The Donald Trump Department of Justice, under so-called Attorney General William Barr, released a redacted version of Special Counsel Robert Mueller's report today. Read the full text below. Here's an OCR'd and searchable version also (via @seanodotcom). The first 14 words of the Mueller report: "The Russian government interfered in the 2016 presidential election in sweeping and systematic fashion." From the report, here is Robert Mueller's conclusion on the president and obstruction of justice: "If we had confidence after a thorough investigation of the facts that the President clearly did not commit obstruction of justice, we would so state. Based on the facts and the applicable legal standards, however, we are unable to reach that judgment." "Accordingly, while this report does not conclude that the President committed a crime, it also does not exonerate him." The redacted version released of Robert Mueller's report is a 448-page PDF totaling just under 140 MB. U.S. President Donald Trump said on Thursday at 11:33 AM ET that he was a "having a good day" following the release of the Mueller report, adding, "It's called no collusion, no obstruction." Trump AG William Barr held a press conference at 9:30AM ET on Thursday April 18 at the Department of Justice headquarters, and delivered remarks on special counsel Robert Mueller's investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 presidential election. At 11:00AM ET, a redacted copy of Mueller's report was published on DOJ's website. Redacted Mueller report was later dropped off to Jerry Nadler's office, per reporters on site, at 11:08 AM ET. There's a lot of redaction, but there's a lot left in. For instance: President Trump's reaction when Mueller was appointed special counsel. "Oh my God. This is terrible. This is the end of my presidency. I'm fucked." Mueller report, p. 69: "In approximately Sept 2015, Cohen obtained approval to negotiate with [Russian real estate company] from candidate Trump… Cohen also discussed the Trump Tower Moscow project with Ivanka… and Donald J. Trump Jr." A lot of 'there' in here. Let's just skip ahead to page 30 of Mueller's report, lightly redacted by AG Barr: Alrighty then, let's just jump to another page — Ah, yes. Lots of considerations for "Personal privacy" — Twitter observations, below, from journalists and others. "Don't want to get duped but don't want to blow off Putin!" pic.twitter.com/LBzhAXG4La — Myles Udland (@MylesUdland) April 18, 2019 release the mueller report as a series of tiktoks — julia reinstein ? (@juliareinstein) April 17, 2019 From the #MuellerReport: "If we had confidence after a thorough investigation of the facts that the President clearly did not commit obstruction of justice, we would so state. Based on the facts and the applicable legal standards, however, we are unable to reach that judgment." — Philip Deevy (@philipdeevy) April 18, 2019 I feel like I've read so much of this report already! The contemporaneous Mueller reporting over the last two years was pretty accurate. — Peter Hamby (@PeterHamby) April 18, 2019 As a news writer, had spent two years wondering how he'd lead it. Go for the straight lede (which he did), or for the delayed lede (start with the invasion of Crimea, the sanctions, US-Russia tensions). He went for the straight hook https://t.co/LCgbnnnIZb — Alexander Panetta (@Alex_Panetta) April 18, 2019 It looks like Mueller did his job well. Now Congress needs to do its job and remove this entire administration. — deray (@deray) April 18, 2019 Note what was redacted in the TOC #MuellerReport pic.twitter.com/4m5F0fc0bE — Chris Sampson (@TAPSTRIMEDIA) April 18, 2019 KEY ISSUE. On obstruction of justice, the Mueller Report states that if investigators had decided that President Trump "clearly did not committ obstruction of justice, we would so state…We are unable to reach that judgement." — Yamiche Alcindor (@Yamiche) April 18, 2019 By contrast with Barr's gloss, Mueller's report very explicitly does not exonerate Trump, @DelWilber @ChrisMegerian report: https://t.co/bFKcBNwccY — David Lauter (@DavidLauter) April 18, 2019 Mueller: Don Jr.'s draft statement about the Tower meeting was more honest, but then, after his dad got involved to "direct" the response, it became a dishonest assertion that the meeting was about adoption; Trump Jr. then added a word, "primarily," to soften his dad's claim. pic.twitter.com/kg9SXxChux — Daniel Dale (@ddale8) April 18, 2019 First clear indication that Assange himself was responsible for Wikileaks communication with GRU (obvious as that may be) (p46) pic.twitter.com/qsXd7zac1X — Shashank Joshi (@shashj) April 18, 2019 Wow. GRU targeted Clinton's personal office within *five hours* of Trump's infamous July 27th "Russia, if you're listening" speech. p49 pic.twitter.com/kpB7eB1oEF — Shashank Joshi (@shashj) April 18, 2019 MUELLER: MANAFORT "expected" his Russian-intel-linked deputy KONSTANTIN KILIMNIK to share internal TRUMP campaign polling data with "others in Ukraine and with DERIPASKA," although "Manafort claims not to recall that specific instruction." pic.twitter.com/VT3bYGY8G1 — Kenneth P. Vogel (@kenvogel) April 18, 2019 WOW: KILIMNIK delivered a "peace" plan to MANAFORT that was actually a "'backdoor' means for Russia to control eastern Ukraine." It came from Russia-aligned ex-Ukrainian prez YANUKOVYCH, who pledged that if Manafort signed on, he'd be received in Russia "at the very top level." pic.twitter.com/2r7g9eOJ2Q — Kenneth P. Vogel (@kenvogel) April 18, 2019 PRO-RUSSIAN PLAN TO CONTROL EASTERN UKRAINE: "All that is required to start the process is a very minor 'wink' (or slight push) from [DONALD TRUMP]," KILIMNIK emailed MANAFORT, who was asked to be the "U.S. representative" for the plan. pic.twitter.com/XDJWU3XMhQ — Kenneth P. Vogel (@kenvogel) April 18, 2019 TRUMP DOESN'T RECALL PRO-RUSSIA PEACE PLAN: "According to the President's written answers, he does not remember Manafort communicating to him any particular positions that Ukraine or Russia would want the United States to support." pic.twitter.com/x91ROTzz5d — Kenneth P. Vogel (@kenvogel) April 18, 2019 MANAFORT denied speaking to anyone in TRUMP's campaign or admin. about the peace plan *But Mueller notes: 1) he "was not…able to gain access to all of Manafort's electronic comms." 2) MANAFORT "lied to [Mueller] & the grand jury about the peace plan & his mtgs with Kilimnik" — Kenneth P. Vogel (@kenvogel) April 18, 2019 CLEAREST EXPLANATION FOR MANAFORT = $: MUELLER puzzled over MANAFORT's purpose in sharing polling data with KILIMNIK during the campaign.<doc-sep>Special counsel Robert Mueller's report on his investigation into Russian election interference was released publicly Thursday, with some redactions. Read the report here and download the NBC News app for full coverage.<doc-sep>Attorney General William Barr on Thursday morning transmitted a redacted version of special counsel Robert Mueller's highly anticipated report on Russian meddling during the 2016 presidential campaign to members of Congress, making public for the first time substantial portions of the nearly 400-page document. The Justice Department's release of the redacted report comes just weeks after Barr penned a four-page letter conveying the special counsel's "principal conclusions." In that letter, Barr described "two main" Kremlin-backed efforts to influence the election, but states definitively that the special counsel's office did not find evidence to suggest that members of the Trump campaign or anyone associated with it conspired or coordinated with the Russians. The special counsel's office made no conclusion on the matter of possible obstruction of justice by President Donald Trump, Barr noted, but the attorney general himself determined that the evidence against Trump did not amount to a crime. ABC NEWS WAS PROVIDING LIVE UPDATES THROUGHOUT THE DAY ON ALL THE MAJOR DEVELOPMENTS. 5:22 p.m.: Mueller report makes political case against Trump: Analysis ABC News' political director Rick Klein writes of the special counsel probe that something happened on the path to "complete and total exoneration." Robert Mueller’s long-awaited report did not result in a legal case that will be brought against President Donald Trump, despite 22 months of a special counsel inquiry. But Mueller’s team of investigators constructed an intricate and detailed political case against the president, with vast implications for the current Congress and for leaders inside both parties in advance of the 2020 election. Read more of Klein's takeaways from the day here. 4:17 p.m.: Trump leaves White House, does not take questions President Donald Trump, holding hands with first lady Melania Trump, took no questions from reporters and headed straight for Marine One on Thursday afternoon. The Trumps were heading to Mar-a-Lago for the holiday weekend. On Wednesday, Trump said he might hold a news conference after the redacted report was released and earlier on Thursday counselor to the president Kellyanne Conway said that she expected him to speak to reporters before departing. Walking from the White House, the president only waved as questions were shouted at him. Then, at Andrews Air Force Base, he boarded Air Force One shortly after Marine One landed. -- ABC News' Meridith McGraw 4:07 p.m.: Mueller's reference to allegations of Russian "kompromat" on Trump The special counsel report offers new details suggesting then-candidate Donald Trump was aware of rumors of a compromising video recording being circulated by the Russian government during his 2016 campaign. A footnote in the Mueller report discusses the unverified allegation, which was first raised in the so-called dossier -- a series of opposition research memos prepared