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| Robert Mueller breaks his silence and condemns Trump for commuting Roger Stone's sentence | Robert Mueller breaks his silence and condemns Trump for commuting Roger Stone's sentence |
| (about 1 hour later) | |
| US special counsel defends his investigation into allegations of corruption during 2016 election | US special counsel defends his investigation into allegations of corruption during 2016 election |
| The former special counsel Robert Mueller made a rare move on Saturday to publicly defend his two-year investigation into allegations of collusion between the Trump campaign and Russia in the 2016 election – and to castigate US president Donald Trump’s decision to commute Roger Stone’s prison sentence. | The former special counsel Robert Mueller made a rare move on Saturday to publicly defend his two-year investigation into allegations of collusion between the Trump campaign and Russia in the 2016 election – and to castigate US president Donald Trump’s decision to commute Roger Stone’s prison sentence. |
| Mueller wrote an opinion article for the Washington Post [paywall] published under the headline “Roger Stone remains a convicted felon, and rightly so”. | |
| “The work of the special counsel’s office – its report, indictments, guilty pleas and convictions – should speak for itself,” he wrote. | “The work of the special counsel’s office – its report, indictments, guilty pleas and convictions – should speak for itself,” he wrote. |
| “But I feel compelled to respond both to broad claims that our investigation was illegitimate and our motives were improper, and to specific claims that Roger Stone was a victim of our office ... | “But I feel compelled to respond both to broad claims that our investigation was illegitimate and our motives were improper, and to specific claims that Roger Stone was a victim of our office ... |
| “Stone was prosecuted and convicted because he committed federal crimes. He remains a convicted felon, and rightly so.” | “Stone was prosecuted and convicted because he committed federal crimes. He remains a convicted felon, and rightly so.” |
| Trump commuted the sentence of Stone on Friday night, sparking outrage from Democrats and some senior Republicans. | Trump commuted the sentence of Stone on Friday night, sparking outrage from Democrats and some senior Republicans. |
| Stone was a former campaign adviser to the president, convicted in November 2019 of seven crimes including obstruction of justice, lying to Congress and witness tampering. | Stone was a former campaign adviser to the president, convicted in November 2019 of seven crimes including obstruction of justice, lying to Congress and witness tampering. |
| The 2017-19 Mueller investigation uncovered evidence of communications between Stone and WikiLeaks related to the release of hacked Democratic party emails during the 2016 election, discovered in a separate inquiry into Russian intelligence officers charged with hacking the emails and staging their release. | The 2017-19 Mueller investigation uncovered evidence of communications between Stone and WikiLeaks related to the release of hacked Democratic party emails during the 2016 election, discovered in a separate inquiry into Russian intelligence officers charged with hacking the emails and staging their release. |
| The partially released Mueller report in April 2019 described Russian efforts to tamper with the election and the Trump campaign’s receptivity to certain “Russian offers of assistance to the campaign”. | The partially released Mueller report in April 2019 described Russian efforts to tamper with the election and the Trump campaign’s receptivity to certain “Russian offers of assistance to the campaign”. |
| It outlined actions by Trump that may have amounted to obstruction of justice and concluded: “While this report does not conclude that the president committed a crime, it also does not exonerate him.” | It outlined actions by Trump that may have amounted to obstruction of justice and concluded: “While this report does not conclude that the president committed a crime, it also does not exonerate him.” |
| Mueller also concluded he did not have the power to charge Trump even if he thought it was warranted. | Mueller also concluded he did not have the power to charge Trump even if he thought it was warranted. |
| Mueller wrote: “The special counsel’s office identified two principal operations directed at our election: hacking and dumping Clinton campaign emails, and an online social media campaign to disparage the Democratic candidate. | Mueller wrote: “The special counsel’s office identified two principal operations directed at our election: hacking and dumping Clinton campaign emails, and an online social media campaign to disparage the Democratic candidate. |
| “We also identified numerous links between the Russian government and Trump campaign personnel – Stone among them. We did not establish that members of the Trump campaign conspired with the Russian government … | “We also identified numerous links between the Russian government and Trump campaign personnel – Stone among them. We did not establish that members of the Trump campaign conspired with the Russian government … |
| “The investigation did, however, establish that the Russian government perceived it would benefit from a Trump presidency and worked to secure that outcome. [And] that the campaign expected it would benefit electorally from information stolen and released through Russian efforts.” | “The investigation did, however, establish that the Russian government perceived it would benefit from a Trump presidency and worked to secure that outcome. [And] that the campaign expected it would benefit electorally from information stolen and released through Russian efforts.” |
| Trump has repeatedly attempted to discredit Mueller and his investigations. | Trump has repeatedly attempted to discredit Mueller and his investigations. |
| Mueller has kept his counsel since he testified in Congress in July last year. It was a muted affair, and many perceived Trump was emboldened in his efforts to seek assistance in his current election campaign from the Ukraine. | Mueller has kept his counsel since he testified in Congress in July last year. It was a muted affair, and many perceived Trump was emboldened in his efforts to seek assistance in his current election campaign from the Ukraine. |
| This led to the historic impeachment of the president, and Trump’s ultimate acquittal by the Senate earlier this year. | This led to the historic impeachment of the president, and Trump’s ultimate acquittal by the Senate earlier this year. |
| On Saturday Mueller wrote: “Russia’s actions were a threat to America’s democracy. It was critical that they be investigated and understood.” | On Saturday Mueller wrote: “Russia’s actions were a threat to America’s democracy. It was critical that they be investigated and understood.” |