If we had confidence
that the president clearly did not commit a crime, we would have said that
Robert Mueller
Robert Mueller breaks silence to insist he did not exonerate
Trump
Mueller’s statement seen by many as signal to Congress to
act
Special counsel ‘not confident’ Trump did not commit a crime
David Smith in Washington
@smithinamerica
Wed 29 May 2019 19.03 BST First published on Wed 29 May 2019
17.12 BST
Robert Mueller, the special counsel, on Wednesday reignited
demands for Donald Trump’s impeachment by breaking his two-year silence to deny
that the US president is innocent of a crime.
In a sudden and dramatic turn, Mueller, whose report on
Russian election interference and Trump campaign links to Moscow was published
last month, delivered a sombre nine-minute statement that many construed as a
signal to Congress to act on his finding that Trump sought to obstruct justice.
“If we had confidence that the president clearly did not
commit a crime, we would have said that,” Mueller said from a podium at the
justice department in his first public remarks since the investigation began.
“We did not, however, make a determination as to whether the president did
commit a crime.”
Mueller explained that his decision was based on
longstanding justice department policy, rather than lack of evidence.
“A president cannot be charged with a federal crime while he
is in office,” he said. “That is unconstitutional. Even if the charge is kept
under seal and hidden from public view – that too is prohibited.”
The special counsel’s 448-page report did not establish a
criminal conspiracy between the Trump election campaign and Russia. It did
identify 10 incidents in which the president attempted to obstruct justice, for
example by firing the director of the FBI, though it stopped short of charging
the president with a crime.
His statement on Wednesday contradicted Trump’s claims that
Mueller’s report awarded him “total exoneration” and also William Barr’s bald
assertion last month that Mueller’s decision was not based on justice
department policy.
Mueller explained: “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.”
Less than half an hour later, Trump tweeted in response:
“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.”
If we had confidence
that the president clearly did not commit a crime, we would have said that
Robert Mueller
But others interpreted Mueller’s intervention as a
not-so-subtle message that, while his hands had been tied by department policy,
Congress’s are not. Calls for Trump’s impeachment, circulating for weeks,
rapidly turned into a clamour, with several Democratic candidates for president
leading the way.
Senator Cory Booker of New Jersey said: “We have one
remaining path to ensure justice is served. It is our legal and moral
obligation to hold those who have committed crimes accountable. It’s clear that
the House must begin impeachment proceedings. No one is above the law.”
Senator Kamala Harris of California tweeted: “What Robert
Mueller basically did was return an impeachment referral. Now it is up to
Congress to hold this president accountable. We need to start impeachment
proceedings. It’s our constitutional obligation.”
Mueller’s statement was “an impeachment referral, and it’s
up to Congress to act,” Senator Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts tweeted.
And Beto O’Rourke, another Democratic presidential
contender, added: “There must be consequences, accountability, and justice. The
only way to ensure that is to begin impeachment proceedings.”
But first the burden lies with the House of Representatives,
where the judiciary committee is leading oversight efforts. Its chairman,
Democrat Jerry Nadler, stopped short of urging impeachment or calling for
Mueller to testify.
He said: “Given that Mueller was unable to pursue criminal
charges against the president, it falls to Congress to respond to the crimes,
lies and other wrongdoing of President Trump – and we will do so. No one, not
even the president of the United States, is above the law.”
The House speaker, Nancy Pelosi, has so far resisted calls
for impeachment, a difficult strategic calculation. If passed by the Democratic
majority in the House, it would almost certainly fail in the
Republican-controlled Senate, leaving Trump in office and possibly strengthened
going into next year’s presidential election.
Trump returns to the
White House after his trip to Japan. He tweeted on Wednesday: ‘The case is
closed! Thank you.’
Pelosi said on Wednesday: “The Congress will continue to
investigate and legislate to protect our elections and secure our democracy.
The American people must have the truth.”
For their part, Republicans were mostly silent, suggesting
that Mueller’s intervention had changed nothing about their support for the
president.
Lindsey Graham, the Republican chairman of the Senate
judiciary committee, said: “Today’s statement by Mr Mueller reinforces the
findings of his report. And as for me, the case is over. Mr Mueller has decided
to move on and let the report speak for itself. Congress should follow his
lead.”
But one House Republican has recently defied the party line
to emerge as an outspoken critic of the president. Justin Amash, from Michigan,
tweeted: “The ball is in our court, Congress.”
Democrats in the House, whose subpoenas are being resisted
by the White House, are pushing for Mueller to testify in person. On Wednesday
Mueller made clear he has little desire to appear and, if obliged, he will have
nothing to add to what is already stated in his report.
“We chose those words carefully, and the work speaks for
itself,” he said gravely. “The report is my testimony. I would not provide
information beyond that which is already public in any appearance before
Congress.”
Mueller, who is closing his special counsel office, also
defended the FBI and the integrity of the investigation, which have been under
constant assault from the president and his rightwing allies.
And he emphasised that the first volume of his report, which
details Russia’s attack on American democracy, deserves urgent attention
despite the Washington’s partisan firestorms and Trump’s repeated attempts to
ignore it or play it down.
“There were multiple, systematic efforts to interfere in our
election,” he said, “and that allegation deserves the attention of every American.”
Sem comentários:
Enviar um comentário