Instead, the special counsel eventually agreed to accept Trump’s written answers to questions. But Trump’s written responses were "inadequate," Mueller said, and contained dozens of instances where Trump claimed not to recall the information sought by the special counsel.
Andrew Harnik / AP file Former special counsel Robert Mueller testified Wednesday that he did not indict President Donald Trump on obstruction of justice charges because of Department of Justice guidelines barring a sitting president from being indicted — but later clarified his remarks.
While Mueller declined to reach a legal judgment as to whether the president obstructed justice, Barr and his deputy concluded Trump did not. But Mueller completed his report without the Trump White House’s full cooperation — and Barr’s claim to the contrary is simply wrong.
"The White House fully cooperated with the Special Counsel’s investigation." Did Donald Trump ‘fully’ cooperate with Mueller investigation? No In his rollout of the special counsel’s report, Attorney General William Barr painted the Trump White House as a willing participant in all key respects during Robert Mueller’s nearly two year probe.
Mueller's report into allegations of Russian interference in 2016 includes 23 unredacted pages of written questions and Donald Trump's written responses
May 17, 2017 - Former FBI Director Mueller is appointed as a special counsel to investigate Russian meddling in the 2016 election.
The former FBI director was appointed to oversee the probe into Russian election interference and whether there was any collusion with Donald Trump or his campaign. Mueller kept a low-profile, secured multiple indictments and guilty pleas, but failed to secure an in-person interview with the president.
One key way in which Trump failed to cooperate was by denying Mueller an in-person interview. Mueller and his team sought for more than a year to personally talk to the president — but they were ultimately rebuffed. Instead, the special counsel eventually agreed to accept Trump’s written answers to questions.
Perhaps the strongest rebuttal to Barr’s claim is the second volume of Mueller’s report. In it, the special counsel documented some 10 "key issues and events" that his team examined as part of its obstruction investigation.
Former special counsel Robert Mueller testified Wednesday that he did not indict President Donald Trump on obstruction of justice charges because of Department of Justice guidelines barring a sitting president from being indicted — but later clarified his remarks.
In Mueller's opening statement that came later before the House Intelligence Committee, the former special counsel said he wanted to "correct the record" on his exchange with Lieu. "That's not the correct way to say it," Mueller said. "We did not reach a determination as to whether the president committed a crime.".
He just gave Mueller a clear and concise moment to say the only reason Trump wasn't indicted is because DOJ policy prohibited it," tweeted national security lawyer Bradley Moss.
In early May, Attorney General William Barr testified before the Senate Judiciary Committee that Mueller "reiterated several times in a group meeting that he was not saying that but for the OLC opinion he would have found obstruction.".
Former U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York Preet Bharara — an Obama appointee who was initially asked to stay on the job by Trump before the president changed his mind and fired him — tweeted the exchange was "very very close to Mueller saying that but for the OLC memo, Trump would have been indicted.".
One key way in which Trump failed to cooperate was by denying Mueller an in-person interview. Mueller and his team sought for more than a year to personally talk to the president — but they were ultimately rebuffed. Instead, the special counsel eventually agreed to accept Trump’s written answers to questions.
Perhaps the strongest rebuttal to Barr’s claim is the second volume of Mueller’s report. In it, the special counsel documented some 10 "key issues and events" that his team examined as part of its obstruction investigation.