Special counsel Robert Mueller found that neither Donald Trump nor any of his aides colluded with Russia during the 2016 election, according to a letter delivered to Congress on Sunday by the US attorney general.
The letter from William Barr also revealed Mueller was unable to draw a conclusion “one way or the other” on whether Trump or anyone in the White House obstructed justice during the investigation.
Barr quoted directly from Mueller’s report which states, with regards to obstruction: “While this report does not conclude that the president committed a crime, it also does not exonerate him.”
Mueller has filed no further indictments following an almost two-year investigation that has seen some of Trump’s closest advisers criminally prosecuted and convicted.
As Mueller was unable to draw a conclusion on whether Trump obstructed justice, it was left to Barr and the deputy attorney general, Rod Rosenstein, both appointed by Trump, to decide not to pursue charges.
Barr described the evidence for obstruction as “not sufficient to establish that the president committed an obstruction-of-justice offense”. Furthermore, Barr insisted in his letter the decision not to prosecute was not made based on any limitations related to the indictment of a sitting president.
At just four pages long, the letter offered a small snapshot of Mueller’s extensive investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 campaign, which the letter reveals involved more than 2,800 subpoenas, almost 500 search warrants and interviews with about 500 witnesses.
The attorney general faces increasingly bipartisan calls to release the Mueller report in full, as well as the evidence underlying it. Some Democrats have signaled they will use subpoena powers to obtain the full document, and may also call Mueller to testify before Congress.
Barr made clear he is prepared to release some parts of the report due to “the public interest in this matter”. He also pledged to consult with Mueller to quickly identify parts of the report that should be made public. But the attorney general did not specify how much will be released and is likely to be impeded, at least in part, by continuing justice department investigations in New York that involve Trump.
Immediately after the letter was released the New York Democrat Jerrold Nadler, chairman of the House judiciary committee, vowed to bring Barr before his panel. Nadler cited the decision not to pursue obstruction of justice as evidence of “very concerning discrepancies and final decision making at the justice department”.
Nonetheless, the summary was immediately seized on by Trump and his allies to claim victory.
Speaking to reporters as he returned from a weekend of golf at his private club in south Florida, a jubilant president described the report as “a complete and total exoneration” – despite the inconclusive findings on obstruction of justice.
“It’s a shame that our country had to go through this, to be honest it’s a shame that your president has had to go through this for, before I even got elected it began,” Trump said, from the tarmac by Air Force One. “This was an illegal take-down that failed.”
In an emailed statement to the Guardian, the president’s son, Donald Trump Jr, himself at the centre of the investigation after accepting a June 2016 meeting with a Russian lawyer promising “dirt” on the Clinton campaign, said Barr’s letter proved “what those of us with sane minds have known all along, there was ZERO collusion with Russia”.
Trump Jr continued: “Sadly, instead of apologizing for needlessly destabilizing the country in a transparent attempt to delegitimize the 2016 election, it’s clear that the Collusion Truthers in the media and the Democrat [sic] party are only going to double down on their sick and twisted conspiracy theories moving forward.”
It seems likely the president will now seek to turn the Mueller investigation to his advantage in the 2020 presidential election, suggesting it shows he won the 2016 contest fairly and that desperate opponents will do anything to thwart him.
But the decision by Barr and Rosenstein that the president did not obstruct justice – and their decision to make any such conclusion rather than leave it to Congress – is likely to cause intense controversy for years to come.
Barr was nominated by Trump to be attorney general after he sent the justice department a private memo sharply criticising Mueller’s investigation and arguing that the special counsel should even not be allowed to question Trump about potential obstruction.
Trump did not sit down for an interview with Mueller, instead providing written answers to questions.
In May 2017, it was Rosenstein who wrote the memo to Jeff Sessions, then the attorney general, justifying the firing of James Comey, the FBI director. Trump’s firing of Comey was central to allegations that he may have obstructed justice.
The fired FBI deputy director Andrew McCabe has claimed Rosenstein said he was ordered to write that memo.
In a joint statement, the House speaker, Nancy Pelosi, and Senate minority leader, Chuck Schumer, the senior Democrats in Congress, argued Barr’s letter raised “as many questions as it answers”.
“For the president to say he is completely exonerated directly contradicts the words of Mr Mueller and is not to be taken with any degree of credibility,” they said.
“Congress requires the full report and the underlying documents so that the committees can proceed with their independent work, including oversight and legislating to address any issues the Mueller report may raise. The American people have a right to know.”
Other Democrats, including Congressman Adam Schiff, chairman of the House intelligence committee, called for the report to be made public.
Senator and presidential hopeful Kamala Harris, wrote: “The Mueller report needs to be made public, the underlying investigative materials should be handed over to Congress, and Barr must testify. That is what transparency looks like. A short letter from Trump’s hand-picked Attorney General is not sufficient.”
Additional reporting by Ben Jacobs in Washington