The Muller’s report on Trump and Russia is made public

Muller’s published report didn’t clarify Trump cooperation with Russia and the interference that affected the results of the 2016 US presidential election.

On April 18, Attorney General William Barr officially released special prosecutor Robert Muller’s report on Russian interference in the 2016 US presidential election.

The public version of the 400-plus-page document has been redacted to exclude information related to confidential grand jury meetings, classified intelligence material, ongoing investigations, or anything that might infringe on the privacy of people who have not been charged. A “limited number” of Congress members will be allowed to view a less-redacted version, according to the Justice Department.

The report is divided into two distinct parts – the first concerning Russia’s efforts to help Trump win the 2016 US presidential election, and the second on whether Trump obstructed justice once installed in the White House.

The report concludes there was not an “active” criminal-level conspiracy between the Trump election team and Moscow. But the document contradicts claims of total exoneration made by Trump and his hand-picked attorney general William Barr, and provides fascinating new details.

In his report, Muller did not make final conclusions regarding the corpus delicti of the investigating actions of both the Russian government and President Trump. The published report noted that «there is no evidence that the president committed a crime, but there is no evidence of his complete innocence.» Therefore, the Attorney General, “having consulted with the Ministry of Justice and in accordance with the principles of filing federal lawsuits,” did not bring official charges to Trump regarding blocking of justice. The reason for such a decision Barr believes the lack of evidence of intent in matters of resisting of justice in open court proceedings or pending cases.

Regarding the interference of the Russian secret services directly into the election process itself, the report leaves many unanswered questions. Indeed, consistent and repited attempts to influence the election results were recorded. These actions were carried out in two directions — active influence on voters through social networks, the second — hacker attacks with the aim of stilling vital and confidential information of the headquarters of the second candidate for further publication. However, in this matter the report does not contain a statement that Trump’s campaign headquarters cooperated with the organizers of such actions.

Trump sought to claim the findings as a victory and vindication, repeating his characterization of the investigation as a “hoax” and adding that “it should never happen to a president again”. He added on Twitter: “GAME OVER” with a Photoshopped image himself on a Game of Thrones background.

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A post shared by President Donald J. Trump (@realdonaldtrump) on Apr 18, 2019 at 7:02am PDT