The president and his supporters took a victory lap after the special counsel’s investigation finds he and his campaign did not conspire with efforts to swing the 2016 election.
By Devlin Barrett and Devlin Barrett Reporter focusing on national security and law enforcement Email Bio Follow Matt Zapotosky Matt Zapotosky National security reporter covering the Justice Department Email Bio Follow March 25 at 8:36 AM Democrats have seized on an unusual wrinkle in special counsel Robert S. Mueller III’s investigation into President Trump to accuse the Justice Department of bias, while Republicans suggest the president is owed an apology.
Democrats accused Barr of allowing bias influence the outcome, alluding to past opinion pieces and a private memo he wrote before becoming attorney general in which he criticized aspects of the special counsel investigation. The letter noted that Mueller’s probe said no such conspiracy was found “despite multiple offers from Russia-affiliated individuals to assist the Trump campaign.” Barr said he and Justice Department officials separately determined there was insufficient evidence to make an obstruction accusation against the president — though Mueller was not definitive on that point.“The Special Counsel . . .
Mueller’s decision to forgo a conclusion as to whether the president tried to obstruct justice struck a discordant note with current and former law enforcement officials, who pointed out that was one of the primary reasons for appointing a special counsel. Mueller “ultimately determined not to make a traditional prosecutorial judgment” on the question of obstruction, Barr wrote, so the attorney general and Deputy Attorney General Rod J. Rosenstein decided.
Barr’s letter does not make clear whether Mueller asked Barr and Rosenstein to make a final determination on the question of obstruction.
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