Special Counsel Investigator Robert Mueller’s report was released to Attorney General William Barr on Friday (March 22) and its contents has had the political world on edge over the last 48 hours.
This afternoon, Donald Trump’s AG provided Congress with a four-page summary of his findings and in it, Barr claims the special council stated “that 'while this report does not conclude that the President committed a crime, it also does not exonerate him.’”
Barr added that, post-review, he and Deputy Attorney General Rob Rosenstein "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."
In summary, Mueller’s report, according to the Department of Justice, concludes that Trump and his campaign did not collude with Russia to tamper with the 2016 election, and leaves open the question of whether or not Trump obstructed justice to stop an investigation into the matter. The Department of Justice is, as of now, declining to bring obstruction charges against the president.
Of course, this is great news for the President and his supporters, and has caused some alarm among Democrats.
The Mueller report reportedly contained hundreds of pages of testimony, communications, information and more regarding Trump and the Special Counsel’s findings of just how involved the president was with Russian officials.
The four-page report however is understandably not enough for Democrats and even some Republicans, who claim full transparency is key. Below are some Democratic presidential hopefuls who have already spoken out about the Mueller report.
The American public deserves the full report and findings from the Mueller investigation immediately—not just the in-house summary from a Trump Administration official. https://t.co/8Lj0O881Cw
— Cory Booker (@CoryBooker) March 24, 2019
The Mueller report needs to be made public, the underlying investigative materials should be handed over to Congress, and Barr must testify. That is what transparency looks like. A short letter from Trump's hand-picked Attorney General is not sufficient.
— Kamala Harris (@KamalaHarris) March 24, 2019
Democratic presidential candidates Bernie Sanders, Elizabeth Warren, Kamala Harris, Beto O'Rourke, Cory Booker and John Hickenlooper, weigh in on what should happen next with the Mueller report.https://t.co/jTMdNt9egN pic.twitter.com/iQttNAerqd
— Circa (@Circa) March 24, 2019
Congress voted 420-0 to release the full Mueller report. Not a "summary" from his handpicked Attorney General. AG Barr, make the full report public. Immediately.
— Elizabeth Warren (@ewarren) March 24, 2019
Release the full Mueller report to the American people and their representatives. There must be transparency and accountability.
— Beto O'Rourke (@BetoORourke) March 24, 2019
AG Barr's summary 4-pg letter of Special Counsel Mueller's investigation underscores that the ENTIRE report & documentation-including all information re Russia’s attempts to influence our election-need to be made public. The public deserves answers now-our democracy depends on it
— Amy Klobuchar (@amyklobuchar) March 24, 2019
The Mueller report must be made public. Not just a letter from someone appointed by Trump to protect himself—all of it. The President works for the people, and he is not above the law. https://t.co/XH5NqzLJAb
— Kirsten Gillibrand (@SenGillibrand) March 24, 2019
A politically appointed Attorney General shouldn’t decide how much of the Special Counsel report Congress can read. The full report should be released and Robert Mueller should testify to its findings. https://t.co/4rNtqD19ko
— Julián Castro (@JulianCastro) March 24, 2019
Tonight, two of the Democratic candidates running for president will hit the stage with Soledad O'Brien as Kamala Harris and Cory Booker will discuss criminal justice reform for BET's American Injustice: A BET Town Hall. Tune in at 9 pm EST for the hour-long special.
Photo: U.S. Department of Justice via Getty Images
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