Robert Muller announced that the case of Russian interference in the elections in the United States is officially closed. The team did not intend to indict President Donald Trump from the start, he stressed
Special Prosecutor Robert Muller announced the closure of the case of Russian interference in the American elections, reports Bloomberg from his press conference. In this regard, he leaves the US Department of Justice.
“I am speaking today because our investigation has been completed,” he told reporters.
Speaking about the course of the investigation, Muller stressed that bringing charges against President Donald Trump was not initially considered by his team as a possible outcome of the case. In this he was guided by the principles of justice, he explained. “It would be unjust to hypothetically accuse anyone of a crime without a court order,” he said.
The Special Prosecutor repeated the main conclusion of her investigation: Russia interfered in the elections in the United States in 2016. This fact he found proven. “There were numerous, systematic attempts to intervene in our elections, and this deserves the attention of all Americans,” he stressed.
After the elections in 2016, the US accused Moscow of interfering in the presidential campaign, in particular in cyber attacks on the servers of the Democratic Party. A number of American politicians, primarily representatives of the Democratic Party, suspected President Donald Trump in collusion with Russia. On this occasion, an investigation was carried out by Special Prosecutor Robert Muller, the results of which were published in April. The team of the special prosecutor did not reveal any collusion, however, it confirmed the alleged “Russian intervention”.
The former head of the FBI, James Komi, who was dismissed by Trump in May 2017, stated that it was possible to conclude from the Muller report that the US president could still break the law and obstruct the investigation. “It looks as if he did it (obstructed justice. – RBC ) in connection with several episodes – the order [to the ex-adviser of the White House] Don McGhan to dismiss the special prosecutor, in my opinion, is a prime example of criminal intent,” Komi said. The dismissal of the head of the FBI happened after Trump asked the head of the bureau to stop the investigation regarding his national security adviser Michael Flynn, who resigned amid scandal over telephone conversations with Russian ambassador Sergei Kislyak. Trump, in response to the accusations, called Komi the worst FBI director in history.
Donald Trump has repeatedly stated that the investigation, raising the question of possible collusion with Russia, was initiated by his political opponents. After the publication of the Muller report, White House lawyer and US Presidential adviser Emmet Flood wrote a letter to the US Attorney General, William Barr, in which he described the report of the special prosecutor as political statements. Following this, it became known that the US Attorney General ordered to check how legitimate the investigation into the case of Russian intervention was. Questions from the US Justice Department caused how exactly the investigation was initiated.
Trump, after Muller’s resignation, tweeted: “The case is closed! There is not enough evidence, and on this basis in our country a person is considered innocent.”
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