WASHINGTON — A look at where investigations related to President Donald Trump stand and what may lie ahead for him:
What Do I Need to Know Right Now?
The Justice Department says that special counsel Robert Mueller’s investigation did not find evidence that Trump’s campaign “conspired or coordinated” with Russia to influence the 2016 presidential election.
Mueller also investigated whether Trump obstructed justice but did not come to a definitive answer.
In a four-page letter to Congress, Attorney General William Barr quoted Mueller’s report as stating it “does not exonerate” the president on obstruction. Instead, Barr said, it “sets out evidence on both sides of the question.” Barr then decided there was insufficient evidence Trump obstructed justice by trying to interfere with Mueller’s probe.
Congressional Democrats say they want access to all of Mueller’s findings — and his supporting evidence.
Where Do We Go From Here?
After the release of Barr’s letter summarizing Mueller’s findings, the president and fellow Republicans cheered the conclusion of no conspiracy or coordination while Democrats pointed to the question of obstruction and Mueller’s report that pointedly did not exonerate Trump.
On Monday, House Democrats pressed the Justice Department to provide the full report even as Republicans gleefully called for them to “move on” from the Russia investigation. Trump accused those responsible for launching Mueller’s probe of “treasonous things against our country” and said they “certainly will be looked into.”
Trump said the release of Mueller’s full report “wouldn’t bother me at all.” Democrats quickly put that statement to the test, demanding that his administration hand over the entire document and not just the four-page summary from Barr.
After a series of strategy meetings, Democrats vowed to continue their multiple investigations into Trump. As for Republicans, Trump aides and political allies developed a plan to turn the end of the probe into the launching pad for a new round of attacks on the president’s foes and a moment to reinvigorate his supporters in the run-up to the 2020 campaign.
Did the Trump Campaign Collude With Russia?
According to Mueller, the answer is no.
In his letter dated March 24, Barr quotes from Mueller’s report saying his investigation “did not establish that members of the Trump Campaign conspired or coordinated with the Russian government in its election interference activities.”
Related Story: Nunes Calls Mueller Report Needless, Terrible 2-Year Crisis
The letter does not detail what Mueller learned about a broad range of Trump associates who had Russia-related contacts during the 2016 presidential campaign and transition period. It also doesn’t answer why several of those people lied to federal investigators or Congress during the Russia probe.
Is Trump out of the Woods?
No.
Trump also plays a central role in a separate case in New York, where prosecutors have implicated him in a crime. They say Trump directed his personal lawyer Michael Cohen to make illegal hush-money payments to two women as a way to quash potential sex scandals during the campaign. New York prosecutors also are looking into Trump’s inaugural fund.
Congressional investigations also are swirling around the president. Democrats have launched a sweeping probe of Trump, an aggressive investigation that threatens to shadow the president through the 2020 election season.
Leave a Reply