Date: 05/29/2019
Source: The Report Is My Testimony:' Watch Full Statement By Robert Mueller | NBC News
Source: The Report Is My Testimony:' Watch Full Statement By Robert Mueller | NBC News
00:00 Two years ago the acting Attorney General asked me to serve as Special Counsel.
00:05 and he created the Special Counsel's office.
00:08 The appointment ordered the office to investigate Russian interference in the 2016 Presidential Election.
00:16 This included investigating any links, or coordination between the Russian government and individuals associated with the Trump campaign.
00:27 Now I have not spoken publicly during our investigation.
00:31 I’m speaking out today because our investigation is complete,
00:36 the Attorney General has made the report on our investigation largely public,
00:41 we are formally closing the Special Counsel’s office,
00:45 and as well, I’m resigning from the Department of Justice to return to private life.
00:52 I’ll make a few remarks about the results of our work.
00:57 but beyond these few remarks it is important that the office’s written work speak for itself.
01:04 Let me begin where the appointment order begins.
01:08 and that is the 2016 Presidential election.
01:13 As alleged by the grand jury in an indictment, Russian intelligence officers who were part of the Russian military,
01:22 launched a concerted attack on our political system.
01:25 The indictment alleges that they used sophisticated cyber techniques,
01:30 to hack into computers and networks used by the Clinton campaign.
01:34 They stole private information and then released that information through fake -eh- online identities, and through the organization WikiLeaks.
01:45 The releases were designed and timed to interfere with our election, and to damage a presidential candidate.
01:52 And at the same time a grand jury alleged in a separate indictment,
01:58 A private Russian entity engaged in a social media operation,
02:03 where Russian citizens posed as Americans
02:06 in order to influence an election.
02:10 These indictments contain allegations and we are not commenting on the guilt or innocence of any defendant.
02:20 Every defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.
02:25 The indictments allege and the other activities in our report are describe efforts to interfere in our political system.
02:33 They needed to be investigated and understood
02:37 and that is among the reasons why the Department of Justice established our office.
02:42 That is also a reason we investigated efforts to obstruct the investigation.
02:48 The matters we investigated were of paramount importance.
02:52 It was critical for us to obtain full and accurate information from every person we questioned.
02:59 When a subject of an investigation obstructs that investigation or lies to investigators
03:06 it strikes at the core of the government’s effort to find the truth and hold wrong-doers accountable.
03:12 Let me say a word about the report.
03:17 The report has two parts addressing the two main issues we were asked to investigate.
03:23 The first volume of the report details numerous efforts emanating from Russia to influence the election.
03:31 This volume includes a discussion of the Trump campaign’s response to this activity
03:36 as well as our conclusion that there was insufficient evidence to charge a broader conspiracy.
03:43 And in a second volume the report describes the results and analysis of our obstruction of justice investigation involving the President.
03:53 The order appointing me Special Counsel, authorized us to investigate actions that could obstruct the investigation.
04:03 We conducted that investigation and we kept the office of the acting Attorney General apprised of the progress of our work.
04:12 And as set forth in the report after that investigation
04:16 If we had confidence that the President did not commit a crime we would have said so.
04:22 We did not, however, make a determination as to whether the President did commit a crime.
04:28 The introduction to our volume 2 of our report explains that decision.
04:34 It explains that under long-standing department policy,
04:39 a [present?] President cannot be charged with a federal crime while he is in office.
04:44 That is unconstitutional.
04:47 Even if the charge is kept under seal and hidden from public view,
04:51 that too is prohibited.
04:53 The Special Counsel’s office is part of the Department of Justice, and by regulation
04:59 it was bound by that department policy.
05:02 Charging the President with a crime was therefore not an option we could consider.
05:09 The departments written opinion explaining the policy makes several important points.
05:16 that further informed our handling of the obstruction investigation.
05:20 Those points are summarized in our report, I will describe two of them for you.
05:26 First, the opinion explicitly permits the investigation of a sitting President
05:33 because it is important to preserve evidence while memories are fresh and documents available.
05:40 Among other things, that evidence could be used if there were co-conspirators who could be charged now.
05:46 In second the opinion says that the Constitution requires a process other than the criminal justice system.
05:54 to formally accuse a sitting president of wrongdoing.
05:59 And beyond department policy we were guided by principles of fairness.
06:05 it would be unfair- it would be unfair to potentially accuse somebody of a crime
06:13 when there can be no court resolution of the actual charge.
06:17 So that was just a department policy, those were the principles under which we operated,
06:24 and from them we concluded that we would- would not reach a determination one way or the other about whether the President committed a crime.
06:33 That is- That is the office’s final position and we will not comment on any other conclusions or hypotheticals about the President.
06:43 We conducted an independent criminal investigation and reported the results to the Attorney General as required by department regulations.
06:53 The Attorney General then concluded that it was appropriate to provide our report to Congress and to the American people.
07:01 At one point in time I requested that certain portions of the report be released,
07:07 and the Attorney General preferred to make the entire report public all at once,
07:13 and we appreciate that the Attorney General made the report largely public,
07:19 and I certainly do not question the Attorney General’s good faith in that decision.
07:24 and I hope and expect this to be the only time I will speak to you in this manner.
07:28 I am making that decision myself. No one has told me whether I can or should testify, or speak further about this matter,
07:39 There has been discussion about an appearance before Congress,
07:43 Any testimony from this office would not go beyond our report.
07:47 It contains our findings and analysis and the reasons for the decisions we made.
07:54 We chose those words carefully and the work speaks for itself.
07:59 And the report is my testimony. I would not provide information beyond that which is already public in any appearance before Congress.
08:09 In addition, access to our underlying work product, is being decided in a process that does not involve our office.
08:19 So beyond what I’ve said here today, and what is contained in our written work, I do not believe it is appropriate for me to speak further about the investigation or to comment on the actions of the Justice Department, or Congress.
08:34 And it’s for that reason I will not be taking questions today as well.
08:38 Now before I step away I want to thank the attorneys and the F.B.I. agents, the analysts, the professional staff that helped us conduct this investigation in a fair and independent manner.
08:53 These individuals who spent nearly two years with the Special Counsel’s office are of the highest integrity.
09:01 And I will close by reiterating the central allegation of our indictments.
09:06 that there were multiple, systematic efforts to interfere in our election.
09:13 and that allegation deserves the attention of every American. Thank you. Thank you for being here today.