The detailed report goes through each of the actions Mueller investigated for potential obstruction, laying out the evidence and analyzing the president’s possible intent. In many cases, the special counsel says the motives behind the president’s actions are inconclusive.
Here’s one example in how Mueller’s team viewed Trump’s intent in firing Comey:
The evidence does not establish that the termination of Comey was designed to cover up a conspiracy between the Trump Campaign and Russia: As described in Volume I, the evidence uncovered in the investigation did not establish that the President or those close to him were involved in the charged Russian computer-hacking or active-measure conspiracies, or that the President otherwise had an unlawful relationship with any Russian official. But 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.
Several parts of the Mueller report reference the apparent anger and frustration Trump felt about the investigation — which Barr referenced earlier Thursday in outlining the decision not to charge the president with obstruction. Mueller’s team says “the evidence shows that the President was focused on the Russia investigation’s implications for his presidency.”
One section of the report explains how evidence shows Trump thought the probe would hinder his ability to conduct foreign policy:
Evidence indicates that the President was angered by both the existence of the Russia investigation and the public reporting that he was under investigation, which he knew was not true based on Comey’s representations. The President complained to advisors that if people thought Russia helped him with the election, it would detract from what he had accomplished. Other evidence indicates that the President was concerned about the impact of the Russia investigation on his ability to govern. The President complained that the perception that he was under investigation was hurting his ability to conduct foreign relations, particularly with Russia. The President told Coats he “can’t do anything with Russia,” he told Rogers that “the thing with the Russians” was interfering with his ability to conduct foreign affairs, and he told Comey that “he was trying to run the country and the cloud of this Russia business was making that difficult.”
In the report, Mueller’s team concluded that it did not think investigating the president for obstruction affects his ability to carry out his constitutional duties — specifically in the context of his authority to oversee investigations.
Read the full report below.
from Viral News Updates http://bit.ly/2DmUxhj
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