Mueller's Going Home Now.

[BIAD]

Even Burke and Hare would be ashamed!

Robert Mueller: Charging Trump was not an option.



'US Special Counsel Robert Mueller has said charging President Donald Trump with a crime was not an option,
in his first comments on the Russia inquiry. He reiterated that his report did not exonerate the president and that
legal guidelines prevent the indictment of a sitting president.

Mr Mueller did not rule out testifying in Congress but said he would not give information that was not in his report.

Reacting to the remarks, Mr Trump said: "The case is closed! Thank you."

Donald J. Trump
@realDonaldTrump

"Nothing changes from the Mueller Report.
There was insufficient evidence and therefore,
in our Country, a person is innocent.
The case is closed! Thank you."

As special counsel, Mr Mueller was tasked with investigating Russian interference in the 2016 presidential election.
His 448-page report said it had not established that the Trump campaign criminally conspired with Russia to influence
the election.
However, it did detail 10 instances where Mr Trump had possibly attempted to impede the investigation.

What did Mueller say?
His statement largely reaffirmed what was in the report released with redactions last month.
He said if his team had had confidence that Mr Trump "clearly did not commit a crime, we would have said so".

Mr Mueller added that "the Constitution requires a process other than the criminal justice system to formally accuse a
sitting president of wrongdoing," in what was seen as a reference to the ability of Congress to start an impeachment
process.

The special counsel said he did not believe it was "appropriate to speak further" about the investigation and that he
would not provide any information that was not in his team's report.
With Democratic lawmakers seeking to have him testify in Congress, Mr Mueller said: "The report is my testimony."

He also announced the formal closure of the special counsel office and his resignation from the justice department to
return to private life.

What has the reaction been?
Several Democratic lawmakers have called on Congress to act and start impeachment proceedings.

"It is up to Congress to hold this president accountable. We need to start impeachment proceedings," said Senator
Kamala Harris, who is running for her party's 2020 presidential nomination. Senator Cory Booker, also a presidential
hopeful, said: "Congress has a legal and moral obligation to begin impeachment proceedings immediately."

But House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, who has avoided talking about impeachment, said: "The Congress holds sacred its
constitutional responsibility to investigate and hold the President accountable for his abuse of power."

House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jerry Nadler said "it falls to Congress to respond to the crimes, lies and other
wrongdoings of President Trump - and we will do so."

Representative Doug Collins, the top Republican at the committee, said "relitigating... and reinvestigating the special
counsel's findings will only further divide our country," adding that "it is time to move on".

The first Republican congressman to call for Mr Trump's impeachment, Representative Justin Amash, said:
"The ball is in our court, Congress."

Meanwhile White House Press Secretary Sarah Sanders said: "After two years, the Special Counsel is moving on with
his life, and everyone else should do the same."...'

BBC: