MUELLER FINDS NO TRUMP-RUSSIA CONSPIRACYaccording to a summary of the special counsel s key findings...
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WASHINGTON — The investi- gation led by Robert S. Mueller III found no evidence that President Trump or any of his aides coordi- nated with the Russian govern- ment’s 2016 election interference, according to a summary of the special counsel’s key findings made public on Sunday by Attor- ney General William P. Barr. Mr. Mueller, who spent nearly two years investigating Moscow’s determined effort to sabotage the last presidential election, found no conspiracy “despite multiple of- fers from Russian-affiliated indi- viduals to assist the Trump cam- paign,” Mr. Barr wrote in a letter to lawmakers. Mr. Mueller’s team drew no con- clusions about whether Mr. Trump illegally obstructed jus- tice, Mr. Barr said, so he made his own decision. The attorney gen- eral and his deputy, Rod J. Rosen- stein, determined that the special counsel’s investigators had insuf- ficient evidence to establish that the president committed that of- fense. He cautioned, however, that Mr. Mueller’s report states that “while this report does not conclude that the president committed a crime, it also does not exonerate him” on the obstruction of justice issue. Still, the release of the findings was a significant political victory for Mr. Trump and lifted a cloud that has hung over his presidency since before he took the oath of of- fice. It is also likely to alter discus- sion in Congress about the fate of the Trump presidency; some Democrats had pledged to wait until the special counsel finished his work before deciding whether to initiate impeachment proceed- ings. The president trumpeted the news almost immediately, even as he mischaracterized the special counsel’s findings. “It was a com- plete and total exoneration,” