The principal findings of the Mueller Report have been released. They can be summarized in two words: “No collusion.”

Attorney General William Barr detailed the principal findings in a four-page letter sent to Congress this afternoon.

No Collusion. None. Nada. Zero. 

The verdict could not be rendered any clear: “The Special Counsel’s investigation did not find that the Trump campaign or anyone associated with it conspired or coordinated with Russia in its efforts to influence the 2016 U.S. presidential election.”

In fact, no one in the campaign or associated with the campaign conspired with Russians “despite multiple efforts from Russia-affiliated officials to assist the Trump campaign.”So not only did Trump and his campaign not collude, they rejected attempts by Russia to collude. 

Period. End of Story.

The other good news for America: No Americans helped the Russians with their efforts to interfere with the election. 

President Trump celebrated the report.

No Collusion, No Obstruction, Complete and Total EXONERATION. KEEP AMERICA GREAT!

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) March 24, 2019

Before leaving Florida Trump told reporters it was a “shame” the nation had to go through this. “This was an illegal take-down that failed.”

Obstruction of Justice

However, despite Trump’s tweet, Mueller did not let POTUS off scot-free. Mueller’s team (despite being fully loaded with Democrats) was unable to exonerate Trump on obstruction of justice. Some actions — “many of which were public” — did cause “difficult issues.”

Said Mueller, “While this report does not conclude the President committed a crime, it also does not exonerate him.” 

So, instead of reaching a conclusion, the report presented what it said evidence on both sides and handed the ball back to Attorney General Barr. And Barr says he and Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein have concluded Trump committed no crime.

After reviewing the Special Counsel’s final report on these issues… Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein and I have concluded that the evidence developed during the Special Counsel’s investigation is not sufficient to establish that the President committed an obstruction-of-justice offense.

Crucial to the decision was an absence of an underlying crime. 

We noted that the Special Counsel recognized that “the evidence does not establish that the President was involved in an underlying crime related to Russian election interference,” and that, while not determinative, the absence of such evidence bears upon the President’s intent with respect to obstruction.

In other words, how could Trump have been obstructing the investigation of a crime that did not exist, specifically, Trump-Russia collusion? 230 tweets that he did not collude with Russia isn’t obstruction. It now established fact. 

Investigative journalist Sharyl Attkisson goes further:

https://twitter.com/SharylAttkisson/status/1109911245954732032

Releasing the Report

The two year investigation involved “19 lawyers, approximately 40 FBI agents, intelligence analysts, forensic accountants and other professional staff.” The Special Counsel issued “more than 2,800 subpoenas, executed nearly 500 search warrants, obtained more than 230 orders for communication records … made 13 requests to foreign governments for evidence and interviewed approximately 500 witnesses.”

Attorney General Barr says that he will be releasing the report, pending the removal of any material that under law cannot be made public. 

You can read Attorney General William Barr’s entire letter here.