times pointed to what it said were instances of Barr taking Mueller's words out of context in a manner that painted a less damaging picture of Trump's behaviour and suggested that the president had no motive to obstruct justice.

Barr has also repeatedly said Mueller found "no collusion" between the Trump campaign and Russia -- even though the special counsel's report made a point of noting that he had not investigated "collusion," which has no legal definition.

Mueller's report -- the culmination of a probe that had haunted Trump since the start of his presidency -- confirmed that Russian operatives tried to help Trump defeat his Democratic rival Hillary Clinton, including by hacking into email accounts.

The probe found that Trump's campaign knew of the sabotage attempt and took advantage of the impact on Clinton, but did not deliberately reach out to conspire with the Russians.

Several Democrats, notably presidential hopeful Senator Elizabeth Warren, have called for Trump to be impeached for welcoming a hostile power's help and for allegedly obstructing the investigation after the election.

The White House has not commented on the letter but Trump's lawyer Rudy Giuliani told CNN that Mueller "should have made a decision and shouldn't be complaining or whining now that he didn't get described correctly" on the obstruction issue.

US Special Counsel Robert Mueller complained to the attorney general over his characterization of the Russia probe that allowed President Donald Trump to declare himself cleared of obstruction of justice, US media reported Tuesday.

US Special Counsel Robert Mueller complained to the attorney general over his characterization of the Russia probe that allowed President Donald Trump to declare himself cleared of obstruction of justice, US media reported Tuesday. Trump cast himself as fully exonerated after Attorney General Bill Barr delivered a four-page memo to Congress on March 24 that he called a summary of the two-year probe's key findings, telling lawmakers the evidence was insufficient to support criminal obstruction charges. The release of a redacted version of the full 448-page report on April 18, however, revealed that Mueller had detailed numerous attempts by the president to thwart the investigation. The Washington Post said Mueller's letter to Barr three days later complained that the attorney general's memo "did not fully capture the context, nature and substance of this office's work and conclusions." "There is no public confusion about critical aspects of the results of our investigation," Mueller reportedly wrote, in stark language that apparently surprised Justice Department officials. "This threatens to undermine a central purpose for which the Department appointed the Special Counsel: to assure full public confidence in the outcome of the investigations." Mueller declined to accuse Trump of a crime, referring to Justice Department policy precludes the indictment of a sitting president, but specifically said that what he had uncovered made him unable to exonerate the president. Democrats in Congress are expected to question Barr at length over his role in the probe and interactions with Mueller as he appears for two days of hearings on Capitol Hill this week. On Wednesday, several called for his resignation -- with House Speaker Nancy Pelosi also weighing in. "Attorney General Barr misled the public and owes the American people answers," she said on Twitter. "It's time for DOJ to release the full report & all underlying docs — and finally allow Mueller to testify. Americans deserve the facts. Barr must stop standing in the way." "Bill Barr needs to resign," was California congressman Ro Khanna's take. "He needs to resign tomorrow. At some point, we need to distinguish fact from spin." Mark Warner, the Democratic vice chairman of the powerful Senate intelligence committee, said Barr had "lost all credibility." "This is exactly why I said Mr Barr should never have been confirmed in the first place." Sabotage A rift between the special counsel's office and Barr, Mueller's boss and longtime friend, appeared to emerge in the days following the release of the attorney general's memo, as investigators reportedly let it be known through intermediaries that they felt frustrated by Barr's representation of their work. The New York Times pointed to what it said were instances of Barr taking Mueller's words out of context in a manner that painted a less damaging picture of Trump's behaviour and suggested that the president had no motive to obstruct justice. Barr has also repeatedly said Mueller found "no collusion" between the Trump campaign and Russia -- even though the special counsel's report made a point of noting that he had not investigated "collusion," which has no legal definition. Mueller's report -- the culmination of a probe that had haunted Trump since the start of his presidency -- confirmed that Russian operatives tried to help Trump defeat his Democratic rival Hillary Clinton, including by hacking into email accounts. The probe found that Trump's campaign knew of the sabotage attempt and took advantage of the impact on Clinton, but did not deliberately reach out to conspire with the Russians. Several Democrats, notably presidential hopeful Senator Elizabeth Warren, have called for Trump to be impeached for welcoming a hostile power's help and for allegedly obstructing the investigation after the election. The White House has not commented on the letter but Trump's lawyer Rudy Giuliani told CNN that Mueller "should have made a decision and shouldn't be complaining or whining now that he didn't get described correctly" on the obstruction issue.

Mueller criticises Attorney General Barr's depiction of Russia probe: Reports

US Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein, who appointed Special Counsel Robert Mueller in May 2017 to investigate links between the Russian government and President Donald Trump's campaign, said on Monday he was resigning from his post.

Rosenstein's departure, effective May 11, was not a surprise. <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/us-deputy-attorney-general-rosenstein-to-step-down-in-march-official-198272">He had been expected to step down in March</a>. The White House had no immediate comment, but noted that Trump had already nominated Deputy Transportation Secretary Jeffrey Rosen to replace him.

Rosenstein ended up staying on the job longer to help Attorney General William Barr <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/what-is-mueller-report-everything-you-need-to-know-about-it-211667">manage the public release of Mueller's findings</a> from his 22-month investigation, which was completed on March 22.

In a letter to Trump, Rosenstein echoed two of Trump’s signature phrases, writing that he helped staff the department with officials “devoted to the values that make America great” and adding that “we always put America first.”

Mueller's investigation did not establish evidence that Trump's campaign illegally conspired with Moscow.

Mueller, in his final report, did not make a determination on whether Trump obstructed justice, but instead presented evidence on both sides.

After receiving the final report, Rosenstein and Barr made their own determination, finding there was insufficient evidence to charge the president.

"We enforce the law without fear or favour because credible evidence is not partisan," Rosenstein wrote in his resignation letter.

Rosenstein, a Republican, was often criticized by Trump and his allies for appointing Mueller. He has also been involved in decision-making at the Justice Department that has been criticized by Democrats.

Democrats have directed most of their anger at Barr for how he chose to selectively release certain details of the Mueller report before making it public and for his decision to declare Trump had not obstructed justice.

But Rosenstein played a prominent role in weighing the evidence Mueller had gathered on obstruction and deciding that Trump should not be charged.

Last autumn, questions swirled about whether Trump might fire him, after the New York Times reported that Rosenstein had suggested in 2017 secretly recording Trump with a wire and recruiting Cabinet members to remove the president from office under the U.S. Constitution's 25th Amendment.

Rosenstein has said the story was "inaccurate." Despite stoking Trump's ire, he remained on the job.

In a speech last week, he blasted “mercenary critics” and defended how the Mueller investigation was handled.

“If lawyers cannot prove our case in court, then what we believe is irrelevant," he said.

US Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein, who appointed Special Counsel Robert Mueller in May 2017 to investigate links between the Russian government and President Donald Trump's campaign, said on Monday he was resigning from his post.

US Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein, who appointed Special Counsel Robert Mueller in May 2017 to investigate links between the Russian government and President Donald Trump's campaign, said on Monday he was resigning from his post. Rosenstein's departure, effective May 11, was not a surprise. He had been expected to step down in March. The White House had no immediate comment, but noted that Trump had already nominated Deputy Transportation Secretary Jeffrey Rosen to replace him. Rosenstein ended up staying on the job longer to help Attorney General William Barr manage the public release of Mueller's findings from his 22-month investigation, which was completed on March 22. In a letter to Trump, Rosenstein echoed two of Trump’s signature phrases, writing that he helped staff the department with officials “devoted to the values that make America great” and adding that “we always put America first.” Mueller's investigation did not establish evidence that Trump's campaign illegally conspired with Moscow. Mueller, in his final report, did not make a determination on whether Trump obstructed justice, but instead presented evidence on both sides. After receiving the final report, Rosenstein and Barr made their own determination, finding there was insufficient evidence to charge the president. "We enforce the law without fear or favour because credible evidence is not partisan," Rosenstein wrote in his resignation letter. Rosenstein, a Republican, was often criticized by Trump and his allies for appointing Mueller. He has also been involved in decision-making at the Justice Department that has been criticized by Democrats. Democrats have directed most of their anger at Barr for how he chose to selectively release certain details of the Mueller report before making it public and for his decision to declare Trump had not obstructed justice. But Rosenstein played a prominent role in weighing the evidence Mueller had gathered on obstruction and deciding that Trump should not be charged. Last autumn, questions swirled about whether Trump might fire him, after the New York Times reported that Rosenstein had suggested in 2017 secretly recording Trump with a wire and recruiting Cabinet members to remove the president from office under the U.S. Constitution's 25th Amendment. Rosenstein has said the story was "inaccurate." Despite stoking Trump's ire, he remained on the job. In a speech last week, he blasted “mercenary critics” and defended how the Mueller investigation was handled. “If lawyers cannot prove our case in court, then what we believe is irrelevant," he said.

US Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein resigns

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/trump-misses-tax-return-deadline-legal-battle-likely-213110">President Donald Trump</a> is opposed to current and former White House aides testifying to congressional committees on Special Counsel Robert Mueller's Russia report, the Washington Post quoted him as saying on Tuesday.

In an interview with the newspaper, Trump said the White House cooperated with Mueller's investigation into Russian meddling in the 2016 US presidential election and did not need to comply with congressional committees, which are probing possible obstruction of justice by Trump.

"There is no reason to go any further, and especially in Congress where it’s very partisan - obviously very partisan," Trump said, according to the Post.

Earlier, the Post reported that the White House was planning to oppose a subpoena issued by the House of Representatives Judiciary Committee for former White House Counsel Don McGahn to testify.

The Post said the White House planned to assert executive privilege to prevent McGahn and other current and former Trump administration officials from testifying.

Trump said the White House lawyers had not "made a final, final decision" about whether to assert executive privilege, according to the Post.

But Trump said he opposed cooperating with House Democrats, who he said were trying to score political points against him.

''I don’t want people testifying to a party, because that is what they’re doing if they do this,''&nbsp;the Post quoted Trump as saying.

According to the Mueller report, Trump called McGahn in June 2017 to say he should tell Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein to remove the special counsel because he had conflicts of interest. McGahn did not carry out the order.

President Donald Trump is opposed to current and former White House aides testifying to congressional committees on Special Counsel Robert Mueller's Russia report, the Washington Post quoted him as saying on Tuesday.

President Donald Trump is opposed to current and former White House aides testifying to congressional committees on Special Counsel Robert Mueller's Russia report, the Washington Post quoted him as saying on Tuesday. In an interview with the newspaper, Trump said the White House cooperated with Mueller's investigation into Russian meddling in the 2016 US presidential election and did not need to comply with congressional committees, which are probing possible obstruction of justice by Trump. "There is no reason to go any further, and especially in Congress where it’s very partisan - obviously very partisan," Trump said, according to the Post. Earlier, the Post reported that the White House was planning to oppose a subpoena issued by the House of Representatives Judiciary Committee for former White House Counsel Don McGahn to testify. The Post said the White House planned to assert executive privilege to prevent McGahn and other current and former Trump administration officials from testifying. Trump said the White House lawyers had not "made a final, final decision" about whether to assert executive privilege, according to the Post. But Trump said he opposed cooperating with House Democrats, who he said were trying to score political points against him. ''I don’t want people testifying to a party, because that is what they’re doing if they do this,'' the Post quoted Trump as saying. According to the Mueller report, Trump called McGahn in June 2017 to say he should tell Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein to remove the special counsel because he had conflicts of interest. McGahn did not carry out the order.

Trump opposed to aides testifying to Congress on Mueller report

Special counsel <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/what-is-mueller-report-everything-you-need-to-know-about-it-211667">Robert Mueller's report on Russian interference</a> in the 2016 election is topping the Amazon best-seller charts.

Paperback versions of the Mueller report, which was released publicly on Thursday, figure in the number one, two and five spots on Amazon US's list of best sellers.

The three versions are to be released on April 30.

In third and fourth position on the Amazon, US list are "Where the Crawdads Sing" by Delia Owens and former First Lady Michelle Obama's memoir, "Becoming."&nbsp;

Topping the Amazon list is a version of the Mueller report being published by Scribner in collaboration with The Washington Post, which is owned by Amazon founder Jeff Bezos.

A spokesman for Simon &amp; Schuster, which owns Scribner, said 350,000 copies had been printed but declined to release a figure for the number of pre-orders for the book.

The book totals 736 pages, including a preface and commentary by two Post reporters, Rosalind Helderman and Matt Zapotosky.

An audio version of the book is already on sale, Simon &amp; Schuster Audio said, narrated by four Post reporters and 12 other narrators who began recording simultaneously the moment the report was released.

A version of the Mueller report from Skyhorse was in the second position, while one published by Melville House was in fifth.

Skyhorse did not immediately respond to requests for comment, but Melville House said it has printed 200,000 copies.

The Mueller report confirmed that Russian operatives had meddled in the 2016 election to help Trump beat Democratic candidate Hillary Clinton, including by hacking into email accounts.

But the special counsel's 22-month-long investigation did not find that Trump and his team had criminally conspired with the Russian effort to sway the election in his favour.

During the probe, Trump also repeatedly tried to hamper Mueller's work, the report said.

But Mueller did not rule one way or the other on whether Trump had committed the crime of obstruction of justice.

Trump's presidency has been a boon for political works, with some books exceeding sales of one million copies.

Special counsel Robert Mueller's report on Russian interference in the 2016 election is topping the Amazon best-seller charts. Paperback versions of the Mueller report, which was released publicly on Thursday, figure in the number one, two and five spots on Amazon US's list of best sellers.

Special counsel Robert Mueller's report on Russian interference in the 2016 election is topping the Amazon best-seller charts. Paperback versions of the Mueller report, which was released publicly on Thursday, figure in the number one, two and five spots on Amazon US's list of best sellers. The three versions are to be released on April 30. In third and fourth position on the Amazon, US list are "Where the Crawdads Sing" by Delia Owens and former First Lady Michelle Obama's memoir, "Becoming." Topping the Amazon list is a version of the Mueller report being published by Scribner in collaboration with The Washington Post, which is owned by Amazon founder Jeff Bezos. A spokesman for Simon & Schuster, which owns Scribner, said 350,000 copies had been printed but declined to release a figure for the number of pre-orders for the book. The book totals 736 pages, including a preface and commentary by two Post reporters, Rosalind Helderman and Matt Zapotosky. An audio version of the book is already on sale, Simon & Schuster Audio said, narrated by four Post reporters and 12 other narrators who began recording simultaneously the moment the report was released. A version of the Mueller report from Skyhorse was in the second position, while one published by Melville House was in fifth. Skyhorse did not immediately respond to requests for comment, but Melville House said it has printed 200,000 copies. The Mueller report confirmed that Russian operatives had meddled in the 2016 election to help Trump beat Democratic candidate Hillary Clinton, including by hacking into email accounts. But the special counsel's 22-month-long investigation did not find that Trump and his team had criminally conspired with the Russian effort to sway the election in his favour. During the probe, Trump also repeatedly tried to hamper Mueller's work, the report said. But Mueller did not rule one way or the other on whether Trump had committed the crime of obstruction of justice. Trump's presidency has been a boon for political works, with some books exceeding sales of one million copies.

Mueller report tops Amazon best seller charts

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/there-were-no-crimes-by-me-congress-cant-impeach-me-donald-trump-212655">President Donald Trump dismissed</a> questions from reporters on Monday about his staff's reluctance to carry out his orders and the chances of impeachment proceedings in the US Congress, <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/what-is-mueller-report-everything-you-need-to-know-about-it-211667">days after the Mueller report highlighted</a> both issues.

