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A4 U.S. NEWS
Wednesday 17 april 2019

Trump ups his attacks with Mueller report due Thursday

Continued from Front tice Department will be re- private deliberations. The
dacted to protect grand victory lap was deliberately
The Justice Department jury material, sensitive intel- premature, they said.
announced Monday that ligence, matters that could But Trump’s inner circle
it expects to release the affect ongoing investiga- knows there will likely be
redacted version Thursday tions and damage to the further releases of embar-
morning, sending the find- privacy rights of third par- rassing or politically dam-
ings of the nearly two-year ties, the attorney general aging information. Barr’s
probe to Congress and has said. The scores of out- letter, for instance, hinted
making them available to standing questions about that there would be at
the public. the investigation have not least one unknown action
Mueller officially conclud- stopped the president and by the president that Muel-
ed his investigation late last his allies from declaring vic- ler examined as a possible
month and submitted the tory. They have painted act of obstruction. A num-
confidential report to Barr. House Democrats’ inves- ber of White House aides
Two days later, the attor- tigations as partisan over- have privately said they
ney general sent Congress Attorney General William Barr leaves his home in McLean, Va., reach and have targeted are eager for all Russia sto-
a four-page letter that de- on Monday, April 15, 2019. news outlets and individual ries, good or bad, to fade
tailed Mueller’s “principal Associated Press reporters they say have from the headlines. And
conclusions.” Trump’s false claim, Mueller the evidence was sufficient promoted the collusion there is fear among some
In his letter, Barr said the did not reach a conclusion to prove that Trump had story. The president himself presidential confidants that
special counsel did not on whether Trump obstruct- obstructed justice, but he seethed at a political rally the rush to spike the foot-
find a criminal conspiracy ed justice. Instead, Mueller noted that Mueller’s team that the whole thing was ball in celebration could
between Russia and Trump presented evidence on did not exonerate the pres- an attempt “to tear up the backfire if bombshell new
associates during the cam- both sides of that question. ident. Portions of the report fabric of our great democ- information emerges. “The
paign. However, contrary to Barr said he did not believe being released by the Jus- racy.” Mueller Report, which was
He has told confidants in written by 18 Angry Dem-
recent days that he was ocrats who also happen
certain the full report would to be Trump Haters (and
back up his claims of vindi- Clinton Supporters), should
cation but was also con- have focused on the peo-
vinced the media would ple who SPIED on my 2016
manipulate the findings in Campaign, and others
an effort to damage him, who fabricated the whole
according to two Repub- Russia Hoax. That is, never
licans close to the White forget, the crime.” Trump
House not authorized to tweeted Monday. Barr may
speak publicly about pri- have been referring to a
vate conversations. In the surveillance warrant the FBI
waiting game’s final days, obtained in the fall of 2016
the White House continued to monitor the communica-
to try to shape the narra- tions of former Trump cam-
tive. “There was no obstruc- paign aide Carter Page,
tion, which I don’t how you who has not been charged
can interpret that any oth- with any wrongdoing. The
er way than total exonera- warrant was obtained af-
tion,” press secretary Sand- ter Page had left the cam-
ers said on “Fox News Sun- paign and was renewed
day.” While the president several times. Critics of the
unleashed his personal Russia investigation have
grievances, his team seized seized on the fact that the
on any exculpatory infor- warrant application cited
mation in Barr’s letter, hop- Democratic-funded oppo-
ing to define the conversa- sition research, done by a
tion in advance, according former British spy, into the
to White House officials and Trump campaign’s ties to
outside advisers who spoke Russia. Barr later softened
on condition of anonymity his tone to “I am not say-
because they were not au- ing improper surveillance
thorized to publicly discuss occurred.”q