by a former British agent. The dossier suggested Russians had recorded a tape of Trump during a 2013 visit to Moscow showing Trump cavorting with prostitutes in his suite at the Moscow Ritz hotel. Trump has always maintained the allegations are false. It has been previously reported that then-FBI Director James Comey shared information about the salacious allegations with Trump after the 2016 elections, during the transition period. "During the 2016 presidential campaign, a similar claim may have reached candidate Trump," the Mueller report says. Two weeks before the election, the report says Trump personal attorney Michael Cohen received a text from a Russian businessman that said, "Stopped flow of tapes from Russia but not sure if there's anything else. Just so you know . . .. " The businessman said the "tapes" referred to "compromising tapes of Trump rumored to be held by persons associated with the Russian real estate conglomerate Crocus Group, which had helped host the 2013 Miss Universe Pageant in Russia," the report quotes. Trump had partnered with the Crocus Group to host the beauty pageant. The report says Cohen told investigators that he spoke directly to Trump about the issue after receiving those texts. The businessman, Giorgi Rtskhiladze, later told investigators the tapes were fake, but added that he had not communicated that to Cohen at the time. -- ABC News' Matt Mosk 2:57 p.m.: Nadler weighs in In a brief press conference, House Judiciary Chairman Jerry Nadler said the Mueller report "makes clear that the president refused to be interviewed by the special counsel and refused to provide written answers to follow up questions." 2:55 p.m.: Trump asked people affiliated with campaign to find Clinton’s emails "repeatedly," according to Flynn After Trump’s July 2016 press conference inviting the Russians to find them, Michael Flynn contacted multiple people about finding the "missing" Hillary Clinton emails from her personal server, according to the report. That included contact Flynn made to the late Chicago financier Peter Smith and Barbara Ledeen (a long-time staffer to Sen. Chuck Grassley who was already on the hunt). Erik Prince provided funding to try and authenticate some emails that were obtained by Ledeen but the tech advisor hired said they weren’t real. The special counsel didn’t find evidence Flynn or other campaign-linked figures initiated or directed Smith’s efforts.. 2:10 p.m.: 2020 candidates slam AG Barr as Mueller report sends ripples through Democratic field Democratic presidential candidates were quick to vent their frustration on Thursday at the conduct of Attorney General William Barr, swiftly called on special counsel Robert Mueller to testify before Congress and demanded that the full unredacted report be released to the public. The ire directed at Barr comes after he held a press conference defending President Donald Trump's actions and to speak publicly and take questions from journalists before the report from the investigation into Russia's interference in the 2016 presidential election was released. None of the sitting U.S. senators who have declared a presidential bid voted for Barr's confirmation. Here's what the 2020 presidential hopefuls had to say. 1:31 p.m.: Insight into Trump's written responses to the special counsel team's questions The answers President Donald Trump gave to special counsel Robert Mueller have finally been released as part of the redacted version of the special counsel's report.<doc-sep>Special counsel Robert Mueller’s long-awaited report on Russian interference in the 2016 US presidential election was released today by attorney general William Barr. In a press conference this morning, Barr said that Mueller’s report “did not find that any person associated with the Trump campaign illegally participated” in a conspiracy with Russian intelligence services to swing the election. The public version of the 400-plus-page document has been redacted to exclude information related to confidential grand jury proceedings, classified intelligence material, ongoing investigations, or anything that might infringe on the privacy of people who have not been charged. A “limited number” of Congress members will be allowed to view a less-redacted version, according to the Justice Department. Mueller submitted his report to Barr on March 22. Two days later, the attorney general released a four-page summary to Congress that said investigators found no evidence of Donald Trump conspiring with the Russian government, but that they did not clear him of wrongdoing. As Barr concluded his remarks this morning, the president took to Twitter for a victory lap: It’s unclear whether Trump, who prefers short documents with lots of visuals, will read Mueller’s report. He’s not expected to, according to at least one official cited by CNN. Read the text of the report here:<doc-sep>