The 448-page report from US Special Counsel Robert Mueller on his investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 US election revealed staff and associates sometimes ignored requests from Trump to deliver messages, including one to fire Mueller.

"Nobody disobeys me," Republican Trump said when asked if he was worried about his orders not being followed. He made the remark at the White House during an annual Easter celebration.

Mueller's report said that the 22-month investigation did not establish that the Trump campaign coordinated with Russians during the 2016 election campaign, but Mueller did find "multiple acts by the president that were capable of exerting undue influence over law enforcement investigations."

According to the report, White House Counsel Don McGahn had been on the brink of resigning when Trump told him to ask Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein to fire Mueller. Trump then denied using the word "fire," according to McGahn's retelling to Mueller.

Trump lashed out at the report on Twitter later on Monday.

"Isn’t it amazing that the people who were closest to me, by far, and knew the Campaign better than anyone, were never even called to testify before Mueller," Trump wrote.

Mueller's report drew upon interviews, notes and communications with Trump advisers. Trump's personal lawyer during the campaign, Michael Cohen, pleaded guilty to crimes as did campaign chairman Paul Manafort and Trump's first national security adviser Michael Flynn.

Mueller's report drew upon dozens of interviews, notes and communications with White House advisers.

Asked on Monday whether he was concerned about the threat of impeachment on allegations of obstruction of justice as some Democrats have called for, Trump said, "Not even a little bit."

US Senator Elizabeth Warren, who is running for the Democratic presidential nomination, on Friday said Congress should begin the process of removing Trump from office. Other Democratic leaders have played down talk of impeachment, just 18 months before the 2020 election.

Republicans have stood by Trump and while an impeachment effort might succeed in the Democratic-controlled House of Representatives, it was unlikely to do so in the Republican-led Senate. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said on Monday House Democrats' views vary on how to proceed.

Trump, speaking from the White House balcony on Monday, returned to favourite topics of his by touting the strong United States economy and saying his administration was rebuilding the military "to a level never seen before."

"Our country is doing fantastically well, probably the best it has ever done economically," he said.

President Donald Trump dismissed questions from reporters on Monday about his staff's reluctance to carry out his orders and the chances of impeachment proceedings in the US Congress, days after the Mueller report highlighted both issues.

President Donald Trump dismissed questions from reporters on Monday about his staff's reluctance to carry out his orders and the chances of impeachment proceedings in the US Congress, days after the Mueller report highlighted both issues. The 448-page report from US Special Counsel Robert Mueller on his investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 US election revealed staff and associates sometimes ignored requests from Trump to deliver messages, including one to fire Mueller. "Nobody disobeys me," Republican Trump said when asked if he was worried about his orders not being followed. He made the remark at the White House during an annual Easter celebration. Mueller's report said that the 22-month investigation did not establish that the Trump campaign coordinated with Russians during the 2016 election campaign, but Mueller did find "multiple acts by the president that were capable of exerting undue influence over law enforcement investigations." According to the report, White House Counsel Don McGahn had been on the brink of resigning when Trump told him to ask Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein to fire Mueller. Trump then denied using the word "fire," according to McGahn's retelling to Mueller. Trump lashed out at the report on Twitter later on Monday. "Isn’t it amazing that the people who were closest to me, by far, and knew the Campaign better than anyone, were never even called to testify before Mueller," Trump wrote. Mueller's report drew upon interviews, notes and communications with Trump advisers. Trump's personal lawyer during the campaign, Michael Cohen, pleaded guilty to crimes as did campaign chairman Paul Manafort and Trump's first national security adviser Michael Flynn. Mueller's report drew upon dozens of interviews, notes and communications with White House advisers. Asked on Monday whether he was concerned about the threat of impeachment on allegations of obstruction of justice as some Democrats have called for, Trump said, "Not even a little bit." US Senator Elizabeth Warren, who is running for the Democratic presidential nomination, on Friday said Congress should begin the process of removing Trump from office. Other Democratic leaders have played down talk of impeachment, just 18 months before the 2020 election. Republicans have stood by Trump and while an impeachment effort might succeed in the Democratic-controlled House of Representatives, it was unlikely to do so in the Republican-led Senate. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said on Monday House Democrats' views vary on how to proceed. Trump, speaking from the White House balcony on Monday, returned to favourite topics of his by touting the strong United States economy and saying his administration was rebuilding the military "to a level never seen before." "Our country is doing fantastically well, probably the best it has ever done economically," he said.

Nobody disobeys me, says Trump on staff following orders

Top congressional Democrats left the door open on Sunday to the impeachment of <a href="https://www.wionews.com/videos/mueller-report-is-it-a-clean-chit-for-donald-trump-211973">US&nbsp;President Donald Trump</a> but said they would first need to complete <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/trump-lawyers-reviewed-mueller-report-for-10-hours-before-it-was-made-public-211967">their own investigations </a>into whether he obstructed justice in Special Counsel Robert Mueller`s Russia probe.

Party leaders have cautioned against impeachment just 18 months before the November 2020 presidential election, although prominent liberals have demanded the start of proceedings to remove Trump from office since the release of a redacted version of Mueller`s report on Thursday.

Also read:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/i-never-agreed-to-testify-on-mueller-report-says-trump-211835">I never agreed to testify on Mueller report, says Trump</a>

US&nbsp;House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jerrold Nadler, whose panel would spearhead any impeachment proceedings, said Democrats would press ahead with investigations of Trump in Congress and "see where the facts lead us."

"Obstruction of justice, if proven, would be impeachable," Nadler said on NBC`s "Meet the Press."

The redacted version of Mueller`s long-awaited report on Russian interference in the 2016 election, the product of a 22-month investigation, outlined multiple instances where Trump tried to thwart the probe. While it stopped short of concluding Trump had committed a crime, it did not exonerate him.

Mueller also noted that Congress has the power to address whether Trump violated the law, and Democrats said it would be a matter of discussion in the coming weeks. 
"That`s going to be a very consequential decision and one I`m going to reserve judgment on until we have a chance to fully deliberate on it," House Intelligence Committee Chairman Adam Schiff said on "Fox News Sunday."

Democrats, who control the House of Representatives, planned a conference call for Monday afternoon to discuss their next steps in response to the Mueller report. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi wrote lawmakers last week to notify them of the call "to discuss this grave matter."

Nadler on Friday issued a subpoena to the Justice Department to hand over the full, unredacted Mueller report and underlying evidence by May 1. The Justice Department called the request "premature and unnecessary."&nbsp;

Before drawing any conclusions, Nadler said Democrats want to hear from Mueller and Attorney General William Barr, who is scheduled to testify in early May. Nadler also said he would call former White House counsel Donald McGahn to testify.

Republicans have stood by Trump and an impeachment effort was unlikely to succeed in the Republican-led Senate.

Trump, who denounces the investigation as a witch hunt, claimed vindication from Mueller`s report. He has called for an investigation of how the FBI began the probe, and has tried to blame Democrats.&nbsp;

"How do you impeach a Republican President for a crime that was committed by the Democrats?" he wrote on Twitter.

US Senator Elizabeth Warren became the first major contender for the Democratic 2020 presidential nomination to call for the start of impeachment proceedings, saying on Friday that "the severity of this misconduct" demanded it.&nbsp;

Julian Castro, former housing secretary under President Barack Obama and another 2020 contender, joined Warren.

Democratic House Oversight Committee Chairman Elijah Cummings, however, said, "I`m not there yet."

He told CBS` "Face the Nation" that Congress needed to look at Trump`s finances and gauge Mueller`s intentions with his report. Even if Senate Republicans blocked any eventual Democratic impeachment effort, Cummings said, "I think history would smile upon us for standing up for the Constitution."

Representative Tim Ryan, another Democratic presidential contender, said the party should wait until multiple ongoing investigations of Trump in Congress have had a chance to uncover more evidence.

"Let the process play itself out," he said on CNN`s "State of the Union."

While Trump`s team had indicated it would release a rebuttal to Mueller`s report, Rudy Giuliani, said that was not imminent.

"We planned to do it if we needed to. So far, we don`t think we need to," he said on "Fox News Sunday."

Top congressional Democrats left the door open on Sunday to the impeachment of US President Donald Trump but said they would first need to complete their own investigations into whether he obstructed justice in Special Counsel Robert Mueller`s Russia probe.

Top congressional Democrats left the door open on Sunday to the impeachment of US President Donald Trump but said they would first need to complete their own investigations into whether he obstructed justice in Special Counsel Robert Mueller`s Russia probe. Party leaders have cautioned against impeachment just 18 months before the November 2020 presidential election, although prominent liberals have demanded the start of proceedings to remove Trump from office since the release of a redacted version of Mueller`s report on Thursday. Also read: I never agreed to testify on Mueller report, says Trump US House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jerrold Nadler, whose panel would spearhead any impeachment proceedings, said Democrats would press ahead with investigations of Trump in Congress and "see where the facts lead us." "Obstruction of justice, if proven, would be impeachable," Nadler said on NBC`s "Meet the Press." The redacted version of Mueller`s long-awaited report on Russian interference in the 2016 election, the product of a 22-month investigation, outlined multiple instances where Trump tried to thwart the probe. While it stopped short of concluding Trump had committed a crime, it did not exonerate him. Mueller also noted that Congress has the power to address whether Trump violated the law, and Democrats said it would be a matter of discussion in the coming weeks. "That`s going to be a very consequential decision and one I`m going to reserve judgment on until we have a chance to fully deliberate on it," House Intelligence Committee Chairman Adam Schiff said on "Fox News Sunday." Democrats, who control the House of Representatives, planned a conference call for Monday afternoon to discuss their next steps in response to the Mueller report. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi wrote lawmakers last week to notify them of the call "to discuss this grave matter." Nadler on Friday issued a subpoena to the Justice Department to hand over the full, unredacted Mueller report and underlying evidence by May 1. The Justice Department called the request "premature and unnecessary." Before drawing any conclusions, Nadler said Democrats want to hear from Mueller and Attorney General William Barr, who is scheduled to testify in early May. Nadler also said he would call former White House counsel Donald McGahn to testify. Republicans have stood by Trump and an impeachment effort was unlikely to succeed in the Republican-led Senate. Trump, who denounces the investigation as a witch hunt, claimed vindication from Mueller`s report. He has called for an investigation of how the FBI began the probe, and has tried to blame Democrats. "How do you impeach a Republican President for a crime that was committed by the Democrats?" he wrote on Twitter. US Senator Elizabeth Warren became the first major contender for the Democratic 2020 presidential nomination to call for the start of impeachment proceedings, saying on Friday that "the severity of this misconduct" demanded it. Julian Castro, former housing secretary under President Barack Obama and another 2020 contender, joined Warren. Democratic House Oversight Committee Chairman Elijah Cummings, however, said, "I`m not there yet." He told CBS` "Face the Nation" that Congress needed to look at Trump`s finances and gauge Mueller`s intentions with his report. Even if Senate Republicans blocked any eventual Democratic impeachment effort, Cummings said, "I think history would smile upon us for standing up for the Constitution." Representative Tim Ryan, another Democratic presidential contender, said the party should wait until multiple ongoing investigations of Trump in Congress have had a chance to uncover more evidence. "Let the process play itself out," he said on CNN`s "State of the Union." While Trump`s team had indicated it would release a rebuttal to Mueller`s report, Rudy Giuliani, said that was not imminent. "We planned to do it if we needed to. So far, we don`t think we need to," he said on "Fox News Sunday."

Top Democrats leave open option of Trump impeachment after Mueller report

US President<a href="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.wionews.com/world/mueller-report-inconclusive-on-trumps-obstruction-of-justice-charge-211626&amp;sa=U&amp;ved=0ahUKEwiZ2IHL8N3hAhUJqI8KHXPnDugQFggIMAE&amp;client=internal-uds-cse&amp;cx=006054055338965708568:09spwrlibei&amp;usg=AOvVaw0IGcs_OTzsxAY9oGz7k1k6"> Donald Trump</a>'s personal lawyers spent at least 10 hours reviewing Special Counsel Robert <a href="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.wionews.com/world/factbox-new-revelations-from-the-mueller-report-211679&amp;sa=U&amp;ved=0ahUKEwiZ2IHL8N3hAhUJqI8KHXPnDugQFggLMAI&amp;client=internal-uds-cse&amp;cx=006054055338965708568:09spwrlibei&amp;usg=AOvVaw034PLX7-c0cHTNSijkDeI1">Mueller's report </a>on Russian meddling in the 2016 election before it was made public, two of the lawyers told&nbsp;on Friday.

Rudy Giuliani, Jay Sekulow and two other Trump lawyers went to the US Justice Department on Tuesday and Wednesday for an early look at the<a href="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.wionews.com/world/in-unflattering-detail-mueller-report-reveals-trump-actions-to-impede-inquiry-211647&amp;sa=U&amp;ved=0ahUKEwiZ2IHL8N3hAhUJqI8KHXPnDugQFggOMAM&amp;client=internal-uds-cse&amp;cx=006054055338965708568:09spwrlibei&amp;usg=AOvVaw1d2YcFiM4gouiihBIzE5mM"> 448-page report</a> into whether Trump's team colluded with Russia and whether Trump obstructed the investigation, which was released to the public on Thursday.

<a href="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.wionews.com/world/redacted-mueller-report-to-be-issued-by-us-attorney-general-today-211317&amp;sa=U&amp;ved=0ahUKEwiZ2IHL8N3hAhUJqI8KHXPnDugQFggFMAA&amp;client=internal-uds-cse&amp;cx=006054055338965708568:09spwrlibei&amp;usg=AOvVaw1lrBRwhd5qlPd2LkHYo216">Attorney General William Barr</a>, who has drawn criticism from Democratic lawmakers over his handling of the Mueller probe, said on Thursday that both White House counsel and Trump's personal lawyers had been allowed to review the redacted report.

Barr gave no details about how much access they were given but Sekulow and Giuliani said they reviewed copies of the report from about 4 pm until at least 9 pm on Tuesday and from 10:30 am until 3:30 pm on Wednesday, taking notes on legal pads.

The lawyers said they gave up their cellphones and other electronic devices before being led into a Justice Department conference room in a restricted area known as a Sensitive Compartmented Information Facility (SCIF), designed to ensure secret information stays secure.

"We were doing a lot of reading, not talking," Sekulow told Reuters, referring to himself, Giuliani, and Jane and Marty Raskin.

"I had at least 30 pages of notes," said Giuliani.

Sekulow pushed back against Democrats' complaints that Barr had tried to help Trump by giving his lawyers an early look at the report.

"Our client was the subject of an inquiry," Sekulow said, explaining that the team of lawyers sent a note to the Justice Department last week asking to see the report. "We believed it was an appropriate request to make."

The disclosure followed news reports this week that Justice Department officials discussed Mueller's conclusions with White House lawyers before the release.

Giuliani said the preview reassured them that the report did not contain any bombshells.

"It gave us some confidence the people who hate him will hate him, the people who love him will love him, and the people in between were not going to be persuaded," he said.

After the first session, the lawyers went back to Sekulow's Capitol Hill offices, ordered in Chinese food and created an outline of their own about the most important details in the report, they said.

On Wednesday night, they went out for Mexican food. And on Thursday night, after the report's release, they celebrated at the Trump International Hotel in Washington.

Although Mueller's team described in detail the extensive contact Trump's team had with Russia during the election campaign and how Trump tried to impede the investigation, it stopped short of concluding he had committed a crime or that his aides had conspired with Moscow.

The team of personal lawyers was happy with the result. "No collusion and no obstruction," Sekulow said, using a phrase often repeated by Trump.

US President Donald Trump's personal lawyers spent at least 10 hours reviewing Special Counsel Robert Mueller's report on Russian meddling in the 2016 election before it was made public, two of the lawyers told on Friday.

US President Donald Trump's personal lawyers spent at least 10 hours reviewing Special Counsel Robert Mueller's report on Russian meddling in the 2016 election before it was made public, two of the lawyers told on Friday. Rudy Giuliani, Jay Sekulow and two other Trump lawyers went to the US Justice Department on Tuesday and Wednesday for an early look at the 448-page report into whether Trump's team colluded with Russia and whether Trump obstructed the investigation, which was released to the public on Thursday. Attorney General William Barr, who has drawn criticism from Democratic lawmakers over his handling of the Mueller probe, said on Thursday that both White House counsel and Trump's personal lawyers had been allowed to review the redacted report. Barr gave no details about how much access they were given but Sekulow and Giuliani said they reviewed copies of the report from about 4 pm until at least 9 pm on Tuesday and from 10:30 am until 3:30 pm on Wednesday, taking notes on legal pads. The lawyers said they gave up their cellphones and other electronic devices before being led into a Justice Department conference room in a restricted area known as a Sensitive Compartmented Information Facility (SCIF), designed to ensure secret information stays secure. "We were doing a lot of reading, not talking," Sekulow told Reuters, referring to himself, Giuliani, and Jane and Marty Raskin. "I had at least 30 pages of notes," said Giuliani. Sekulow pushed back against Democrats' complaints that Barr had tried to help Trump by giving his lawyers an early look at the report. "Our client was the subject of an inquiry," Sekulow said, explaining that the team of lawyers sent a note to the Justice Department last week asking to see the report. "We believed it was an appropriate request to make." The disclosure followed news reports this week that Justice Department officials discussed Mueller's conclusions with White House lawyers before the release. Giuliani said the preview reassured them that the report did not contain any bombshells. "It gave us some confidence the people who hate him will hate him, the people who love him will love him, and the people in between were not going to be persuaded," he said. After the first session, the lawyers went back to Sekulow's Capitol Hill offices, ordered in Chinese food and created an outline of their own about the most important details in the report, they said. On Wednesday night, they went out for Mexican food. And on Thursday night, after the report's release, they celebrated at the Trump International Hotel in Washington. Although Mueller's team described in detail the extensive contact Trump's team had with Russia during the election campaign and how Trump tried to impede the investigation, it stopped short of concluding he had committed a crime or that his aides had conspired with Moscow. The team of personal lawyers was happy with the result. "No collusion and no obstruction," Sekulow said, using a phrase often repeated by Trump.

Trump lawyers reviewed Mueller report for 10 hours before it was made public

The number of Americans who approve of <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/i-never-agreed-to-testify-on-mueller-report-says-trump-211835">President Donald Trump</a> dropped by 3 percentage points to the lowest level of the year following the release of <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/what-is-mueller-report-everything-you-need-to-know-about-it-211667">a special counsel report detailing Russian interference</a> in the last US&nbsp;presidential election, according to an exclusive Reuters/Ipsos public opinion poll.

The poll, conducted Thursday afternoon to Friday morning, is the first national survey to measure the response from the American public after the US&nbsp;Justice Department released Special Counsel Robert Mueller’s 448-page report that recounted numerous occasions in which Trump may have interfered with the investigation.

According to the poll, 37 per cent of adults in the United States approved of Trump’s performance in office, down from 40 per cent in a similar poll conducted on April 15 and matching the lowest level of the year.

That is also down from 43 per cent in a poll conducted shortly after US Attorney General William Barr circulated a summary of the report in March.

In his report, Mueller said his investigation did not establish that the Trump campaign had coordinated with Russians. However, investigators did find “multiple acts by the President that was capable of exerting undue influence over law enforcement investigations.”

While Mueller ultimately decided not to charge Trump with a crime, he also said that the investigation did not exonerate the president, either.

The Reuters/Ipsos poll was conducted online in English throughout the United States. It gathered responses from 1,005 adults, including 924 who were familiar with the Mueller report. It has a credibility interval, a measure of precision, of 4 percentage points.

Sharp split

The poll found that 50 per cent of Americans agreed that “Trump or someone from his campaign worked with Russia to influence the 2016 election,” and 58 per cent agreed that the president “tried to stop investigations into Russian influence on his administration.”

Forty per cent said they thought Trump should be impeached, while 42 per cent said he should not.

The poll responses were sharply split along party lines, with Democrats much more critical of Trump than his fellow Republicans.

The Mueller investigation had previously charged 34 other people and three Russian entities, netting convictions or guilty pleas from several Trump associates including former campaign chairman Paul Manafort, White House national security adviser Michael Flynn and longtime personal attorney Michael Cohen.

So far, the report does not appear to have convinced many to change their opinions about the president’s conduct during a bitter presidential campaign, whether his inner circle improperly engaged with Russian agents, or if he tried to interfere with federal investigators afterwards.

Among those respondents who said they were familiar with the Mueller report, 70 per cent said the report had not changed their view of Trump or Russia’s involvement in the US presidential race.&nbsp;

Only 15 per cent said they had learned something that changed their view of Trump or the Russia investigation, and a majority of those respondents said they were now more likely to believe that “Trump or someone close to him broke the law.”

The number of Americans who approve of President Donald Trump dropped by 3 percentage points to the lowest level of the year following the release of a special counsel report detailing Russian interference in the last US presidential election, according to an exclusive Reuters/Ipsos public opinion poll.

The number of Americans who approve of President Donald Trump dropped by 3 percentage points to the lowest level of the year following the release of a special counsel report detailing Russian interference in the last US presidential election, according to an exclusive Reuters/Ipsos public opinion poll. The poll, conducted Thursday afternoon to Friday morning, is the first national survey to measure the response from the American public after the US Justice Department released Special Counsel Robert Mueller’s 448-page report that recounted numerous occasions in which Trump may have interfered with the investigation. According to the poll, 37 per cent of adults in the United States approved of Trump’s performance in office, down from 40 per cent in a similar poll conducted on April 15 and matching the lowest level of the year. That is also down from 43 per cent in a poll conducted shortly after US Attorney General William Barr circulated a summary of the report in March. In his report, Mueller said his investigation did not establish that the Trump campaign had coordinated with Russians. However, investigators did find “multiple acts by the President that was capable of exerting undue influence over law enforcement investigations.” While Mueller ultimately decided not to charge Trump with a crime, he also said that the investigation did not exonerate the president, either. The Reuters/Ipsos poll was conducted online in English throughout the United States. It gathered responses from 1,005 adults, including 924 who were familiar with the Mueller report. It has a credibility interval, a measure of precision, of 4 percentage points. Sharp split The poll found that 50 per cent of Americans agreed that “Trump or someone from his campaign worked with Russia to influence the 2016 election,” and 58 per cent agreed that the president “tried to stop investigations into Russian influence on his administration.” Forty per cent said they thought Trump should be impeached, while 42 per cent said he should not. The poll responses were sharply split along party lines, with Democrats much more critical of Trump than his fellow Republicans. The Mueller investigation had previously charged 34 other people and three Russian entities, netting convictions or guilty pleas from several Trump associates including former campaign chairman Paul Manafort, White House national security adviser Michael Flynn and longtime personal attorney Michael Cohen. So far, the report does not appear to have convinced many to change their opinions about the president’s conduct during a bitter presidential campaign, whether his inner circle improperly engaged with Russian agents, or if he tried to interfere with federal investigators afterwards. Among those respondents who said they were familiar with the Mueller report, 70 per cent said the report had not changed their view of Trump or Russia’s involvement in the US presidential race. Only 15 per cent said they had learned something that changed their view of Trump or the Russia investigation, and a majority of those respondents said they were now more likely to believe that “Trump or someone close to him broke the law.”

Trump approval drops three points to 2019 low after release of Mueller report

What is the Mueller report?

Special Counsel Robert Mueller may not have found evidence of a criminal conspiracy between <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/in-unflattering-detail-mueller-report-reveals-trump-actions-to-impede-inquiry-211647">Donald Trump</a>`s 2016 campaign and Russia, but his report details extensive contacts between the campaign and Russian operatives who sought to influence the election. &nbsp;&nbsp;

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/russia-tried-to-interfere-with-us-presidential-polls-trump-did-not-cooperate-says-attorney-general-william-barr-while-releasing-full-report-211580">Mueller said in his report </a>released on Thursday that he found "numerous links" and that the <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/how-muellers-decision-on-obstruction-helped-save-us-president-donald-trump-211649">Trump campaign</a> "expected it would benefit" from Russia`s effort to tilt the ballot in Trump`s favour.

Ultimately, Mueller determined the various contacts either didn`t amount to criminal behaviour or would be difficult to prove in court, even if people in Trump`s orbit sometimes displayed a willingness to accept Russian help, the report showed.&nbsp;

Trump and his allies, who derided the Mueller probe as a political "witch hunt", portrayed the report as vindication. "No collusion. No obstruction. For all the haters and the radical left Democrats, game over," Trump tweeted on Thursday.&nbsp;

"The bottom line is the president is exonerated and the campaign is exonerated of collusion," said Michael Caputo, a former adviser to Trump`s campaign.

Some legal experts and political strategists were more circumspect, saying the report confirmed the Russian government was attempting to help Trump with the election.&nbsp;

"I think that`s a pretty extraordinary finding of historical significance, whether or not there`s a crime," said Matthew Jacobs, a former federal prosecutor who is now a San Francisco-based lawyer.

Many of the contacts in the report were already known. They included former national security adviser Michael Flynn`s conversations in late 2016 with Sergei Kislyak, Russia ambassador at the time, and former Trump campaign chairman Paul Manafort`s interactions with Konstantin Kilimnik, a political consultant who the FBI has determined has ties to Russian intelligence.

But the report contained fresh details on the range of official and unofficial dealings Trump campaign advisers and supporters had with Russians before and after the 2016 election.&nbsp;

For example, the report says that Manafort, shortly after he joined the campaign in the spring of 2016, directed his deputy to share internal polling data with Kilimnik with the understanding it would be passed on to Oleg Deripaska, a Russian oligarch known to have close ties to the Kremlin.

Lawyers for Manafort did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Kilimnik did not reply to an email seeking comment.

A Washington-based attorney for Deripsaka said he could not comment. In a statement to Reuters in January, representatives for Deripaska said he has never had any communication with Kilimnik.

The report also says that Manafort told Kilimnik in August 2017 about the campaign`s efforts to win the battleground states of Michigan, Pennsylvania, Wisconsin and Minnesota. Trump ended up winning three of those states in the November election.

Mueller`s investigation did not find a connection between Manafort`s sharing of polling data and Russia`s meddling in the US election or that he otherwise coordinated with Russia.

Frank Montoya, a former senior FBI official, said he was nonetheless bothered by the interactions between Manafort and Kilimnik, especially their talking about battleground states.&nbsp;

"As a longtime counterintelligence investigator it makes the hair stand on the back of my neck," Montoya said.

The report detailed a meeting in December 2016 between Trump`s son-in-law Jared Kushner and Sergei Gorkov, the head of a Russian state-owned bank under US&nbsp;sanctions. Gorkov gave Kushner a painting and a bag of soil from the town in Belarus where Kushner`s family is from, the report says.

Mueller`s team said it could not resolve a conflict in the accounts of Kushner, who said the meeting was diplomatic in nature, and Gorkov, who said it was business related.

Kushner has said neither sanctions nor his business activities were discussed at the meeting. Kushner`s lawyer did not respond to a request for comment on Mueller`s report.

The report also provided new details about a meeting that campaign advisers Donald Trump Jr., the president`s oldest son, Kushner and Manafort held with a Russian lawyer at New York`s Trump Tower in June 2016. The meeting was set up after the advisers were promised "dirt" on Hillary Clinton, Trump`s Democratic challenger for president.

Mueller`s team considered whether the advisers violated laws barring election contributions from foreigners. But, the report says, they ultimately decided there was not enough evidence to show they "wilfully" broke the law and they might have had problems proving the information offered on Clinton was really valuable.

When news of the Trump Tower meeting broke in July 2017, Trump Jr. issued a statement saying the meeting was set up to discuss adoption policy, not politics, before later admitting he had been expecting intelligence on Clinton.&nbsp;

Such interactions have broadly been referred to by Democratic congressional investigators as examples of possible "collusion". But because collusion is not a legal term, Mueller`s team examined the Trump Tower meeting and other contacts through the lens of federal conspiracy law.

Mueller said his investigation was unable to establish that such contacts with Russians met the bar of criminality which required that the contacts "amounted to an agreement to commit any substantive violation" of US laws, including those governing campaign finance and foreign agent registration.

Therefore, Mueller said his office "did not charge any individual associated with the Trump Campaign with conspiracy to commit a federal offence arising from Russia contacts."

Special Counsel Robert Mueller may not have found evidence of a criminal conspiracy between Donald Trump`s 2016 campaign and Russia, but his report details extensive contacts between the campaign and Russian operatives who sought to influence the election.

Special Counsel Robert Mueller may not have found evidence of a criminal conspiracy between Donald Trump`s 2016 campaign and Russia, but his report details extensive contacts between the campaign and Russian operatives who sought to influence the election. Mueller said in his report released on Thursday that he found "numerous links" and that the Trump campaign "expected it would benefit" from Russia`s effort to tilt the ballot in Trump`s favour. Ultimately, Mueller determined the various contacts either didn`t amount to criminal behaviour or would be difficult to prove in court, even if people in Trump`s orbit sometimes displayed a willingness to accept Russian help, the report showed. Trump and his allies, who derided the Mueller probe as a political "witch hunt", portrayed the report as vindication. "No collusion. No obstruction. For all the haters and the radical left Democrats, game over," Trump tweeted on Thursday. "The bottom line is the president is exonerated and the campaign is exonerated of collusion," said Michael Caputo, a former adviser to Trump`s campaign. Some legal experts and political strategists were more circumspect, saying the report confirmed the Russian government was attempting to help Trump with the election. "I think that`s a pretty extraordinary finding of historical significance, whether or not there`s a crime," said Matthew Jacobs, a former federal prosecutor who is now a San Francisco-based lawyer. Many of the contacts in the report were already known. They included former national security adviser Michael Flynn`s conversations in late 2016 with Sergei Kislyak, Russia ambassador at the time, and former Trump campaign chairman Paul Manafort`s interactions with Konstantin Kilimnik, a political consultant who the FBI has determined has ties to Russian intelligence. But the report contained fresh details on the range of official and unofficial dealings Trump campaign advisers and supporters had with Russians before and after the 2016 election. For example, the report says that Manafort, shortly after he joined the campaign in the spring of 2016, directed his deputy to share internal polling data with Kilimnik with the understanding it would be passed on to Oleg Deripaska, a Russian oligarch known to have close ties to the Kremlin. Lawyers for Manafort did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Kilimnik did not reply to an email seeking comment. A Washington-based attorney for Deripsaka said he could not comment. In a statement to Reuters in January, representatives for Deripaska said he has never had any communication with Kilimnik. The report also says that Manafort told Kilimnik in August 2017 about the campaign`s efforts to win the battleground states of Michigan, Pennsylvania, Wisconsin and Minnesota. Trump ended up winning three of those states in the November election. Mueller`s investigation did not find a connection between Manafort`s sharing of polling data and Russia`s meddling in the US election or that he otherwise coordinated with Russia. Frank Montoya, a former senior FBI official, said he was nonetheless bothered by the interactions between Manafort and Kilimnik, especially their talking about battleground states. "As a longtime counterintelligence investigator it makes the hair stand on the back of my neck," Montoya said. The report detailed a meeting in December 2016 between Trump`s son-in-law Jared Kushner and Sergei Gorkov, the head of a Russian state-owned bank under US sanctions. Gorkov gave Kushner a painting and a bag of soil from the town in Belarus where Kushner`s family is from, the report says. Mueller`s team said it could not resolve a conflict in the accounts of Kushner, who said the meeting was diplomatic in nature, and Gorkov, who said it was business related. Kushner has said neither sanctions nor his business activities were discussed at the meeting. Kushner`s lawyer did not respond to a request for comment on Mueller`s report. The report also provided new details about a meeting that campaign advisers Donald Trump Jr., the president`s oldest son, Kushner and Manafort held with a Russian lawyer at New York`s Trump Tower in June 2016. The meeting was set up after the advisers were promised "dirt" on Hillary Clinton, Trump`s Democratic challenger for president. Mueller`s team considered whether the advisers violated laws barring election contributions from foreigners. But, the report says, they ultimately decided there was not enough evidence to show they "wilfully" broke the law and they might have had problems proving the information offered on Clinton was really valuable. When news of the Trump Tower meeting broke in July 2017, Trump Jr. issued a statement saying the meeting was set up to discuss adoption policy, not politics, before later admitting he had been expecting intelligence on Clinton. Such interactions have broadly been referred to by Democratic congressional investigators as examples of possible "collusion". But because collusion is not a legal term, Mueller`s team examined the Trump Tower meeting and other contacts through the lens of federal conspiracy law. Mueller said his investigation was unable to establish that such contacts with Russians met the bar of criminality which required that the contacts "amounted to an agreement to commit any substantive violation" of US laws, including those governing campaign finance and foreign agent registration. Therefore, Mueller said his office "did not charge any individual associated with the Trump Campaign with conspiracy to commit a federal offence arising from Russia contacts."

