Mueller says he lacks confidence to clear Trump on obstruction

Special Counsel Robert Mueller said he lacked confidence to clear Donald Trump of obstruction of justice but suggested Congress could take action on at least 10 instances where the president sought to interfere with the probe.

“We concluded,  Congress has authority to prohibit a president’s corrupt use of his authority in order to protect the integrity of the administration of justice,” he said in the report sent to Congress  Thursday.

Mueller said acts of possible obstruction include “discouragement of co-operation with the government and suggestions of possible future pardons.” The 448-page report cited actions including Trump’s firing of FBI Director James Comey and efforts to have former Attorney General Jeff Sessions take control of the investigation.
It was a damning assessment shortly after Attorney General William Barr said in a news conference that he found Trump had “non-corrupt motives.”

On the underlying issue of whether Trump or those around him conspired with Russia’s interference in the 2016 election, Mueller said “the evidence we obtained did not establish that the president was involved in an underlying crime related to Russian election interference.”’

Democrats have demanded Mueller’s full report and demanded Mueller testify to Congress as soon as possible.

The House Judiciary Committee voted on April 3 to authorize a subpoena to demand Barr provide  the full report and supporting evidence. If no accord is reached between the lawmakers and the Attorney General, a subpoena could result in a legal clash that could reach the Supreme Court.

By Chris Strohm, David McLaughlin, (c) 2019, Bloomberg, April 18, 2019