WASHINGTON — Almost two years after special counsel Robert Mueller was appointed to investigate Russian interference in the 2016 election and the Trump campaign, his report is finally out. Read the Mueller report for yourself, with the government's redactions. Bottom line #1: When it comes to obstruction of justice, Mueller didn't conclude whether President Donald Trump committed a crime, but said that his report “also does not exonerate him.” Mueller’s report details a series of situations that raised questions about whether Trump had committed obstruction. Read those in detail. Bottom line #2: When it comes to the Trump campaign conspiring with Russia to influence the election, Mueller found that no charges were warranted, but that there is still information he does not know. “While the investigation identified numerous links between individuals with ties to the Russian government and individuals associated with the Trump campaign,” Mueller wrote about conspiracy with Russia, “the evidence was not sufficient to support criminal charges.” Witnesses, including some “associated with the Trump campaign,” deleted communications or had messages auto-delete, among other issues. Hoaxes and the misinformation are spreading about the report. The report also clearly describes how Russian trolls reached millions of people on Facebook, were quoted in major newspapers as real Americans, and even organized rallies. Mueller issued more than 2,800 subpoenas, executed nearly 500 search-and-seizure warrants, obtained more than 230 orders for communications records, made 13 requests to foreign governments, and interviewed approximately 500 witnesses. He also sought to interview Trump in person for more than a year and in November 2018 received written answers that were "incomplete or imprecise." Mueller's report indicates that Trump's written responses were "inadequate," as the president stated on more than 30 occasions that he "does not 'recall' or 'remember' or have an 'independent recollection' of the information called for by the questions." Trump refused to provide written answers to “questions on obstruction topics or questions on events during the transition.” Realizing Trump would not voluntarily sit for an in-person interview, Mueller considered a subpoena, but decided against it to avoid a lengthy legal fight that would delay the conclusion of the investigation. Despite Mueller clearly stating that the report "does not exonerate" Trump, his reelection campaign issued a statement Thursday celebrating the report as absolving the president from any wrongdoing. "Now the tables have turned, and it’s time to investigate the liars who instigated this sham investigation into President Trump, motivated by political retribution and based on no evidence whatsoever," campaign manager Brad Parscale said in a statement. The statement goes on to threaten that "the Obama-era DOJ and FBI must answer for their misdeeds and the scam they perpetrated against the American people. Justice will be served." Mueller's report also captured Trump’s reaction when he was told the special counsel was commissioned. “Oh my God. This is terrible. This is the end of my Presidency. I’m fucked,” Mueller quotes Trump as saying. “How could you let this happen, Jeff?” he said, referring to then–attorney general Jeff Sessions. Trump also told Sessions, “‘You were supposed to protect me,’ or words to that effect.” Obstruction of Justice Investigation Mueller declined to make a “prosecutorial judgment” about whether Trump committed obstruction offenses — instead, he submitted the evidence to Attorney General Bill Barr, who, along with other Justice Department officials concluded that the evidence did not support finding that Trump committed a crime. But Mueller also didn’t clear the president — as Trump has often claimed. “The evidence we obtained about the President’s actions and intent presents difficult issues that prevent us from conclusively determining that no criminal conduct occurred,” Mueller wrote. “Accordingly, while this report does not conclude that the President committed a crime, it also does not exonerate him.” The obstruction section of the report, when read as a whole, depicts an administration in which Trump’s impulsive responses to the events unfolding around him routinely put him at odds with his senior aides and White House lawyers. It describes several instances where top officials simply ignored directives from the president or those close to him in order to avoid taking action that they believed was ill-advised, or, more seriously, could undermine his own administration. Mueller’s report included a series of situations that raised questions about whether the president had committed obstruction. Some of those included: Trump’s comments in 2017 to then–FBI director James Comey about then–national security adviser Michael Flynn.