Mueller finds no conspiracy, but extensive Trump-Russia contacts

Special Counsel Robert Mueller's report on his inquiry into Russia's role in the 2016 US election described in extensive and sometimes unflattering detail how <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/mueller-report-inconclusive-on-trumps-obstruction-of-justice-charge-211626">President Donald Trump</a> tried to impede the probe, raising questions about whether he committed the crime of obstruction of justice.

The <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/redacted-mueller-report-released-by-us-justice-department-211618">release of the 448-page report on Thursday </a>after a 22-month investigation marked a milestone in <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/end-of-my-presidency-trump-reacts-to-special-counsel-appointment-211620">Trump's tumultuous presidency</a> and inflamed partisan passions ahead of his 2020 re-election bid.

Democrats said the report contained disturbing evidence of wrongdoing by Trump that could fuel congressional investigations, but there was no immediate indication they would try to remove him from office through impeachment.

Mueller built an extensive case indicating the Republican president had committed obstruction of justice but stopped short of concluding he had committed a crime, though he did not exonerate the president. Mueller noted that Congress has the power to address whether Trump violated the law.

"The conclusion that Congress may apply the obstruction laws to the President's corrupt exercise of the powers of office accords with our constitutional system of checks and balances and the principle that no person is above the law," the report stated.

Mueller also unearthed "numerous links" between the Russian government and Trump's campaign and said the president's team "expected it would benefit electorally from information stolen and released through Russian efforts," referring to hacked Democratic emails.

But Mueller, a former FBI director, concluded there was not enough evidence to establish that Trump's campaign engaged in a criminal conspiracy with Moscow.

Trump appeared to be in a celebratory mood, saying at a White House event with wounded US&nbsp;troops he was "having a good day" following the report's release, adding, "It's called no collusion, no obstruction." Trump, whose legal team called the report "a total victory," has long described Mueller's inquiry as a "witch hunt."

Trump headed to his resort in Florida for the weekend, and on landing on Thursday night told a crowd of well wishers at the airport: "Game over folks, now it's back to work."

The report, with some portions blacked out to protect sensitive information, provided fresh details of how Trump tried to force Mueller's ouster, directed members of his administration to publicly vouch for his innocence and dangled a pardon to a former aide to try to prevent him from cooperating with the special counsel.

"The President's efforts to influence the investigation were mostly unsuccessful, but that is largely because the persons who surrounded the President declined to carry out orders or accede to his requests," the report stated.

The report said that when former Attorney General Jeff Sessions told Trump in May 2017 that the Justice Department was appointing a special counsel to look into allegations that his campaign colluded with Russia, Trump slumped back in his chair and said, "Oh my God. This is terrible. This is the end of my presidency. I'm fucked."

Attorney General William Barr told a news conference Mueller had detailed "10 episodes involving the president and discusses potential legal theories for connecting these actions to elements of an obstruction offense." Barr concluded last month after receiving a confidential copy of Mueller's report that Trump had not actually committed a crime.

Trump was wary of FBI scrutiny of his campaign and him personally, the report said. "The evidence does indicate that a thorough FBI investigation would uncover facts about the campaign and the president personally that the president could have understood to be crimes or that would give rise to personal and political concerns," the report stated.

Any impeachment effort would start in the Democratic-led House of Representatives, but Trump's removal would require the support of the Republican-led Senate - an unlikely outcome. Many Democrats steered clear of impeachment talk on Thursday, although a prominent liberal congresswoman, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, embraced the idea.

"Many know I take no pleasure in discussions of impeachment. I didn’t campaign on it, &amp; rarely discuss it unprompted," she said on Twitter. "But the report squarely puts this on our doorstep."

The House, when it voted to impeach President Bill Clinton in 1998, included obstruction of justice as one of the charges. The Senate ultimately decided not to remove Clinton from office.

The Democratic chairman of the House Judiciary Committee, Jerrold Nadler, said he would issue subpoenas to obtain the unredacted Mueller report and asked Mueller to testify before the panel by May 23.

Nadler told reporters in New York Mueller probably wrote the report with the intent of providing Congress a road map for future action, but the congressman said it was too early to talk about impeachment.

"Mueller’s report paints a damning portrait of lies that appear to have materially impaired the investigation, a body of evidence of improper contacts with a foreign adversary, and serious allegations about how President Trump sought to obstruct a legitimate, and deeply important, counterintelligence investigation," the Democratic chairs of six House committees said in a statement.

ELECTION MEDDLING

The inquiry laid bare what the special counsel and US intelligence agencies have described as a Russian campaign of hacking and propaganda to sow discord in the United States, denigrate 2016 Democratic candidate Hillary Clinton and boost Trump, the Kremlin's preferred candidate. Russia has denied election interference.

In analyzing whether Trump obstructed justice, Mueller looked at a series of actions by Trump, including his attempts to remove Mueller and limit the scope of his probe and efforts to prevent the public from knowing about a June 2016 meeting at Trump Tower in New York between senior campaign officials and Russians.

In June 2017, Trump directed White House counsel Don McGahn to tell the Justice Department's No. 2 official, Rod Rosenstein, that Mueller had conflicts of interest and must be removed, the report said. McGahn did not carry out the order. McGahn was home on a Saturday that month when Trump called him at least twice.

"You gotta do this. You gotta call Rod," McGahn recalled the president as saying, according to the report.

House Judiciary Democrat Jamie Raskin pointed to Trump's effort to get McGahn to fire Mueller and then lie about being told to do so as an area of interest for lawmakers, and said McGahn and former Attorney General Jeff Sessions could be valuable witnesses as the committee moves forward.

"There are these dramatic episodes of presidential attempts to interfere with the Mueller investigation, and I think people would like to hear from a number of officials involved. White House counsel McGahn jumps out as an important witness," he told Reuters.

It also said there was "substantial evidence" Trump fired James Comey as FBI director in May 2017 due to his "unwillingness to publicly state that the president was not personally under investigation." The FBI headed the inquiry at the time.

Mueller cited "some evidence" suggesting Trump knew about former national security adviser Michael Flynn's controversial calls with the Russian ambassador to the United States before Trump took office, but evidence was "inconclusive" and could not be used to establish intent to obstruct.

The report said Trump directed former campaign manager Corey Lewandowski to ask Sessions to say the Russia investigation was "very unfair."

Barr, a Trump appointee, seemed to offer cover for Trump's actions by saying the report acknowledges "there is substantial evidence to show that the president was frustrated and angered by a sincere belief that the investigation was undermining his presidency, propelled by his political opponents, and fueled by illegal leaks."

"President Trump faced an unprecedented situation. As he entered into office and sought to perform his responsibilities as president, federal agents and prosecutors were scrutinizing his conduct before and after taking office and the conduct of some of his associates," Barr said.

Mueller's team did not issue a subpoena to force Trump to give an interview to the special counsel because it would have created a "substantial delay" at a late stage in the investigation, the report said. Trump refused an interview and eventually provided only written answers.

The report said Mueller accepted the longstanding Justice Department view that a sitting president cannot be indicted on criminal charges, while still recognizing that a president can be criminally investigated.

The report listed 14 criminal referrals for investigation by US&nbsp;prosecutors but 12 of those were fully blacked out because they are open investigations.

Mueller said evidence he collected indicates Trump intended to encourage his former campaign chairman, Paul Manafort, not to cooperate and that the evidence supports the idea that Trump wanted Manafort to believe he could receive a presidential pardon.

The report said the special counsel's team determined there was a "reasonable argument" that the president's son, Donald Trump Jr., violated campaign finance laws, but did not believe they could obtain a conviction.

The report cited Trump's repeated efforts to convince Sessions to resume oversight of the probe after he had recused himself because of his own prior contacts with Russia's ambassador to the United States.

Special Counsel Robert Mueller's report on his inquiry into Russia's role in the 2016 US election described in extensive and sometimes unflattering detail how President Donald Trump tried to impede the probe, raising questions about whether he committed the crime of obstruction of justice.

Special Counsel Robert Mueller's report on his inquiry into Russia's role in the 2016 US election described in extensive and sometimes unflattering detail how President Donald Trump tried to impede the probe, raising questions about whether he committed the crime of obstruction of justice. The release of the 448-page report on Thursday after a 22-month investigation marked a milestone in Trump's tumultuous presidency and inflamed partisan passions ahead of his 2020 re-election bid. Democrats said the report contained disturbing evidence of wrongdoing by Trump that could fuel congressional investigations, but there was no immediate indication they would try to remove him from office through impeachment. Mueller built an extensive case indicating the Republican president had committed obstruction of justice but stopped short of concluding he had committed a crime, though he did not exonerate the president. Mueller noted that Congress has the power to address whether Trump violated the law. "The conclusion that Congress may apply the obstruction laws to the President's corrupt exercise of the powers of office accords with our constitutional system of checks and balances and the principle that no person is above the law," the report stated. Mueller also unearthed "numerous links" between the Russian government and Trump's campaign and said the president's team "expected it would benefit electorally from information stolen and released through Russian efforts," referring to hacked Democratic emails. But Mueller, a former FBI director, concluded there was not enough evidence to establish that Trump's campaign engaged in a criminal conspiracy with Moscow. Trump appeared to be in a celebratory mood, saying at a White House event with wounded US troops he was "having a good day" following the report's release, adding, "It's called no collusion, no obstruction." Trump, whose legal team called the report "a total victory," has long described Mueller's inquiry as a "witch hunt." Trump headed to his resort in Florida for the weekend, and on landing on Thursday night told a crowd of well wishers at the airport: "Game over folks, now it's back to work." The report, with some portions blacked out to protect sensitive information, provided fresh details of how Trump tried to force Mueller's ouster, directed members of his administration to publicly vouch for his innocence and dangled a pardon to a former aide to try to prevent him from cooperating with the special counsel. "The President's efforts to influence the investigation were mostly unsuccessful, but that is largely because the persons who surrounded the President declined to carry out orders or accede to his requests," the report stated. The report said that when former Attorney General Jeff Sessions told Trump in May 2017 that the Justice Department was appointing a special counsel to look into allegations that his campaign colluded with Russia, Trump slumped back in his chair and said, "Oh my God. This is terrible. This is the end of my presidency. I'm fucked." Attorney General William Barr told a news conference Mueller had detailed "10 episodes involving the president and discusses potential legal theories for connecting these actions to elements of an obstruction offense." Barr concluded last month after receiving a confidential copy of Mueller's report that Trump had not actually committed a crime. Trump was wary of FBI scrutiny of his campaign and him personally, the report said. "The evidence does indicate that a thorough FBI investigation would uncover facts about the campaign and the president personally that the president could have understood to be crimes or that would give rise to personal and political concerns," the report stated. Any impeachment effort would start in the Democratic-led House of Representatives, but Trump's removal would require the support of the Republican-led Senate - an unlikely outcome. Many Democrats steered clear of impeachment talk on Thursday, although a prominent liberal congresswoman, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, embraced the idea. "Many know I take no pleasure in discussions of impeachment. I didn’t campaign on it, & rarely discuss it unprompted," she said on Twitter. "But the report squarely puts this on our doorstep." The House, when it voted to impeach President Bill Clinton in 1998, included obstruction of justice as one of the charges. The Senate ultimately decided not to remove Clinton from office. The Democratic chairman of the House Judiciary Committee, Jerrold Nadler, said he would issue subpoenas to obtain the unredacted Mueller report and asked Mueller to testify before the panel by May 23. Nadler told reporters in New York Mueller probably wrote the report with the intent of providing Congress a road map for future action, but the congressman said it was too early to talk about impeachment. "Mueller’s report paints a damning portrait of lies that appear to have materially impaired the investigation, a body of evidence of improper contacts with a foreign adversary, and serious allegations about how President Trump sought to obstruct a legitimate, and deeply important, counterintelligence investigation," the Democratic chairs of six House committees said in a statement. ELECTION MEDDLING The inquiry laid bare what the special counsel and US intelligence agencies have described as a Russian campaign of hacking and propaganda to sow discord in the United States, denigrate 2016 Democratic candidate Hillary Clinton and boost Trump, the Kremlin's preferred candidate. Russia has denied election interference. In analyzing whether Trump obstructed justice, Mueller looked at a series of actions by Trump, including his attempts to remove Mueller and limit the scope of his probe and efforts to prevent the public from knowing about a June 2016 meeting at Trump Tower in New York between senior campaign officials and Russians. In June 2017, Trump directed White House counsel Don McGahn to tell the Justice Department's No. 2 official, Rod Rosenstein, that Mueller had conflicts of interest and must be removed, the report said. McGahn did not carry out the order. McGahn was home on a Saturday that month when Trump called him at least twice. "You gotta do this. You gotta call Rod," McGahn recalled the president as saying, according to the report. House Judiciary Democrat Jamie Raskin pointed to Trump's effort to get McGahn to fire Mueller and then lie about being told to do so as an area of interest for lawmakers, and said McGahn and former Attorney General Jeff Sessions could be valuable witnesses as the committee moves forward. "There are these dramatic episodes of presidential attempts to interfere with the Mueller investigation, and I think people would like to hear from a number of officials involved. White House counsel McGahn jumps out as an important witness," he told Reuters. It also said there was "substantial evidence" Trump fired James Comey as FBI director in May 2017 due to his "unwillingness to publicly state that the president was not personally under investigation." The FBI headed the inquiry at the time. Mueller cited "some evidence" suggesting Trump knew about former national security adviser Michael Flynn's controversial calls with the Russian ambassador to the United States before Trump took office, but evidence was "inconclusive" and could not be used to establish intent to obstruct. The report said Trump directed former campaign manager Corey Lewandowski to ask Sessions to say the Russia investigation was "very unfair." Barr, a Trump appointee, seemed to offer cover for Trump's actions by saying the report acknowledges "there is substantial evidence to show that the president was frustrated and angered by a sincere belief that the investigation was undermining his presidency, propelled by his political opponents, and fueled by illegal leaks." "President Trump faced an unprecedented situation. As he entered into office and sought to perform his responsibilities as president, federal agents and prosecutors were scrutinizing his conduct before and after taking office and the conduct of some of his associates," Barr said. Mueller's team did not issue a subpoena to force Trump to give an interview to the special counsel because it would have created a "substantial delay" at a late stage in the investigation, the report said. Trump refused an interview and eventually provided only written answers. The report said Mueller accepted the longstanding Justice Department view that a sitting president cannot be indicted on criminal charges, while still recognizing that a president can be criminally investigated. The report listed 14 criminal referrals for investigation by US prosecutors but 12 of those were fully blacked out because they are open investigations. Mueller said evidence he collected indicates Trump intended to encourage his former campaign chairman, Paul Manafort, not to cooperate and that the evidence supports the idea that Trump wanted Manafort to believe he could receive a presidential pardon. The report said the special counsel's team determined there was a "reasonable argument" that the president's son, Donald Trump Jr., violated campaign finance laws, but did not believe they could obtain a conviction. The report cited Trump's repeated efforts to convince Sessions to resume oversight of the probe after he had recused himself because of his own prior contacts with Russia's ambassador to the United States.

