Special counsel Robert Mueller, in his first public comments on his two-year investigation surrounding President Trump and his campaign, said Wednesday that his office did not charge Trump with a crime because it “was not an option” under Department of Justice (DOJ) regulations.
Mueller, in a dramatic appearance at DOJ headquarters, said it would have been impossible to bring Trump to court and that his final report clearly spelled out that investigators did not conclude that the president was innocent of a crime.
“After that investigation, if we had confidence that the president clearly did not commit a crime, we would have said that,” Mueller said during his eight-minute address.
Mueller’s statement, which he said he hopes and expects be his last public remarks on the report, is likely to amp up pressure on Democrats in Congress to impeach Trump.