,
9 tweets,
2 min read
Read on Twitter
Robert Mueller today, in part: "If we had had confidence that the President clearly did not commit a crime, we would have said so. We did not, however, make a determination as to whether the President did commit a crime. #thread
Under long-standing Justice Dept policy, a present President cannot be charged w/ a federal crime while in office. That is unconstitutional. Even if the charge is kept under seal. The Special Counsel office is a part of the Justice Dept. and by regulation is bound by that policy.
Charging the POTUS with a crime was, therefore, not an option we could consider. The opinion permits the investigation of a sitting POTUS because the evidence and recollections need to be fresh and documents available.
The Constitution requires a process other than the criminal justice system to formally accuse a sitting POTUS of wrongdoing. Beyond Dept policy, it would be unfair to potentially accuse someone of a crime, when there can be no court resolution of the actual charge.
No one has told me whether I can or should testify or speak further about this matter. There has been discussion about an appearance before Congress. Any testimony from this office would not go beyond our Report. The Report speaks for itself. ~Robert Mueller today
I reiterate the central allegation of our indictments: There were multiple, systematic efforts to interfere in our election. That allegation deserves the attention of every American. ~Robert Mueller
(His speech was 9 mins long. Listen for yourself instead of pundit analysis.)
(His speech was 9 mins long. Listen for yourself instead of pundit analysis.)
*MY* take: Mueller reminded us today that there are 3 branches of government. Executive and Judicial won't be able to get it done. So it falls on Congress (Legislative) to pursue allegations of wrongdoing (not *crimes*) by Trump. Which can include impeachment.
Kamala Harris just now: "I think it's a fair inference from what we heard in the press conference that Bob Mueller was essentially referring impeachment to the United States Congress."
Trump: No collusion! No conspiracy! No obstruction!
Mueller:
Mueller:
