Donald Trump ‘did not conspire with Russia’, Mueller report finds
US president claims ‘total exoneration’ after special counsel files report

Special counsel Robert Mueller found that Donald Trump did not collude with Russia during the 2016 election, according to a summary of his report submitted to Congress yesterday.
Although the Justice Department said the report does not exonerate the president of obstruction of justice, the US president heralded the outcome as “complete and total exoneration”, describing the inquiry as “an illegal take-down that failed”.
The New York Times says “the darkest, most ominous cloud hanging over Trump’s presidency” is all but lifted, while the Washington Post predicts that “No collusion” will transform from a “defiant mantra” to a “rallying cry for Trump’s re-election”. The BBC’s North America editor Jon Sopel said: “What was that film called? As Good As It Gets? That's how Donald Trump must feel.”
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
The inquiry spent nearly two years investigating Trump’s election, issuing 2,800 subpoenas, hundreds of search warrants and conducting countless hours of interviews.
The summary of the report, released by US Attorney general William Barr, found that the special counsel’s investigation “did not establish that members of the Trump campaign conspired or coordinated with the Russian government in its election interference activities”.
However, Mueller uncovered definitive evidence that Moscow did interfere in the election, via a coordinated onslaught of disinformation and by hacking emails from Hillary Clinton’s campaign team.
The special counsel also found that there had been “multiple offers from Russian-affiliated individuals to assist the Trump campaign”.
Analysts had predicted that Trump would be particularly vulnerable on the question of obstruction, particularly given his sacking of the FBI director James Comey, who fronted the investigation prior to Mueller. Barr ruled that the evidence outlined in Mueller’s report “is not sufficient to establish that the president committed an obstruction-of-justice offence”.
However, Mueller had sat on the fence on the question. Barr explained: “The special counsel states that ‘while this report does not conclude that the president committed a crime, it also does not exonerate him.’”
Democrats are already calling for the full report to be released along with all of the evidence considered. Barr has said he will release more, but warned it would take some time to decide which materials could be shared.
Several other investigations are continuing to examine the US president, including inquiries by Congress and a federal investigation that is looking into possible election-law violations by the Trump campaign and his businesses and possible misconduct by the Trump inaugural committee.
For now, though, Trump is wallowing in the outcome of Mueller's probe. He said on Sunday it was “a shame that the country had to go through this”.
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
-
What should you be stockpiling for 'World War Three'?
In the Spotlight Britons advised to prepare after the EU tells its citizens to have an emergency kit just in case
By Elizabeth Carr-Ellis, The Week UK Published
-
Carnivore diet: why people are eating only meat
The Explainer 'Meatfluencers' are taking social media by storm but experts warn meat-only diets have health consequences
By Elizabeth Carr-Ellis, The Week UK Published
-
Scientists want to fight malaria by poisoning mosquitoes with human blood
Under the radar Drugging the bugs
By Devika Rao, The Week US Published
-
Why does Donald Trump want Greenland?
The Explainer Trump is not the only US president who has tried to gain control of Greenland
By The Week UK Published
-
What dangers does the leaked Signal chat expose the US to?
TODAY'S BIG QUESTION The White House's ballooning group chat scandal offered a masterclass in what not to say when prying eyes might be watching
By Rafi Schwartz, The Week US Published
-
Trump sets 25% tariffs on auto imports
Speed Read The White House says the move will increase domestic manufacturing. But the steep import taxes could also harm the US auto industry.
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
'Even authoritarian regimes need a measure of public support — the consent of at least some of the governed'
instant opinion 'Opinion, comment and editorials of the day'
By Anya Jaremko-Greenwold, The Week US Published
-
Waltz takes blame for texts amid calls for Hegseth ouster
Speed Read Democrats are calling for Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and national security adviser Michael Waltz to step down
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
USPS Postmaster General DeJoy steps down
Speed Read Louis DeJoy faced ongoing pressure from the Trump administration as they continue to seek power over the postal system
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Judge: Nazis treated better than Trump deportees
speed read U.S. District Judge James Boasberg reaffirmed his order barring President Donald Trump from deporting alleged Venezuelan gang members
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
'There is a certain kind of strength in refusing to concede error'
instant opinion 'Opinion, comment and editorials of the day'
By Anya Jaremko-Greenwold, The Week US Published