In unflattering detail, Mueller report reveals Trump actions to impede inquiry

Hours after the release of Special Counsel Robert<a href="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.wionews.com/world/what-is-mueller-report-everything-you-need-to-know-about-it-211667&amp;sa=U&amp;ved=0ahUKEwiMv_K109vhAhWHvo8KHURlD-kQFggUMAU&amp;client=internal-uds-cse&amp;cx=006054055338965708568:09spwrlibei&amp;usg=AOvVaw2uoG9gCtSSOwsq6LduPX55"> Mueller`s report</a> on Thursday, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Democratic Senate leader Chuck Schumer said that there were "stark" differences between what Attorney General William Barr and Robert Mueller have said.

"Barr presented a conclusion that the President did not obstruct justice while Mueller`s report appears to undercut that finding," said Pelosi and Schumer, in a joint statement.

According to CNN, several Democrats are also demanding the release of the unredacted version of the report.

"It`s clear AG Barr is acting as <a href="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.wionews.com/videos/mueller-report-trump-campaign-did-not-collude-with-russia-211662&amp;sa=U&amp;ved=0ahUKEwiMv_K109vhAhWHvo8KHURlD-kQFggOMAM&amp;client=internal-uds-cse&amp;cx=006054055338965708568:09spwrlibei&amp;usg=AOvVaw1ZZVFv6Yz1MtOxlFQrgnqg">Trump</a>`s (US President Donald) personal attorney, not America`s," Pelosi wrote on Twitter, adding, "Our country demands and deserves full transparency. That is why we must hear directly from Mueller. #MuellerReport."Jerrold Nadler, chairman of the House Judiciary Committee, requested that Mueller testify to panel "no later than May 23".

Adam Schiff, chairman Democratic House Intelligence Committee, said<a href="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.wionews.com/world/factbox-new-revelations-from-the-mueller-report-211679&amp;sa=U&amp;ved=0ahUKEwiMv_K109vhAhWHvo8KHURlD-kQFggdMAg&amp;client=internal-uds-cse&amp;cx=006054055338965708568:09spwrlibei&amp;usg=AOvVaw33LzHUUXErWWaUBDOB873h"> Mueller</a> has been invited to testify in front of the committee.

"After a two-year investigation, the public deserves the facts, not Attorney General Barr`s political spin," he said.

The United States Department of Justice on Thursday released a redacted version of Mueller`s report.

The 22-month long investigation into the alleged Russian collusion in the 2016 Presidential election was unable to clear <a href="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.wionews.com/world/how-muellers-decision-on-obstruction-helped-save-us-president-donald-trump-211649&amp;sa=U&amp;ved=0ahUKEwiMv_K109vhAhWHvo8KHURlD-kQFggRMAQ&amp;client=internal-uds-cse&amp;cx=006054055338965708568:09spwrlibei&amp;usg=AOvVaw0730ecLUreIfN8NYHNx3ng">Trump</a> in the matter, stating that the President`s action and intent "present difficult issues that prevent us from conclusively determining that no criminal conduct occurred," reported CNN.

Titled "Report on the Investigation into Russian Interference in the 2016 Presidential Election", the report further states that the Trump campaign knew they would benefit from Russia`s illegal actions to influence the election, but did not take criminal steps to help.

''After nearly two years of investigation, thousands of subpoenas, and hundreds of warrants and witness interviews, the special counsel confirmed that the Russian government-sponsored efforts to illegally interfere with the 2016 presidential election, but did not find that the Trump campaign or other Americans colluded in those schemes," Attorney General William Barr said in a press conference before the release of the report.

<a href="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.wionews.com/world/in-unflattering-detail-mueller-report-reveals-trump-actions-to-impede-inquiry-211647&amp;sa=U&amp;ved=0ahUKEwiMv_K109vhAhWHvo8KHURlD-kQFgggMAk&amp;client=internal-uds-cse&amp;cx=006054055338965708568:09spwrlibei&amp;usg=AOvVaw1Dx9BZciZG1OFdWVwaCT2d">Mueller</a> also made it clear that Congress can continue to investigate Trump.

The report further states that following media reports that the "Special Counsel`s office was investigating whether the President had obstructed justice," Trump had directed his lawyer to remove Mueller."

On June 17, 2017, the President called McGahn at home and directed him to call the Acting Attorney General and say that the Special Counsel had conflicts of interest and must be removed.

McGahn did not carry out the direction, however, deciding that he would resign rather than trigger what he regarded as a potential Saturday Night Massacre," the report read.

The report further stated that Trump`s efforts to influence the investigation were "mostly unsuccessful", largely because "the person surrounding the President declined to carry out orders or accede to his request."&nbsp;

Hours after the release of Special Counsel Robert Mueller`s report on Thursday, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Democratic Senate leader Chuck Schumer said that there were "stark" differences between what Attorney General William Barr and Robert Mueller have said.

Hours after the release of Special Counsel Robert Mueller`s report on Thursday, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Democratic Senate leader Chuck Schumer said that there were "stark" differences between what Attorney General William Barr and Robert Mueller have said. "Barr presented a conclusion that the President did not obstruct justice while Mueller`s report appears to undercut that finding," said Pelosi and Schumer, in a joint statement. According to CNN, several Democrats are also demanding the release of the unredacted version of the report. "It`s clear AG Barr is acting as Trump`s (US President Donald) personal attorney, not America`s," Pelosi wrote on Twitter, adding, "Our country demands and deserves full transparency. That is why we must hear directly from Mueller. #MuellerReport."Jerrold Nadler, chairman of the House Judiciary Committee, requested that Mueller testify to panel "no later than May 23". Adam Schiff, chairman Democratic House Intelligence Committee, said Mueller has been invited to testify in front of the committee. "After a two-year investigation, the public deserves the facts, not Attorney General Barr`s political spin," he said. The United States Department of Justice on Thursday released a redacted version of Mueller`s report. The 22-month long investigation into the alleged Russian collusion in the 2016 Presidential election was unable to clear Trump in the matter, stating that the President`s action and intent "present difficult issues that prevent us from conclusively determining that no criminal conduct occurred," reported CNN. Titled "Report on the Investigation into Russian Interference in the 2016 Presidential Election", the report further states that the Trump campaign knew they would benefit from Russia`s illegal actions to influence the election, but did not take criminal steps to help. ''After nearly two years of investigation, thousands of subpoenas, and hundreds of warrants and witness interviews, the special counsel confirmed that the Russian government-sponsored efforts to illegally interfere with the 2016 presidential election, but did not find that the Trump campaign or other Americans colluded in those schemes," Attorney General William Barr said in a press conference before the release of the report. Mueller also made it clear that Congress can continue to investigate Trump. The report further states that following media reports that the "Special Counsel`s office was investigating whether the President had obstructed justice," Trump had directed his lawyer to remove Mueller." On June 17, 2017, the President called McGahn at home and directed him to call the Acting Attorney General and say that the Special Counsel had conflicts of interest and must be removed. McGahn did not carry out the direction, however, deciding that he would resign rather than trigger what he regarded as a potential Saturday Night Massacre," the report read. The report further stated that Trump`s efforts to influence the investigation were "mostly unsuccessful", largely because "the person surrounding the President declined to carry out orders or accede to his request."

Stark differences between Mueller and Barr's conclusions, say Pelosi and Schumer

Special counsel <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/russia-tried-to-interfere-with-us-presidential-polls-trump-did-not-cooperate-says-attorney-general-william-barr-while-releasing-full-report-211580">Robert Mueller's report</a> on his inquiry into Russia's role in the 2016 US election detailed a series of actions by <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/im-having-a-good-day-says-trump-after-mueller-report-release-211602">President Donald Trump</a> to impede the probe, raising questions about whether he committed the crime of obstruction of justice.

The release on Thursday of the 448-page report that disclosed the findings of a 22-month investigation represented a watershed moment in <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/end-of-my-presidency-trump-reacts-to-special-counsel-appointment-211620">Trump's tumultuous presidency</a>.

Mueller did not make a conclusion on whether Trump, whose presidency has been overshadowed by the Russia investigation, had committed obstruction of justice but did not exonerate him either.

The report provided fresh details of how the Republican president tried to force Mueller's ouster, directed members of his administration to publicly vouch for his innocence and dangled a pardon to a former aide to try to prevent him from cooperating with the special counsel.

It also concluded, as Barr announced last month, that Trump and his campaign had not engaged in a criminal conspiracy with Russia during the election.

Barr in March had concluded that Trump had not broken the law, but told a news conference on Thursday that Mueller had detailed "10 episodes involving the president and discusses potential legal theories for connecting these actions to elements of an obstruction offense."

Trump appeared to be in a celebratory mood, saying at a White House event with wounded US&nbsp;troops that he was "having a good day" following the report's release, adding, "It's called no collusion, no obstruction."

The report's disclosure, with portions blacked out by Barr to protect some sensitive information, is certain to launch a new political fight in Congress and on the 2020 presidential campaign trail, as Trump seeks re-election in a deeply divided country.

Trump has long described Mueller's inquiry as a "witch hunt."

The report stated that when Jeff Sessions, Barr's predecessor as attorney general, told Trump in May 2017 that a special counsel was being appointed by the Justice Department to look into allegations that the Republican's campaign colluded with Russia, Trump slumped back in his chair and said, "Oh my god. This is terrible. This is the end of my presidency. I'm fucked."

Some Democrats in the House of Representatives have spoken of launching impeachment proceedings against Trump in Congress but top Democrats have been notably cautious. Any such effort would be unlikely to be successful because Trump fellow Republicans control the Senate, which would decide the president's fate.

The inquiry laid bare what the special counsel and US intelligence agencies have described as a Russian campaign of hacking and propaganda to sow discord in the United States, denigrate 2016 Democratic candidate Hillary Clinton and boost Trump, the Kremlin's preferred candidate. Russia has denied election interference.

In analyzing whether Trump obstructed justice, Mueller looked at a series of actions by Trump, including his attempts to remove Mueller and limit the scope of his probe and efforts to prevent the public from knowing about a June, 2016 meeting at Trump Tower in New York between senior campaign officials and Russians.

In June 2017, Trump directed White House counsel Don McGahn to tell the then-acting attorney general that Mueller had conflicts of interest and must be removed, the report said.

It also said there was "substantial evidence" that Trump fired James Comey as FBI director in 2017 due to his "unwillingness to publicly state that the president was not personally under investigation."

Mueller cited "some evidence" suggesting Trump knew about former national security adviser Michael Flynn's controversial calls with the Russian ambassador to the United States before Trump took office, but evidence was "inconclusive" and could not be used to establish intent to obstruct.

The report said Trump directed former campaign manager Corey Lewandowski to ask former Attorney General Jeff Sessions to say the Russia investigation was "very unfair."

Before the report's release, Barr gave a news conference at the Justice Department as he sought to shape the narrative on the document's findings.

One of a handful of people to have seen the report before its release, Barr emphasized, as he had said last month, that Mueller did not conclude there was collusion between Trump's campaign and Moscow.

"President Trump faced an unprecedented situation. As he entered into office and sought to perform his responsibilities as president, federal agents and prosecutors were scrutinizing his conduct before and after taking office and the conduct of some of his associates," Barr said.

Barr seemed to offer cover for Trump's actions by saying the report acknowledges that "there is substantial evidence to show that the president was frustrated and angered by a sincere belief that the investigation was undermining his presidency, propelled by his political opponents, and fueled by illegal leaks."

Mueller's team did not issue a subpoena to force Trump to give an interview to the special counsel because it would have created a "substantial delay" at a late stage in the investigation, the report said.

It said Mueller accepted the longstanding Justice Department view that a sitting president cannot be indicted on criminal charges, while still recognizing that a president can be criminally investigated.

The report also cited Mueller's repeated efforts to convince Sessions to resume oversight of the probe after he had recused himself because of his own prior contacts with Russia's ambassador to the United States.

Mueller said evidence he collected indicates that Trump intended to encourage his former campaign chairman, Paul Manafort, not to cooperate with the investigation and that the evidence supports the idea that Trump wanted Manafort to believe that he could receive a presidential pardon.

The report said the special counsel's team determined there was a "reasonable argument" that the president's son, Donald Trump Jr., violated campaign finance laws, but did not believe they could obtain a conviction.

Special counsel Robert Mueller's report on his inquiry into Russia's role in the 2016 US election detailed a series of actions by President Donald Trump to impede the probe, raising questions about whether he committed the crime of obstruction of justice.

