Robert Mueller didn't reach a conclusion one way or the other on obstruction, but on the more volatile accusation that President Trump and his campaign colluded with Russians, Mueller was clearer: No charges because the evidence was "not sufficient." Some pertinent quotes and details from the newly released Mueller report:
- The key conclusion: "While the investigation identified numerous links between individuals with ties to the Russian government and individuals associated with the Trump Campaign, the evidence was not sufficient to support criminal charges," the reports states. "Among other things, the evidence was not sufficient to charge any Campaign official as an unregistered agent of the Russian government or other Russian principal. And our evidence about the June 9, 2016 meeting and WikiLeak’s release of hacked materials was not sufficient to charge a criminal campaign-finance violation."
- Trump Tower meeting: That June 2016 meeting between a Russian lawyer and Donald Trump Jr., Jared Kushner, and Paul Manafort has been a big issue, but Mueller said it would be tough to convince a jury that "Campaign officials or individuals connected to the Campaign willfully violated the law,” per Roll Call. As for Trump himself, he "has stated to this Office, in written answers to questions, that he has ‘no recollection of learning at the time’ that his son, Manafort, or Kushner ‘was considering participating in a meeting in June 2016 concerning potentially negative information about Hillary Clinton,’" Mueller wrote.