Trump, Mueller and obstruction of justice

“I’ll make a few remarks about the results of our work. But beyond these few remarks, it is important that the office’s written work speak for itself. … We chose those words carefully, and the work speaks for itself.”

— Special counsel Robert S. Mueller III, in a statement at the Department of Justice, May 29, 2019

“The report is my testimony.”

— Mueller

“[The report] explains that under long-standing department policy, a president cannot be charged with a federal crime while he is in office. That is unconstitutional. Even if the charge is kept under seal and hidden from public view, that, too, is prohibited. The Special Counsel’s Office is part of the Department of Justice and by regulation, it was bound by that department policy. Charging the president with a crime was therefore not an option we could consider.”

— Mueller

Now that Mueller is riding off into the sunset, he has some advice for anyone with lingering questions about President Trump’s campaign and Russian election interference, obstruction of justice or the prosecutorial rules the special counsel had to follow.

Read the report.

At 448 pages, the Mueller report requires commitment. It’s a legal document studded with redactions, acronyms and footnotes, with a cast of characters in the hundreds. The report offers complex answers to thorny questions and leaves some blanks.

View the complete May 31 article by Salvador Rizzo on The Washington Post website here.