Special counsel Robert Mueller's report on his inquiry into Russia's role in the 2016 US election detailed a series of actions by President Donald Trump to impede the probe, raising questions about whether he committed the crime of obstruction of justice. The release on Thursday of the 448-page report that disclosed the findings of a 22-month investigation represented a watershed moment in Trump's tumultuous presidency. Mueller did not make a conclusion on whether Trump, whose presidency has been overshadowed by the Russia investigation, had committed obstruction of justice but did not exonerate him either. The report provided fresh details of how the Republican president tried to force Mueller's ouster, directed members of his administration to publicly vouch for his innocence and dangled a pardon to a former aide to try to prevent him from cooperating with the special counsel. It also concluded, as Barr announced last month, that Trump and his campaign had not engaged in a criminal conspiracy with Russia during the election. Barr in March had concluded that Trump had not broken the law, but told a news conference on Thursday that Mueller had detailed "10 episodes involving the president and discusses potential legal theories for connecting these actions to elements of an obstruction offense." Trump appeared to be in a celebratory mood, saying at a White House event with wounded US troops that he was "having a good day" following the report's release, adding, "It's called no collusion, no obstruction." The report's disclosure, with portions blacked out by Barr to protect some sensitive information, is certain to launch a new political fight in Congress and on the 2020 presidential campaign trail, as Trump seeks re-election in a deeply divided country. Trump has long described Mueller's inquiry as a "witch hunt." The report stated that when Jeff Sessions, Barr's predecessor as attorney general, told Trump in May 2017 that a special counsel was being appointed by the Justice Department to look into allegations that the Republican's campaign colluded with Russia, Trump slumped back in his chair and said, "Oh my god. This is terrible. This is the end of my presidency. I'm fucked." Some Democrats in the House of Representatives have spoken of launching impeachment proceedings against Trump in Congress but top Democrats have been notably cautious. Any such effort would be unlikely to be successful because Trump fellow Republicans control the Senate, which would decide the president's fate. The inquiry laid bare what the special counsel and US intelligence agencies have described as a Russian campaign of hacking and propaganda to sow discord in the United States, denigrate 2016 Democratic candidate Hillary Clinton and boost Trump, the Kremlin's preferred candidate. Russia has denied election interference. In analyzing whether Trump obstructed justice, Mueller looked at a series of actions by Trump, including his attempts to remove Mueller and limit the scope of his probe and efforts to prevent the public from knowing about a June, 2016 meeting at Trump Tower in New York between senior campaign officials and Russians. In June 2017, Trump directed White House counsel Don McGahn to tell the then-acting attorney general that Mueller had conflicts of interest and must be removed, the report said. It also said there was "substantial evidence" that Trump fired James Comey as FBI director in 2017 due to his "unwillingness to publicly state that the president was not personally under investigation." Mueller cited "some evidence" suggesting Trump knew about former national security adviser Michael Flynn's controversial calls with the Russian ambassador to the United States before Trump took office, but evidence was "inconclusive" and could not be used to establish intent to obstruct. The report said Trump directed former campaign manager Corey Lewandowski to ask former Attorney General Jeff Sessions to say the Russia investigation was "very unfair." Before the report's release, Barr gave a news conference at the Justice Department as he sought to shape the narrative on the document's findings. One of a handful of people to have seen the report before its release, Barr emphasized, as he had said last month, that Mueller did not conclude there was collusion between Trump's campaign and Moscow. "President Trump faced an unprecedented situation. As he entered into office and sought to perform his responsibilities as president, federal agents and prosecutors were scrutinizing his conduct before and after taking office and the conduct of some of his associates," Barr said. Barr seemed to offer cover for Trump's actions by saying the report acknowledges that "there is substantial evidence to show that the president was frustrated and angered by a sincere belief that the investigation was undermining his presidency, propelled by his political opponents, and fueled by illegal leaks." Mueller's team did not issue a subpoena to force Trump to give an interview to the special counsel because it would have created a "substantial delay" at a late stage in the investigation, the report said. It said Mueller accepted the longstanding Justice Department view that a sitting president cannot be indicted on criminal charges, while still recognizing that a president can be criminally investigated. The report also cited Mueller's repeated efforts to convince Sessions to resume oversight of the probe after he had recused himself because of his own prior contacts with Russia's ambassador to the United States. Mueller said evidence he collected indicates that Trump intended to encourage his former campaign chairman, Paul Manafort, not to cooperate with the investigation and that the evidence supports the idea that Trump wanted Manafort to believe that he could receive a presidential pardon. The report said the special counsel's team determined there was a "reasonable argument" that the president's son, Donald Trump Jr., violated campaign finance laws, but did not believe they could obtain a conviction.

Mueller report inconclusive on Trump's obstruction of justice charge

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/im-having-a-good-day-says-trump-after-mueller-report-release-211602">US President Donald Trump</a> reacted with dismay when told a special counsel had been appointed to look into Russian interference in the 2016 presidential election, according to the <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/russia-tried-to-interfere-with-us-presidential-polls-trump-did-not-cooperate-says-attorney-general-william-barr-while-releasing-full-report-211580">Mueller report published on Thursday</a>.

Trump was informed on May 17, 2017, of the appointment of former FBI director Robert Mueller as special counsel by then-attorney general Jeff Sessions, the report said.

"When Sessions told the president that a special counsel had been appointed, the President slumped back in his chair and said, 'Oh my God. This is terrible. This is the end of my presidency. I'm fucked,"&nbsp;the report said, citing notes from the meeting.

Trump then became angry at Sessions for recusing himself from the Russia investigation because of his prior contacts with Russian officials, it said.

"The president became angry and lambasted the attorney general for his decision to recuse from the investigation, stating 'How could you let this happen, Jeff?'" the report said.

"Everyone tells me if you get one of these independent counsels it ruins your presidency," Trump was quoted as saying. "It takes years and years and I won't be able to do anything.

"This is the worst thing that ever happened to me," Trump added.

In addition to Trump's reaction to Mueller's appointment, the report also provided details of the president's efforts on several occasions to have the special counsel removed.

US President Donald Trump reacted with dismay when told a special counsel had been appointed to look into Russian interference in the 2016 presidential election, according to the Mueller report published on Thursday.

US President Donald Trump reacted with dismay when told a special counsel had been appointed to look into Russian interference in the 2016 presidential election, according to the Mueller report published on Thursday. Trump was informed on May 17, 2017, of the appointment of former FBI director Robert Mueller as special counsel by then-attorney general Jeff Sessions, the report said. "When Sessions told the president that a special counsel had been appointed, the President slumped back in his chair and said, 'Oh my God. This is terrible. This is the end of my presidency. I'm fucked," the report said, citing notes from the meeting. Trump then became angry at Sessions for recusing himself from the Russia investigation because of his prior contacts with Russian officials, it said. "The president became angry and lambasted the attorney general for his decision to recuse from the investigation, stating 'How could you let this happen, Jeff?'" the report said. "Everyone tells me if you get one of these independent counsels it ruins your presidency," Trump was quoted as saying. "It takes years and years and I won't be able to do anything. "This is the worst thing that ever happened to me," Trump added. In addition to Trump's reaction to Mueller's appointment, the report also provided details of the president's efforts on several occasions to have the special counsel removed.

'End of my presidency': Trump said on special counsel appointment

The US Department of Justice released a redacted version on Thursday of special counsel <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/russia-tried-to-interfere-with-us-presidential-polls-trump-did-not-cooperate-says-attorney-general-william-barr-while-releasing-full-report-211580">Robert Mueller's report</a> into Russian meddling in the 2016 presidential election.

The report by the former FBI director was handed over to the House and Senate judiciary committees and released to the public on the Justice Department's website.

Some sections of the 400-page report were blacked out by Attorney General Bill Barr to protect ongoing investigations and for other reasons.

The report focuses on Russia's interference in the 2016 election, whether the Trump campaign helped in that effort and whether Trump tried to obstruct justice.

At a press conference ahead of the release of the report, Barr said Mueller had found no evidence of collusion between members of the Trump campaign and Russia.

The US Department of Justice released a redacted version on Thursday of special counsel Robert Mueller's report into Russian meddling in the 2016 presidential election.

The US Department of Justice released a redacted version on Thursday of special counsel Robert Mueller's report into Russian meddling in the 2016 presidential election. The report by the former FBI director was handed over to the House and Senate judiciary committees and released to the public on the Justice Department's website. Some sections of the 400-page report were blacked out by Attorney General Bill Barr to protect ongoing investigations and for other reasons. The report focuses on Russia's interference in the 2016 election, whether the Trump campaign helped in that effort and whether Trump tried to obstruct justice. At a press conference ahead of the release of the report, Barr said Mueller had found no evidence of collusion between members of the Trump campaign and Russia.

Redacted Mueller report released by US Justice Department

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/im-having-a-good-day-says-trump-after-mueller-report-release-211602">US President Donald Trump</a> sought to have special counsel Robert Mueller removed nearly two years ago from the probe into Russian meddling in the 2016 presidential election, according to the <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/russia-tried-to-interfere-with-us-presidential-polls-trump-did-not-cooperate-says-attorney-general-william-barr-while-releasing-full-report-211580">Mueller report</a>.

Trump's efforts to remove the special counsel followed press reports that the president was under investigation for obstruction of justice, the report said.

It said that on June 17, 2017 Trump called White House counsel Don McGahn at home "and directed him to call the Acting Attorney General and say that the Special Counsel had conflicts of interest and must be removed."

"McGahn did not carry out the direction, however, deciding that he would resign rather than trigger what he regarded as a potential Saturday Night Massacre," the report said.

The Saturday Night Massacre refers to an effort by US president Richard Nixon in 1973 to thwart the Watergate investigation.

US President Donald Trump sought to have special counsel Robert Mueller removed nearly two years ago from the probe into Russian meddling in the 2016 presidential election, according to the Mueller report.

US President Donald Trump sought to have special counsel Robert Mueller removed nearly two years ago from the probe into Russian meddling in the 2016 presidential election, according to the Mueller report. Trump's efforts to remove the special counsel followed press reports that the president was under investigation for obstruction of justice, the report said. It said that on June 17, 2017 Trump called White House counsel Don McGahn at home "and directed him to call the Acting Attorney General and say that the Special Counsel had conflicts of interest and must be removed." "McGahn did not carry out the direction, however, deciding that he would resign rather than trigger what he regarded as a potential Saturday Night Massacre," the report said. The Saturday Night Massacre refers to an effort by US president Richard Nixon in 1973 to thwart the Watergate investigation.

Trump sought to have special counsel removed: Mueller report

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/ahead-of-mueller-report-trump-lashes-greatest-political-hoax-211549">US President Donald Trump</a> on Thursday tweeted a Game of Thrones style picture of himself to announce ''Game Over'' in the 2016 US elections Russia meddling case.

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<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en">
<a href="https://t.co/222atp7wuB">pic.twitter.com/222atp7wuB</a>
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) <a href="https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/1118876219381026818?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 18, 2019</a></blockquote>
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The tweet comes after <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/russia-tried-to-interfere-with-us-presidential-polls-trump-did-not-cooperate-says-attorney-general-william-barr-while-releasing-full-report-211580">Attorney General Bill Barr released the 400-page report</a> at a press conference said the president did not obstruct justice. However, Barr said that Russians did try to interfere.

While celebrating Mueller report release Trump said he is having a good day.

"I'm having a good day," he said, declaring that the report by Special Counsel Robert Mueller found "no collusion, no obstruction."

Earlier before the release of Mueller's report, Trump tweeted,&nbsp;"The Greatest Political Hoax of all time! Crimes were committed by Crooked, Dirty Cops and DNC/The Democrats."

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<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en">
The Greatest Political Hoax of all time! Crimes were committed by Crooked, Dirty Cops and DNC/The Democrats.
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) <a href="https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/1118845290721812480?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 18, 2019</a></blockquote>
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Trump called the two-year-long probe into whether his campaign colluded with Russian agents interfering in the 2016 presidential election a "hoax" that "should never happen to another president again."

US President Donald Trump on Thursday tweeted a Game of Thrones style picture of himself to announce ''Game Over'' in the 2016 US elections Russia meddling case.

US President Donald Trump on Thursday tweeted a Game of Thrones style picture of himself to announce ''Game Over'' in the 2016 US elections Russia meddling case. pic.twitter.com/222atp7wuB — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) April 18, 2019 × The tweet comes after Attorney General Bill Barr released the 400-page report at a press conference said the president did not obstruct justice. However, Barr said that Russians did try to interfere. While celebrating Mueller report release Trump said he is having a good day. "I'm having a good day," he said, declaring that the report by Special Counsel Robert Mueller found "no collusion, no obstruction." Earlier before the release of Mueller's report, Trump tweeted, "The Greatest Political Hoax of all time! Crimes were committed by Crooked, Dirty Cops and DNC/The Democrats." The Greatest Political Hoax of all time! Crimes were committed by Crooked, Dirty Cops and DNC/The Democrats. — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) April 18, 2019 × Trump called the two-year-long probe into whether his campaign colluded with Russian agents interfering in the 2016 presidential election a "hoax" that "should never happen to another president again."

I'm having a good day, says Trump after Mueller report release

Attorney General William Barr plans on Thursday morning to release a redacted version of Special Counsel Robert Mueller's report on Russian interference in the 2016 US&nbsp;election and contacts between Moscow and President Donald Trump's campaign, the Justice Department said on Monday.

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/timeline-big-moments-in-mueller-investigation-of-russian-meddling-in-2016-us-election-211303">Timeline: Big moments in Mueller investigation of Russian meddling in 2016 US election</a>

Department spokeswoman Kerri Kupec did not provide a precise time, but said the report, which Barr has described as nearly 400 pages long, will be released both to Congress and the public. Congressional Democrats have demanded the release of the full report with nothing blacked out and also have asked for the underlying evidence gathered by Mueller, meaning Thursday's action by Barr may be just the first move in a longer fight that could play out in the courts.

Moments after the department announced its plans for releasing the report, the Republican president went to Twitter to make another attack on Mueller's team and derided the "Russia Hoax." The Mueller investigation has cast a cloud over the presidency of Trump, who has often called it a politically motivated "witch hunt."

Mueller turned over a copy of his confidential report to Barr on March 22, ending his 22-month-long inquiry. Two days later, Barr released a four-page letter summarizing what he said were Mueller's primary conclusions. In that letter to Congress, Barr said Mueller's investigation did not establish that members of Trump's election campaign conspired with Russia.

Barr also wrote that Mueller presented evidence "on both sides" about whether Trump obstructed justice by acting to impede the inquiry, but he did not draw a conclusion one way or the other. Barr said that he reviewed Mueller's evidence and made his own determination that Trump did not commit the crime of obstruction of justice.

REDACTION DECISIONS

Justice Department regulations give Barr, a Trump appointee and the top US&nbsp;law enforcement officer, broad authority to decide what to release and what to withhold from the report.

Barr has pledged to be as transparent as possible. But he has said he will redact certain portions for reasons including protecting secret grand jury information, intelligence-gathering sources and methods, information relating to ongoing cases and the privacy of "peripheral third parties" who were not charged.

The redactions in the report will be colour-coded by category, according to Barr, explaining the reasons that parts are blacked out.

After Barr released his four-page letter, Trump claimed "complete and total exoneration," condemned "an illegal takedown that failed" and accused unnamed political enemies of treasonous acts.

Since Barr released his letter, Trump has set his sights on the FBI, and accused the Justice Department of improperly targeting his campaign. Last week, Barr told a US Senate panel he believed that "spying" did occur on Trump's campaign, and he plans to investigate whether it was properly authorized.

Barr's comments were criticized by Democrats, already sceptical of how he has handled the report's release.

The attorney general has pledged to testify publicly about the report's conclusions before the Senate and House judiciary committees - on May 1 and 2, respectively. The Democratic-led House Judiciary Committee voted on April 3 to empower its chairman, Jerrold Nadler, to issue subpoenas for the full report and underlying evidence.

Meanwhile, the top Democrat and Republican on the House Intelligence Committee are also asking Barr to produce all of the investigative materials compiled by Mueller's team and to make Mueller and his staff available for a briefing.

In a March 27 letter seen by Reuters on Monday, Democratic Chairman Adam Schiff and top Republican Devin Nunes told Barr they want Mueller to brief them on "the investigation's scope and areas of inquiry, its findings, and the intelligence and counterintelligence information gathered" in the investigation.

Attorney General William Barr plans on Thursday morning to release a redacted version of Special Counsel Robert Mueller's report on Russian interference in the 2016 US election and contacts between Moscow and President Donald Trump's campaign, the Justice Department said on Monday.

