Mueller says he did not clear Trump of obstruction

By Michael Hernandez

WASHINGTON (AA) - Former Special Counsel Robert Mueller disputed in stark terms Wednesday President Donald Trump's assessment of the findings of his two-year investigation into Russian meddling in the 2016 presidential election and allegations that Trump's campaign colluded with the effort.

Mueller told the House Judiciary Committee that Trump's and his top official's claims of "total exoneration" from his work "is not what the report said."

"The president was not exculpated for the acts that he allegedly committed," Mueller said in the first of two hearings before House panels.

In his report, Mueller pointed to 10 incidents that raised questions of obstruction of justice by the president, including Trump's attempt to remove the special counsel from his post and attempts to curtail his investigation.

He cited Justice Department policy to not indict a sitting president for his office's decision not to recommend prosecution, saying during his brief remarks that "charging the president with a crime was therefore not an option we could consider," and reiterated that point before Congress.

But he noted that the president could be indicted after leaving office.

Mueller will later Wednesday testify before the House Intelligence Committee on matters pertaining to his probe.

But as he shuttered his office in May, Mueller was adamant that any testimony before Congress would not stray beyond the findings of his 448-page report. He continued to toe that line Wednesday, but his testimony nonetheless carries significant weight as it refocuses attention on a matter the president maintains is a "witch hunt."

"Why didn’t Robert Mueller & his band of 18 Angry Democrats spend any time investigating Crooked Hillary Clinton, Lyin’ & Leakin’ James Comey, Lisa Page and her Psycho lover, Peter S, Andy McCabe, the beautiful Ohr family, Fusion GPS, and many more, including HIMSELF & Andrew W?" Trump fumed on Twitter ahead of Mueller's testimony.