Robert Mueller announced his resignation from the office of special counsel Wednesday, explaining why he did not accuse President Donald Trump of obstruction of justice and saying he will not speak further about the investigation since his full report has been released.
“The report is my testimony,” he said. “I would not provide information beyond that which is already public in any appearance before Congress.”
He said he appreciated Attorney General Bill Barr’s decision to make the report largely public, which was not required under statute, adding he did not doubt Barr’s good faith in his decision to release the report all at once, even though he’d recommended releasing “certain portions” beforehand. He threw cold water on calls that he should go further than the report does in judging Trump’s actions related to the investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 election.
“I hope and expect this to be the only time that I will speak to you in this manner. I am making that decision myself. No one has told me whether I can or should testify or speak further about this matter,” he said. “There has been discussion about an appearance before Congress. Any testimony from this office would not go beyond our report. It contains our findings and analysis and the reasons for the decisions we made. We chose those words carefully and the work speaks for itself.” – READ MORE