Attorney General William Barr plans on Thursday morning to release a redacted version of Special Counsel Robert Mueller's report on Russian interference in the 2016 US election and contacts between Moscow and President Donald Trump's campaign, the Justice Department said on Monday. Timeline: Big moments in Mueller investigation of Russian meddling in 2016 US election Department spokeswoman Kerri Kupec did not provide a precise time, but said the report, which Barr has described as nearly 400 pages long, will be released both to Congress and the public. Congressional Democrats have demanded the release of the full report with nothing blacked out and also have asked for the underlying evidence gathered by Mueller, meaning Thursday's action by Barr may be just the first move in a longer fight that could play out in the courts. Moments after the department announced its plans for releasing the report, the Republican president went to Twitter to make another attack on Mueller's team and derided the "Russia Hoax." The Mueller investigation has cast a cloud over the presidency of Trump, who has often called it a politically motivated "witch hunt." Mueller turned over a copy of his confidential report to Barr on March 22, ending his 22-month-long inquiry. Two days later, Barr released a four-page letter summarizing what he said were Mueller's primary conclusions. In that letter to Congress, Barr said Mueller's investigation did not establish that members of Trump's election campaign conspired with Russia. Barr also wrote that Mueller presented evidence "on both sides" about whether Trump obstructed justice by acting to impede the inquiry, but he did not draw a conclusion one way or the other. Barr said that he reviewed Mueller's evidence and made his own determination that Trump did not commit the crime of obstruction of justice. REDACTION DECISIONS Justice Department regulations give Barr, a Trump appointee and the top US law enforcement officer, broad authority to decide what to release and what to withhold from the report. Barr has pledged to be as transparent as possible. But he has said he will redact certain portions for reasons including protecting secret grand jury information, intelligence-gathering sources and methods, information relating to ongoing cases and the privacy of "peripheral third parties" who were not charged. The redactions in the report will be colour-coded by category, according to Barr, explaining the reasons that parts are blacked out. After Barr released his four-page letter, Trump claimed "complete and total exoneration," condemned "an illegal takedown that failed" and accused unnamed political enemies of treasonous acts. Since Barr released his letter, Trump has set his sights on the FBI, and accused the Justice Department of improperly targeting his campaign. Last week, Barr told a US Senate panel he believed that "spying" did occur on Trump's campaign, and he plans to investigate whether it was properly authorized. Barr's comments were criticized by Democrats, already sceptical of how he has handled the report's release. The attorney general has pledged to testify publicly about the report's conclusions before the Senate and House judiciary committees - on May 1 and 2, respectively. The Democratic-led House Judiciary Committee voted on April 3 to empower its chairman, Jerrold Nadler, to issue subpoenas for the full report and underlying evidence. Meanwhile, the top Democrat and Republican on the House Intelligence Committee are also asking Barr to produce all of the investigative materials compiled by Mueller's team and to make Mueller and his staff available for a briefing. In a March 27 letter seen by Reuters on Monday, Democratic Chairman Adam Schiff and top Republican Devin Nunes told Barr they want Mueller to brief them on "the investigation's scope and areas of inquiry, its findings, and the intelligence and counterintelligence information gathered" in the investigation.

Redacted Mueller report to be issued by US attorney general today

US President Donald Trump on Thursday complained of the "greatest political hoax of all time" hours before the <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/redacted-mueller-report-to-be-issued-by-us-attorney-general-today-211317">special counsel's report on Russian meddling</a> in the 2016 election was due to be made public.

"The Greatest Political Hoax of all time! Crimes were committed by Crooked, Dirty Cops and DNC/The Democrats," the president tweeted.&nbsp;

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The Greatest Political Hoax of all time! Crimes were committed by Crooked, Dirty Cops and DNC/The Democrats.
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) <a href="https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/1118845290721812480?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 18, 2019</a></blockquote>
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"Crooked" is Trump's nickname for election rival Hillary Clinton while he uses the phrase "dirty cops" to smear the members of Special Counsel Robert Mueller's team who conducted the probe.

The details of the redacted 400-page report -- which is expected to go to Congress mid-morning before being made publicly available -- could determine whether Democrats pursue impeachment of the president.

US President Donald Trump on Thursday complained of the "greatest political hoax of all time" hours before the special counsel's report on Russian meddling in the 2016 election was due to be made public.

US President Donald Trump on Thursday complained of the "greatest political hoax of all time" hours before the special counsel's report on Russian meddling in the 2016 election was due to be made public. "The Greatest Political Hoax of all time! Crimes were committed by Crooked, Dirty Cops and DNC/The Democrats," the president tweeted. The Greatest Political Hoax of all time! Crimes were committed by Crooked, Dirty Cops and DNC/The Democrats. — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) April 18, 2019 × "Crooked" is Trump's nickname for election rival Hillary Clinton while he uses the phrase "dirty cops" to smear the members of Special Counsel Robert Mueller's team who conducted the probe. The details of the redacted 400-page report -- which is expected to go to Congress mid-morning before being made publicly available -- could determine whether Democrats pursue impeachment of the president.

Ahead of Mueller report, Trump lashes 'greatest political hoax'

A redacted version of <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/trump-questions-why-democrats-should-get-mueller-report-210154">Special Counsel Robert Mueller's final report</a> on the probe into the Russia links of US President Donald Trump's campaign team will be released Thursday, the Department of Justice announced Monday.

The release of the 400-page report will come more than three weeks after Attorney General Bill Barr's controversial summary allowed Trump to declare it "a complete and total exoneration" of him after 22 months of investigation.

Barr said Mueller found no evidence that Trump's 2016 campaign team conspired to collude with Moscow to influence the election, and found not enough evidence to charge Trump with obstruction of justice.

But Mueller himself took no stance on the weight of the evidence of obstruction, Barr noted, raising doubts over whether Trump had truly been exonerated by the report.

A redacted version of Special Counsel Robert Mueller's final report on the probe into the Russia links of US President Donald Trump's campaign team will be released Thursday, the Department of Justice announced Monday.

A redacted version of Special Counsel Robert Mueller's final report on the probe into the Russia links of US President Donald Trump's campaign team will be released Thursday, the Department of Justice announced Monday. The release of the 400-page report will come more than three weeks after Attorney General Bill Barr's controversial summary allowed Trump to declare it "a complete and total exoneration" of him after 22 months of investigation. Barr said Mueller found no evidence that Trump's 2016 campaign team conspired to collude with Moscow to influence the election, and found not enough evidence to charge Trump with obstruction of justice. But Mueller himself took no stance on the weight of the evidence of obstruction, Barr noted, raising doubts over whether Trump had truly been exonerated by the report.

Redacted Mueller report to be released Thursday: Department of Justice

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/trump-says-could-send-migrants-to-sanctuary-cities-209995">US President Donald Trump</a> questioned Saturday whether Congressional Democrats should have access to a redacted version of the Mueller report that cleared him of conspiring to collude with Russia during the 2016 election.

Attorney General Bill Barr has indicated he will hand over a restricted copy of the 400-page report by Special Counsel Robert Mueller that edits out "sensitive" details sometime next week.

"Why should Radical Left Democrats in Congress have a right to retry and examine the $35,000,000 (two years in the making) No Collusion Mueller Report when the crime committed was by Crooked Hillary, the DNC and Dirty Cops?" Trump tweeted. "Attorney General Barr will make the decision!"

Trump had previously said the decision to release the report would be "totally up to" his attorney general, while his press secretary Sarah Sanders in March said, "I don't think the president has any problem" with its publication.

The president's latest comments come days after he called the probe an attempted "coup," while Barr promised to investigate FBI "spying" on Trump.

Trump has described former FBI officials who initially decided to investigate him as "dirty cops."

Three years on from his election victory, he is still railing against his former Democratic White House opponent Hillary Clinton over her use of a private email server for government business and threatens to reopen an investigation into the matter.

US President Donald Trump questioned Saturday whether Congressional Democrats should have access to a redacted version of the Mueller report that cleared him of conspiring to collude with Russia during the 2016 election.

US President Donald Trump questioned Saturday whether Congressional Democrats should have access to a redacted version of the Mueller report that cleared him of conspiring to collude with Russia during the 2016 election. Attorney General Bill Barr has indicated he will hand over a restricted copy of the 400-page report by Special Counsel Robert Mueller that edits out "sensitive" details sometime next week. "Why should Radical Left Democrats in Congress have a right to retry and examine the $35,000,000 (two years in the making) No Collusion Mueller Report when the crime committed was by Crooked Hillary, the DNC and Dirty Cops?" Trump tweeted. "Attorney General Barr will make the decision!" Trump had previously said the decision to release the report would be "totally up to" his attorney general, while his press secretary Sarah Sanders in March said, "I don't think the president has any problem" with its publication. The president's latest comments come days after he called the probe an attempted "coup," while Barr promised to investigate FBI "spying" on Trump. Trump has described former FBI officials who initially decided to investigate him as "dirty cops." Three years on from his election victory, he is still railing against his former Democratic White House opponent Hillary Clinton over her use of a private email server for government business and threatens to reopen an investigation into the matter.

Trump questions why Democrats should get Mueller report

US Attorney General William Barr left senators confused about whether he believed that unauthorized spying on President Trump's campaign had occurred, as he was pressed on the impending release of special counsel Robert Mueller's final report on Russian interference in the 2016 election.

William Barr: Spying "did occur" on Trump campaign'16

U.S. Attorney General William Barr told lawmakers on Tuesday (April 9) that he intends to release within a week the long-awaited report on Russian interference in the 2016 presidential election from Special Counsel Robert Mueller.

US Attorney General Barr promises Mueller report 'within a week'

Top US Democratic and Republican lawmakers said Monday they want Special Counsel Robert Mueller to testify before Congress about his investigation into Russian meddling during the 2016 election campaign.

Two weeks ago, Attorney General Bill Barr cleared US President Donald Trump of colluding with Russia in a four-page summary of the report. But the special counsel's final report on the investigation -- and whether Trump himself was involved in obstructing the probe -- remains unreleased.

Doug Collins, the top Republican on the House Judiciary Committee, said he wants Democrats to immediately bring Mueller before the panel to testify about his report.

"If you seek both transparencies and for the American public to learn the full contours of the special counsel's investigation, public testimony from Special Counsel Mueller himself is undoubtedly the best way to accomplish this goal," Collins wrote in a letter to the committee's Democratic chairman, Jerry Nadler.

Nadler said he "fully" agreed, but stressed that Mueller should testify after the full report is delivered to Congress and Barr testifies. He called on Barr to testify before the committee on May 2.

"We look forward to hearing from Mr Mueller at the appropriate time," Nadler said.

It comes amid a heated battle in Washington over what Congress will actually be able to see of the report itself.&nbsp;

Democrats are demanding access to the entire, unredacted 400-page text, saying the evidence within could be damning to the president.

But Barr has said he will not release key evidence that is part of any investigation by a grand jury, a special panel used by prosecutors in politically sensitive cases.

Last week Nadler was among six Democrat committee chairs who wrote to Barr demanding the full report with its underlying evidence be submitted to Congress.

In his letter, Collins said Democrats were politicizing the situation by seeking the protected grand jury materials, despite an appeals court last Friday ruling that federal judges do not have authority to disclose such evidence except in specifically authorized situations.

Collins wrote that courts have determined that such situations include a formal impeachment inquiry, something Democrats have so far refused to launch.

"If you decline to launch an impeachment inquiry, which is your clear legal path to the 6(e) grand jury information, I suggest instead inviting Special Counsel Mueller in to testify before the Committee as soon as possible," Collins wrote.

Top US Democratic and Republican lawmakers said Monday they want Special Counsel Robert Mueller to testify before Congress about his investigation into Russian meddling during the 2016 election campaign.

Top US Democratic and Republican lawmakers said Monday they want Special Counsel Robert Mueller to testify before Congress about his investigation into Russian meddling during the 2016 election campaign. Two weeks ago, Attorney General Bill Barr cleared US President Donald Trump of colluding with Russia in a four-page summary of the report. But the special counsel's final report on the investigation -- and whether Trump himself was involved in obstructing the probe -- remains unreleased. Doug Collins, the top Republican on the House Judiciary Committee, said he wants Democrats to immediately bring Mueller before the panel to testify about his report. "If you seek both transparencies and for the American public to learn the full contours of the special counsel's investigation, public testimony from Special Counsel Mueller himself is undoubtedly the best way to accomplish this goal," Collins wrote in a letter to the committee's Democratic chairman, Jerry Nadler. Nadler said he "fully" agreed, but stressed that Mueller should testify after the full report is delivered to Congress and Barr testifies. He called on Barr to testify before the committee on May 2. "We look forward to hearing from Mr Mueller at the appropriate time," Nadler said. It comes amid a heated battle in Washington over what Congress will actually be able to see of the report itself. Democrats are demanding access to the entire, unredacted 400-page text, saying the evidence within could be damning to the president. But Barr has said he will not release key evidence that is part of any investigation by a grand jury, a special panel used by prosecutors in politically sensitive cases. Last week Nadler was among six Democrat committee chairs who wrote to Barr demanding the full report with its underlying evidence be submitted to Congress. In his letter, Collins said Democrats were politicizing the situation by seeking the protected grand jury materials, despite an appeals court last Friday ruling that federal judges do not have authority to disclose such evidence except in specifically authorized situations. Collins wrote that courts have determined that such situations include a formal impeachment inquiry, something Democrats have so far refused to launch. "If you decline to launch an impeachment inquiry, which is your clear legal path to the 6(e) grand jury information, I suggest instead inviting Special Counsel Mueller in to testify before the Committee as soon as possible," Collins wrote.

Republicans, Democrats want Robert Mueller to testify on report on Russian meddling in 2016 election

The US attorney general said Friday that he will release a redacted version by mid-April of the report on the two-year Russia election meddling probe, which had cast a cloud over Donald Trump's presidency.

Attorney General Bill Barr, in a letter to the chairmen of the House and Senate judiciary committees, said he was currently redacting sensitive material from the eagerly awaited report, which Trump has hailed as completely clearing him of allegations of collusion with Russia and obstruction of justice.

Special Counsel Robert Mueller, a former FBI director who headed the probe, was assisting with the task, he said.

"Our progress is such that I anticipate that we will be in a position to release the report by mid-April, if not sooner," Barr said.

The attorney general said the report was nearly 400 pages long excluding tables and appendices and "sets forth the Special Counsel's findings, his analysis and the reasons for his conclusions."

Barr, who released the "principal conclusions" of the report last week, has been under heavy pressure from Democrats to release the full report.

"I share your desire to ensure that Congress and the public have the opportunity to read the Special Counsel's report," the attorney general told the Senate and House judiciary committee, chairmen.

"Everyone will soon be able to read it on their own," Barr said. "I do not believe it would be in the public's interest for me to attempt to summarize the full report or to release it in a serial or piecemeal fashion."

Representative Jerry Nadler, a Democrat who heads the House Judiciary Committee, responded to Barr's letter by saying he wanted the "full and complete Mueller report, without redactions" by April 2.

Redactions

Barr said the redactions underway included material "the intelligence community identifies as potentially compromising sensitive sources and methods."

Redactions also concern matters that the special counsel has referred to other Justice Department offices for investigation and information that would compromise the privacy of "peripheral third parties."

Barr said the report would not be submitted to the White House for review and Trump had deferred to him to deal with any parts over which he could invoke executive privilege.

Barr, citing the "principal conclusions" of the report last week, said the special counsel did not find that the Trump presidential campaign had conspired with the Russian government to win the 2016 election.

The "investigation did not establish that members of the Trump Campaign conspired or coordinated with the Russian government in its election interference activities," Barr quoted the report as saying.

Mueller also left the decision on whether Trump obstructed justice up to the attorney general, who determined that he had not "committed an obstruction-of-justice offence."

Regarding obstruction, Mueller stated that "while this report does not conclude that the President committed a crime, it also does not exonerate him."

Trump has welcomed the Mueller report as a "total exoneration" and blamed the media for pushing what he called the "Russian Collusion Delusion."

In his letter, Barr said he would be prepared to testify before the Senate and House judiciary committees on May 1 and May 2 respectively.

The US attorney general said Friday that he will release a redacted version by mid-April of the report on the two-year Russia election meddling probe, which had cast a cloud over Donald Trump's presidency.

The US attorney general said Friday that he will release a redacted version by mid-April of the report on the two-year Russia election meddling probe, which had cast a cloud over Donald Trump's presidency. Attorney General Bill Barr, in a letter to the chairmen of the House and Senate judiciary committees, said he was currently redacting sensitive material from the eagerly awaited report, which Trump has hailed as completely clearing him of allegations of collusion with Russia and obstruction of justice. Special Counsel Robert Mueller, a former FBI director who headed the probe, was assisting with the task, he said. "Our progress is such that I anticipate that we will be in a position to release the report by mid-April, if not sooner," Barr said. The attorney general said the report was nearly 400 pages long excluding tables and appendices and "sets forth the Special Counsel's findings, his analysis and the reasons for his conclusions." Barr, who released the "principal conclusions" of the report last week, has been under heavy pressure from Democrats to release the full report. "I share your desire to ensure that Congress and the public have the opportunity to read the Special Counsel's report," the attorney general told the Senate and House judiciary committee, chairmen. "Everyone will soon be able to read it on their own," Barr said. "I do not believe it would be in the public's interest for me to attempt to summarize the full report or to release it in a serial or piecemeal fashion." Representative Jerry Nadler, a Democrat who heads the House Judiciary Committee, responded to Barr's letter by saying he wanted the "full and complete Mueller report, without redactions" by April 2. Redactions Barr said the redactions underway included material "the intelligence community identifies as potentially compromising sensitive sources and methods." Redactions also concern matters that the special counsel has referred to other Justice Department offices for investigation and information that would compromise the privacy of "peripheral third parties." Barr said the report would not be submitted to the White House for review and Trump had deferred to him to deal with any parts over which he could invoke executive privilege. Barr, citing the "principal conclusions" of the report last week, said the special counsel did not find that the Trump presidential campaign had conspired with the Russian government to win the 2016 election. The "investigation did not establish that members of the Trump Campaign conspired or coordinated with the Russian government in its election interference activities," Barr quoted the report as saying. Mueller also left the decision on whether Trump obstructed justice up to the attorney general, who determined that he had not "committed an obstruction-of-justice offence." Regarding obstruction, Mueller stated that "while this report does not conclude that the President committed a crime, it also does not exonerate him." Trump has welcomed the Mueller report as a "total exoneration" and blamed the media for pushing what he called the "Russian Collusion Delusion." In his letter, Barr said he would be prepared to testify before the Senate and House judiciary committees on May 1 and May 2 respectively.

Robert Mueller report to be released by mid-April: Attorney general

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/trump-declares-complete-exoneration-after-mueller-report-finds-no-collusion-205408">President Donald Trump</a> on Wednesday declared that the dramatic probe into links between his election campaign and Russia amounted to "treason."

Speaking on Fox News, Trump said the probe, which culminated in clearing him of allegations that he colluded with Moscow, a "very dark period" and he appeared to threaten those he blames for the report with punishment.

"We can never allow this treasonous — these treasonous acts to happen to another president. This was an attempted takeover of our government, of our country, an illegal takeover," he told long-favoured Fox interviewer Sean Hannity.

Although Trump didn't say how he intended to make sure that a probe was not carried out in similar circumstances again, he stressed that if Republicans had investigated a Democratic president in the same way, heavy penalties would follow.

"You'd have 100 people in jail right now and it would be treason. It would be considered treason and they would be in jail for the rest of their lives," he said.

"It would be virtually the maximum sentence that you can find, no matter where you look in whatever legal book," he said later.

"We are getting to the bottom of it," he said. "Hopefully they won't get away with it."

Trump insists that the probe led by former FBI director Robert Mueller was concocted for political reasons by Democrats upset at his surprise 2016 election defeat of the favourite, Hillary Clinton.

Mueller was tasked with investigating the scope of Russian meddling in the election and whether Trump's campaign colluded with Moscow. In addition, Mueller was looking into whether Trump obstructed justice through his often highly public opposition to the probe.

After two years, Mueller wrapped up last week and on Sunday Trump's attorney general, William Barr, issued a brief summary of the probe's findings. They included the determination that Russians did try to interfere in the election but that Trump's campaign did not collude.

On obstruction of justice, Mueller said he could neither accuse nor clear Trump, leaving Barr to make the determination. Barr said that no crime had been committed.

Although the culmination of the Mueller probe is widely seen as a big victory for Trump, the episode still shed a deeply unflattering light on his entourage, as well as revealing previously undeclared links with Russians -- in particular his attempts late into 2016 to secure a huge real estate deal in Moscow.

On Fox, Trump said he was the victim.

"I know one thing: I was the most innocent human being," he said.

President Donald Trump on Wednesday declared that the dramatic probe into links between his election campaign and Russia amounted to "treason." Speaking on Fox News, Trump said the probe, which culminated in clearing him of allegations that he colluded with Moscow, a "very dark period" and he appeared to threaten those he blames for the report with punishment.

President Donald Trump on Wednesday declared that the dramatic probe into links between his election campaign and Russia amounted to "treason." Speaking on Fox News, Trump said the probe, which culminated in clearing him of allegations that he colluded with Moscow, a "very dark period" and he appeared to threaten those he blames for the report with punishment. "We can never allow this treasonous — these treasonous acts to happen to another president. This was an attempted takeover of our government, of our country, an illegal takeover," he told long-favoured Fox interviewer Sean Hannity. Although Trump didn't say how he intended to make sure that a probe was not carried out in similar circumstances again, he stressed that if Republicans had investigated a Democratic president in the same way, heavy penalties would follow. "You'd have 100 people in jail right now and it would be treason. It would be considered treason and they would be in jail for the rest of their lives," he said. "It would be virtually the maximum sentence that you can find, no matter where you look in whatever legal book," he said later. "We are getting to the bottom of it," he said. "Hopefully they won't get away with it." Trump insists that the probe led by former FBI director Robert Mueller was concocted for political reasons by Democrats upset at his surprise 2016 election defeat of the favourite, Hillary Clinton. Mueller was tasked with investigating the scope of Russian meddling in the election and whether Trump's campaign colluded with Moscow. In addition, Mueller was looking into whether Trump obstructed justice through his often highly public opposition to the probe. After two years, Mueller wrapped up last week and on Sunday Trump's attorney general, William Barr, issued a brief summary of the probe's findings. They included the determination that Russians did try to interfere in the election but that Trump's campaign did not collude. On obstruction of justice, Mueller said he could neither accuse nor clear Trump, leaving Barr to make the determination. Barr said that no crime had been committed. Although the culmination of the Mueller probe is widely seen as a big victory for Trump, the episode still shed a deeply unflattering light on his entourage, as well as revealing previously undeclared links with Russians -- in particular his attempts late into 2016 to secure a huge real estate deal in Moscow. On Fox, Trump said he was the victim. "I know one thing: I was the most innocent human being," he said.

Trump on Russia probe: Can never allow these treasonous acts to happen to another president

President Donald Trump said Monday that Robert Mueller, head of the two-year probe into alleged collusion with Russia during the 2016 election campaign, acted honourably, but he also threatened retaliation against his foes.

"Yes he did," Trump said after Mueller -- whom he often bitterly criticised during the investigation -- declared there was no evidence of collusion by Trump or his campaign.

Trump, who feels vindicated by the dropping of collusion allegations, said he would favour publication of the wider Mueller report. So far, only a short summary has been released.

"Up to the attorney general. Wouldn't bother me at all," he said at the White House.

But Trump blasted the investigation as "a false narrative, it was a terrible thing."

"We can never let this happen to another president again," he said. "Very few people I know could have handled it. We can never, ever let this happen to another president again."

Adding to suggestions that the White House would like to retaliate now that the damaging investigation is over, Trump said, "there are people out there who have done very bad things, I would say treasonous things against our country."

"We've gone through a period of really bad things happening -- those people will certainly be looked at," he said.

President Donald Trump said Monday that Robert Mueller, head of the two-year probe into alleged collusion with Russia during the 2016 election campaign, acted honourably, but he also threatened retaliation against his foes.

President Donald Trump said Monday that Robert Mueller, head of the two-year probe into alleged collusion with Russia during the 2016 election campaign, acted honourably, but he also threatened retaliation against his foes. "Yes he did," Trump said after Mueller -- whom he often bitterly criticised during the investigation -- declared there was no evidence of collusion by Trump or his campaign. Trump, who feels vindicated by the dropping of collusion allegations, said he would favour publication of the wider Mueller report. So far, only a short summary has been released. "Up to the attorney general. Wouldn't bother me at all," he said at the White House. But Trump blasted the investigation as "a false narrative, it was a terrible thing." "We can never let this happen to another president again," he said. "Very few people I know could have handled it. We can never, ever let this happen to another president again." Adding to suggestions that the White House would like to retaliate now that the damaging investigation is over, Trump said, "there are people out there who have done very bad things, I would say treasonous things against our country." "We've gone through a period of really bad things happening -- those people will certainly be looked at," he said.

Trump says Russia probe head Robert Mueller acted honourably, but warns of retaliation

What the Mueller report says and what it does not

The United States President Donald Trump would have no problem with the<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/on-the-back-foot-democrats-demand-release-of-full-mueller-report-205409"> release of the Mueller report into Russia's meddling in the 2016 US election</a>, White House press secretary Sarah Sanders said on Monday.

"I don't think the president has any problem with it," Sanders said on a television show on NBC channel.

"He's more than happy for any of this stuff to come out because he knows exactly what did and what didn't happen and now frankly the rest of America knows," Sanders added.

Echoing Trump, Sanders said the American public knows "there was no collusion, they know there was no obstruction and it's a complete and total exoneration of the president."

In a letter sent to Congress summarising Mueller report on Sunday, Barr quoted Special Counsel saying, "While this report does not conclude that the president committed a crime, it also does not exonerate him."&nbsp;

Barr said the investigation did not recommend any further indictments and does not have any further sealed indictments outstanding.

Special Counsel Robert Mueller found no evidence regarding Trump or his campaign conspiring with Russia to influence the 2016 election in his favour.

Following Barr's letter to Congress, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer demanded the report to made publicly release while stressing that it does not exonerate Trump.

They also said Barr, nominated just months ago by Trump, is "not a neutral observer" in the process and that his summary of the report is not an objective determination about Mueller's findings.

Meanwhile, Trump called the outcome a "complete and total exoneration" despite Mueller's caveat on obstruction.

(With inputs from agencies) 
&nbsp;

The United States President Donald Trump would have no problem with the release of the Mueller report into Russia's meddling in the 2016 US election, White House press secretary Sarah Sanders said on Monday.

The United States President Donald Trump would have no problem with the release of the Mueller report into Russia's meddling in the 2016 US election, White House press secretary Sarah Sanders said on Monday. "I don't think the president has any problem with it," Sanders said on a television show on NBC channel. "He's more than happy for any of this stuff to come out because he knows exactly what did and what didn't happen and now frankly the rest of America knows," Sanders added. Echoing Trump, Sanders said the American public knows "there was no collusion, they know there was no obstruction and it's a complete and total exoneration of the president." In a letter sent to Congress summarising Mueller report on Sunday, Barr quoted Special Counsel saying, "While this report does not conclude that the president committed a crime, it also does not exonerate him." Barr said the investigation did not recommend any further indictments and does not have any further sealed indictments outstanding. Special Counsel Robert Mueller found no evidence regarding Trump or his campaign conspiring with Russia to influence the 2016 election in his favour. Following Barr's letter to Congress, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer demanded the report to made publicly release while stressing that it does not exonerate Trump. They also said Barr, nominated just months ago by Trump, is "not a neutral observer" in the process and that his summary of the report is not an objective determination about Mueller's findings. Meanwhile, Trump called the outcome a "complete and total exoneration" despite Mueller's caveat on obstruction. (With inputs from agencies)

Trump has no problem with release of Mueller report: White House

Special Counsel Robert Mueller's report on Moscow's meddling in the 2016 election found no evidence of a conspiracy by President Donald Trump's campaign to collude with Russia, the Justice Department said Sunday.

Mueller also declined to rule on whether the evidence showed Trump obstructed justice, according to a summary submitted to Congress by Attorney General Bill Barr.

In a letter to Congress summarizing the report's key points, Barr quoted Mueller as saying: "While this report does not conclude that the president committed a crime, it also does not exonerate him."&nbsp;

Barr said the investigation did not recommend any further indictments and does not have any further sealed indictments outstanding.

In his own review of Mueller's findings on obstruction -- one of the most explosive allegations against Trump -- Barr said, "the evidence... is not sufficient to establish that the president committed an obstruction-of-justice offense."

Barr's letter marked the conclusion of the 22-month investigation by Mueller, a former FBI director, into allegations that Trump's election campaign coordinated and colluded with Russians to skew the 2016 vote so the billionaire real estate magnate would win.

But it marked the beginning of a new phase, the determination of Democrats in Congress to further investigate Trump, using the evidence from the Mueller probe.

"Seems like the Department of Justice is putting matters squarely in Congress' court," tweeted Democratic Representative Jerry Nadler, the chairman of the House Judiciary Committee.

"Special Counsel Mueller clearly and explicitly is not exonerating the President, and we must hear from AG Barr about his decision making and see all the underlying evidence for the American people to know all the facts."

Special Counsel Robert Mueller's report on Moscow's meddling in the 2016 election found no evidence of a conspiracy by President Donald Trump's campaign to collude with Russia, the Justice Department said Sunday.

Special Counsel Robert Mueller's report on Moscow's meddling in the 2016 election found no evidence of a conspiracy by President Donald Trump's campaign to collude with Russia, the Justice Department said Sunday. Mueller also declined to rule on whether the evidence showed Trump obstructed justice, according to a summary submitted to Congress by Attorney General Bill Barr. In a letter to Congress summarizing the report's key points, Barr quoted Mueller as saying: "While this report does not conclude that the president committed a crime, it also does not exonerate him." Barr said the investigation did not recommend any further indictments and does not have any further sealed indictments outstanding. In his own review of Mueller's findings on obstruction -- one of the most explosive allegations against Trump -- Barr said, "the evidence... is not sufficient to establish that the president committed an obstruction-of-justice offense." Barr's letter marked the conclusion of the 22-month investigation by Mueller, a former FBI director, into allegations that Trump's election campaign coordinated and colluded with Russians to skew the 2016 vote so the billionaire real estate magnate would win. But it marked the beginning of a new phase, the determination of Democrats in Congress to further investigate Trump, using the evidence from the Mueller probe. "Seems like the Department of Justice is putting matters squarely in Congress' court," tweeted Democratic Representative Jerry Nadler, the chairman of the House Judiciary Committee. "Special Counsel Mueller clearly and explicitly is not exonerating the President, and we must hear from AG Barr about his decision making and see all the underlying evidence for the American people to know all the facts."

Mueller found no Trump campaign collusion with Russia: Justice Department

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