Washington — Emboldened by the Justice Department summary of special counsel Robert Mueller’s investigation, President Trump has gone on the offensive, lashing out at his critics and calling for probes into unidentified people who he said lied to Congress, committed “evil” deeds and participated in “treasonous things.”
“We can never let this happen to another president again,” Mr. Trump told reporters in the Oval Office Monday afternoon.
The president’s calls have been echoed by his Republican allies in Congress.
Democrats, meanwhile, remain unconvinced by Attorney General William Barr’s four-page summary of Mueller’s investigation. On Monday evening, the Democratic chairs of powerful committees in the House demanded Barr release Mueller’s entire report, as well the underlying evidence of the nearly two-year investigation, by early next week.
Although Barr is expected to release more information from the report in the coming weeks, Democrats have vowed to subpoena both Mueller and Barr and compel them to testify before Congress.
Follow our live coverage for updates throughout the day.
The Mueller Report: A Turning Point
Special counsel Robert Mueller has been investigating Russian interference in the 2016 presidential election for nearly two years and Sunday, America finally learned at least some of his findings: In a letter to congressional leaders, Attorney General William Barr quotes the report as saying, “The investigation did not establish that members of the Trump Campaign conspired or coordinated with the Russian government in its election interference activities.”
But there are still many unanswered questions. Mueller didn’t make a determination as to whether Mr. Trump obstructed the investigation, but Barr said there was insufficient evidence to establish that the president committed obstruction of justice. Democratic lawmakers continue to investigate, and say the full report must be made public.
Why was the special counsel appointed? And why did American voters and elected officials alike come to question if the president of the United States colluded with a foreign government?
Watch the CBS News special “The Mueller Report: A Turning Point” to find out more.
Russian Foreign Ministry slams FBI probe as a “fabrication”
Russia’s Foreign Ministry slammed the FBI’s probe into alleged ties between the Trump campaign and the Kremlin, saying in a statement that Mueller’s findings were “to be expected.”
“It is surprising, though, that it took 19 lawyers who were assisted by a team of 40 FBI agents, intelligence forensic accountants, and other professional staff, issued more than 2,800 subpoenas, executed nearly 500 search warrants and interviewed approximately 500 witnesses, nearly two years to come to this conclusion. In other words, it took huge efforts and, obviously, a great deal of the taxpayers’ money to overturn an obvious fabrication,” the statement read.
The Russians, however, still denied having a part to play in the disinformation campaign carried out during the 2016 election, something intelligence chiefs confirmed took place.
“Special counsel Robert Mueller’s investigation has not produced any proof of Moscow’s involvement in the infamous cyberattacks and other attempts to erode the American democracy, a charge that has been constantly brought against Russia,” the statement read.
According to Barr’s summary, Mueller wrote in his report that his investigation “did not establish that members of the Trump Campaign conspired or coordinated with the Russian government in its election interference activities.”
The Kremlin, in a jab at a deeply divisive Washington, added: “We hope that Washington will eventually master the courage to officially admit that there was no collusion whatsoever, and that all the allegations about Russian interference are nothing more than a defamation attempt designed for use in U.S. political infighting. This will likely end this never-ending story.”
Top Democrats give Barr April 2 deadline to release full report
Citing the need to make their own “independent assessment,” the chairs of the House Judiciary, Oversight, Intelligence, Foreign Affairs, Ways and Means and Financial Services committees asked the attorney general to release Mueller’s full report and material from his investigation by early next week.
In their letter to Barr, released Monday evening, Reps. Jerry Nadler, Elijah Cummings, Adam Schiff, Eliot Engel, Richard Neal and Maxine Waters said the attorney general’s summary of the Mueller probe was not “sufficient” for Congress and left “open many questions concerning the conduct of the President and his closest advisors, as well as that of the Russian government during the 2016 presidential election.”
The House chairs, who have launched their own sweeping probes into the president’s conduct, policies and business dealings since retaking the majority, gave Barr an April 2 deadline to comply with their demand.
Read the full letter here:
From “witch hunt” to campaign slogan: Trump sees Mueller as boost for re-election
For the better part of his presidency and as recently as last week, President Trump denigrated Robert Mueller’s investigation as a partisan “witch hunt,” and he has at times said it was led by a “a prosecutor gone rogue” and a group of “angry” Democrats.
Now, after the probe found no evidence of collusion between the Trump campaign and Russian officials, the president’s view has evolved — he now sees the special counsel’s conclusion as a boon to his re-election campaign.
“Democrats took us on a frantic, chaotic, conspiracy-laden roller coaster for two years, alleging wrongdoing where there was none,” said Trump campaign manager Brad Parscale. “Despite a roving Special Counsel and desperate Democrats trailing him every step of the way, President Trump has kept his focus where it belongs: achieving for the American people.”
Read the analysis from Caitlin Huey-Burns here.
Graham says Barr would be glad to testify before Congress
Attorney General William Barr told Senate Judiciary Committee chairman Lindsey Graham on Monday he would be glad to testify before Congress, Graham said Monday. Members of Congress have a number of lingering questions for the attorney general.
Graham, who spoke with Barr after the release of the attorney general’s summary, said Barr told him he would be glad to come before the Senate Judiciary Committee but needs time to extract grand jury information and classified material.
Asked if Barr provided a timeframe for such a process, Graham shook his head, saying, “He’s got to talk with Mueller, they’re working on it. Sooner rather than later is the request and I’m sure he will honor that.”
Graham said he doesn’t see “any reason” for Mueller to testify before Congress, which is what a number of Democrats are calling for after the release of Barr’s summary.
Alan He contributed reporting.
Mueller told DOJ about obstruction impasse 3 weeks ago
Three weeks before submitting his report, special counsel Robert Mueller informed Attorney General William Barr and Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein that he wouldn’t be able to reach a conclusion on his probe into whether President Trump committed obstruction of justice, a source familiar with the situation told CBS News’ correspondent Paula Reid.
Trump wouldn’t mind if full Mueller report were released
President Trump said Monday it’s “up to the attorney general,” but it “wouldn’t bother” him if William Barr released the full Mueller report.
Answering questions during a meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Mr. Trump said no other president should be subject to the kind of investigation that Mueller conducted.
“We can never let this happen to another president again,” Mr. Trump told reporters in the Oval Office.
The president, who has said Barr’s summary of the Mueller report completely “exonerated” him, added that other people, who he did not name, should be “looked at” for lying to Congress, committing “evil” deeds and participating in “treasonous things.”
