Page 2 - ARUBA TODAY

A2 UP FRONT
Monday 25 March 2019

Trump didn’t coordinate with Russia in 2016, report declares

Continued from Front conclude the president his drafting of an incom-
committed a crime, it also plete explanation about his
Democrats pointed out does not exonerate him.” oldest son’s meeting with a
that Mueller found evi- Barr, who was nominated Russian lawyer during the
dence for and against ob- by Trump in December, campaign.
struction and demanded and Deputy Attorney Gen- Mueller’s findings absolve
to see his full report. They eral Rod Rosenstein, who Trump on the question of
insisted that even the sum- appointed Mueller in May colluding with Russia but
mary by the president’s at- 2017 and oversaw much don’t entirely remove the
torney general hardly put of his work, went further in legal threats the president
him in the clear. Trump’s favor. and associates are facing.
Mueller’s conclusions, sum- The attorney general said Federal prosecutors in New
marized by Barr in a four- he and Rosenstein had de- York, for instance, are inves-
page letter to Congress, termined that Mueller’s evi- tigating hush-money pay-
represented a victory for dence was insufficient to ments made to two women A copy of a letter from Attorney General William Barr advising
Trump on a key question prove in court that Trump during the campaign who Congress of the principal conclusions reached by Special
that has hung over his presi- had committed obstruc- say they had sex with the Counsel Robert Mueller, is shown Sunday, March 24, 2019 in
dency from the start: Did his tion of justice to hamper president. Trump’s former Washington.
campaign work with Russia the probe. Barr has previ- personal lawyer, Michael Associated Press
to defeat Democrat Hillary ously voiced a broad view Cohen, implicated Trump may have found evidence tigation, to brief him on the
Clinton? That was further of presidential powers, and in campaign finance vio- in support of obstruction findings shortly before he
good news for the presi- in an unsolicited memo lations when he pleaded — sets up a fight between sent it to Congress. Mueller
dent on top of the Justice last June he cast doubt guilty last year. Barr and Democrats, who submitted his report to Barr
Department’s earlier an- on whether the president The special counsel’s inves- called for the special coun- instead of directly to Con-
nouncement that Mueller could have obstructed jus- tigation did not come up sel’s full report to be re- gress and the public be-
had wrapped his investi- tice through acts — like fir- empty-handed. It ensnared leased and vowed to press cause, unlike independent
gation without new indict- ing his FBI director — that nearly three dozen people, on with their own investiga- counsels such as Ken Starr
ments. The resolution also he was legally empowered senior Trump campaign op- tions. “Attorney General in the case of President Bill
could deflate the hopes of to take. eratives among them. The Barr’s letter raises as many Clinton, his investigation
Democrats in Congress and Barr said their decision was probe illuminated Russia’s questions as it answers,” operated under the close
on the 2020 campaign trail based on the evidence assault on the American House Speaker Nancy supervision of the Justice
that incriminating findings uncovered by Mueller and political system, painted Pelosi and Senate Minor- Department.
from Mueller would hobble not affected by Justice the Trump campaign as ity Leader Chuck Schumer Barr did not speak with the
the president’s agenda Department legal opinions eager to exploit the release said in a statement. president, Mueller was not
and re-election bid. that say a sitting president of hacked Democratic “Given Mr. Barr’s public consulted on the letter,
But while Mueller was cate- cannot be indicted. emails to hurt Hillary Clinton record of bias against the and the White House does
gorical in ruling out criminal Mueller’s team examined and exposed lies by Trump special counsel’s inquiry, not have Mueller’s report,
collusion, he was far more a series of actions by the aides aimed at covering he is not a neutral observer according to a Justice De-
circumspect on presiden- president in the last two up their Russia-related con- and is not in a position to partment official.
tial obstruction of justice. years to determine if he in- tacts. make objective determi- That’s a likely reference not
Despite Trump’s claim of tended obstruction. Those Thirty-four people, includ- nations about the report,” only to a June 2016 Trump
total exoneration, Mueller include his firing of Comey ing six Trump aides and they said. Trump’s own Tower meeting at which
did not draw a conclusion one week before Mueller’s advisers, were charged in claim of complete exoner- Donald Trump. Jr. expect-
one way or the other on appointment, his public the investigation. Twenty- ation “directly contradicts ed to receive damaging in-
whether he sought to stifle and private haranguing of five are Russians accused the words of Mr. Mueller formation on Clinton from a
the Russia investigation then-Attorney General Jeff of election interference ei- and is not to be taken with Kremlin-connected lawyer,
through his actions includ- Sessions for recusing himself ther through hacking into any degree of credibility,” as well as a conversation
ing the firing of former FBI from the Russia investiga- Democratic accounts or they added. in London months earlier
director James Comey. tion because of his work on orchestrating a social me- Trump was at his Florida at which Trump campaign
According to Barr’s sum- the campaign, his request dia campaign to spread estate when lawmakers aide George Papadopou-
mary, Mueller set out “evi- of Comey to end an inves- disinformation on the inter- received the report. Barr’s los was told Russia had
dence on both sides of the tigation into Michael Flynn, net. chief of staff called Em- “dirt” on Clinton in the
question” and stated that the White House’s first na- Sunday’s summary — and met Flood, the lead White form of thousands of stolen
“while this report does not tional security adviser, and its suggestion that Mueller House lawyer on the inves- emails.q