WASHINGTON — In his first public statement on the Russia investigation Wednesday, special counsel Robert Mueller said charging a president with a crime was “not an option” his team could consider in the Russia investigation.
Mueller said he was bound by longstanding Justice Department opinions that say a president can’t be indicted while in office.
Mueller said “it would be unfair” to potentially accuse someone of a crime when the person couldn’t stand trial to defend himself.
Mueller’s comments echoed the findings in his public report.
The special counsel also announced his resignation from the Justice Department on Wednesday so that he can “return to public life.”
He did not rule out testifying before Congress but served notice that he does not intend to go beyond what has already been revealed in his report.
Mueller said Wednesday he and the special counsel team chose their words carefully in the report and “the work speaks for itself.”
He said the report is his “testimony” and that he “would not provide information beyond that which is already public in any appearance before Congress,” adding that he doesn’t believe it is “appropriate” for him “to speak further about the investigation.”
President Trump tweeted soon after Mueller’s statement, saying, “Nothing changes from the Mueller Report. There was insufficient evidence and therefore, in our Country, a person is innocent. The case is closed! Thank you.”
Nothing changes from the Mueller Report. There was insufficient evidence and therefore, in our Country, a person is innocent. The case is closed! Thank you.
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) May 29, 2019
His statement comes amid demands for Mueller to testify on Capitol Hill about his findings and tension with Attorney General William Barr over the handling of his report.
Mueller’s report revealed that President Donald Trump tried to seize control of the Russia probe and force Mueller’s removal to stop him from investigating potential obstruction of justice by the Republican president. Trump has called the investigation a “witch hunt.”
Mueller’s report into Russia meddling in the 2016 election did not find that Russia and the Trump campaign coordinated to sway the presidential election. It also did not reach a conclusion on whether Trump had obstructed justice, with Mueller saying he did not think it would be fair to publicly accuse the president of a crime if he could not charge him. A Justice Department legal opinion says sitting presidents cannot be indicted.
Barr has said he was surprised that Mueller did not reach a conclusion, and decided with Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein that the evidence did not support an obstruction of justice allegation.
Mueller, for his part, privately complained to Barr that a four-page letter the attorney general wrote summarizing his main conclusions did not adequately capture the investigation’s findings. Barr has called Mueller’s letter “snitty.”
Barr is currently in Alaska for work.
A senior White House official said “the White House was notified” on Tuesday night that Mueller might make a statement Wednesday.
