- Attorney General William Barr released his summary about special counsel Robert Mueller’s Russia investigation on Sunday, determining that President Donald Trump did not obstruct justice in the FBI’s Russia investigation.
- According to Barr’s summary, Mueller, in his investigation, the special counsel’s determined that the president did not conspire or coordinate with Russia to influence the 2016 presidential election. He did not reach a conclusion on whether the president obstructed justice.
- Barr is now facing backlash from Democratic lawmakers demanding for the public release of the full report. They argue he was not objective due to an earlier memo he released casting doubt on the special counsel investigation and whether the president could obstruct justice.
- On Sunday night, after submitting his summary, Barr was spotted walking into a seafood restaurant for dinner with his wife and daughter. Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein was apparently enjoying a late night bike ride in Bethesda.
Attorney General William Barr released his highly anticipated summary about special counsel Robert Mueller’s Russia investigation on Sunday afternoon — and celebrated hours later with a seafood dinner at a restaurant in the Washington, D.C. area.
Barr wrote in his summary of the special counsel’s investigation that President Donald Trump did not conspire or coordinate with Russia to influence the 2016 presidential election, and that Mueller reached no conclusion on whether the president obstructed justice. He added that he and Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein made the determination that Mueller’s evidence was "not sufficient" to prosecute Trump for obstruction of justice, since the president wasn’t found to be guilty of the underlying crime regarding Russia election interference.
According to the four-page summary, Mueller’s report "sets out evidence on both sides of the question and leaves unresolved what the special counsel views as ‘difficult issues’ of law and fact concerning whether the President’s actions and intent could be viewed as obstruction."
The summary added that "while this report does not conclude that the President committed a crime, it also does not exonerate him."
Barr, who was nominated by Trump in December, faced swift backlash from Democratic lawmakers who are now calling for the public release of the full report. In a memo last June, the Attorney General cast doubt on the special counsel investigation and whether the president could obstruct justice, calling the obstruction investigation "fatally misconceived."
"Given Mr. Barr’s public record of bias against the special counsel’s inquiry, he is not a neutral observer and is not in a position to make objective determinations about the report," House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer said in a statement.
Rep. Jerrold Nadler, the House Judiciary Committee chairman, added on Twitter that "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."
The looming questions surrounding Barr’s decision making, however, did not seem to dampen his spirits. As Politico reported, Barr was spotted walking into Hank’s Oyster Bar on Sunday night for dinner with his wife and daughter. Rod Rosenstein was apparently also letting off steam with a late night bike ride in Bethesda.
Last Friday night, after handing over his final report, Mueller was seen in his regular booth at the Salt & Pepper restaurant in Washington, D.C.’s Palisades neighborhood. He enjoys the scallops, while his wife usually orders salmon on a Caesar salad, per Politico.
The president was in an exuberant mood following the release of Barr’s summary. "No Collusion, No Obstruction, Complete and Total EXONERATION. KEEP AMERICA GREAT!" he announced by tweet.
The release of Barr’s summary does not necessarily mean the end of the Russia investigation, with various court cases, cooperation agreements, and potential future indictments still in the works. Nadler has said that he will call on Barr to testify before the House Judiciary Committee about the findings of Mueller’s investigation.
- Read more:
- The House Judiciary Committee will call Attorney General William Barr to testify about the Mueller report
- Almost a year before he turned in his report, Mueller warned that much of the coverage of his probe wasn’t true
- Democratic presidential candidates are leading calls for the Mueller report to be made public
- Attorney General William Barr’s conclusion that Trump did not obstruct justice in the Russia probe is taking heat as Democrats accuse him of bias
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See Also:
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Source: Business Insider – feedback@businessinsider.com (Nicole Einbinder)