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US SPECIAL COUNSEL Robert Mueller has said he could not charge President Trump with a crime in the Russia investigation due to long-standing Department of Justice rules.
It was his first statement since the release of the redacted Mueller report in April.
The Mueller report was published in April following a 22-month investigation into alleged Russian meddling in the 2016 Presidential election.
The report, which Mueller said consisted of two parts – Russian collusion and the allegations that Trump obstructed the course of justice – found there was no collusion between the president’s campaign and Russia.
However, the report did not conclude that Trump had not committed any crime.
Speaking today, Mueller said: “If we 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,” he said.
He explained that under “long-standing Department of Justice policy a president can not be charged with a federal crime when he is in office.
“That is unconstitutional, even if the charge is kept under seal from public view, that too, is prohibited.”
Trump tweeted in the aftermath of the statement saying “the case is closed”.
Mueller also reiterated what the report had previously concluded; that there was interference from Russia.
“Russian intelligence officers launched a concerted attack on our political system,” he said.
“They stole private information and then released that information through fake online identities.
“The releases were designed and timed to interfere with our election and damage a presidential candidate.”
Speaker of the House of representatives, Nancy Pelosi has been fighting off calls from within the Democratic party to begin impeachment proceedings against Trump.
They come amidst allegations of financial misconduct being levied against Trump, which were only heightened by the Mueller report when it refused to fully vindicate Trump of any wrongdoing.
Mueller concluded that he was to retire from the Department of Justice and resign from his post now that the “investigation is complete” and “the attorney general has made the report on our investigation largely public”.
The special counsel’s office was established for the purpose of the investigation.
However, minutes after Mueller made his speech, members of congress continued their calls for congress to act.
Democrat Rep. Val Dennings, a member of the House Judiciary Committee tweeted: “Special Counsel Robert Mueller just said that “charging the president with a crime was not an option we could consider” under DOJ policy.
“It wasn’t lack of evidence. It was DOJ policy.
“He said that this “deserves the attention of every American.” He’s right. Congress must act,” she concluded.
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Welcome to the reality of supporting some one with a difference here , talk to parents and siblings about how we have to fight for everything.
Fair play to the foster carers for contacting the Ombudsman and therefore going up against Tusla and the HSE. Not a decision taken lightly. There is a bullying mentality when you go against these agencies. Hopefully now the child and her family will get the supports they need. It’s disgraceful that the family had to put themselves through the stress and pressure to get the outcome.
@Clare Sharkey: Sad thing is that TUSLA are in the process of moving the child into a residential type setting and removing her from the wonderful foster family. Wouldn’t it be much easier to put the supports in place and leave her with the loving foster family.
@Lorraine Roche: its a power struggle. Easier to blame foster carers than themselves.
It’s not only children with disabilities who are in care the system is failing it’s children with disabilities full stop. Your child with a disability is accepted into a service-8-18 disability service- they then have to go on waiting lists within that service for Speech& Language, Occupational Therapy, Psychologist etc…. Services are badly organised and seriously under resourced.
A certain spectacle Senator with his “human rights activists” friends will be working tirelessly on this one.
“bespectacled
@Are roo from Cork: think you were right first time.
Abandoned at birth !!!!!????
The poor Girl can expect a lifetime of neglect by the state, funding is ridiculously low in the intellectual disability area, from childhood right through to Adult services!
The Government should take control of all services and streamline while increasing funding – the current system with dozens of organisations with CEO’s on mainly over €100k with generous expenses is putting tax money into the wrong hands instead of into the frontline where conditions have plummeted and staff under severe pressure are leaving disillusioned!
Put the money where it matters and strip away the red tape to give those with disabilities the services they deserve- too much of a gravy train at present!
@David Grey: leo will be in shortly saying how “it shouldn’t be like this”
have your say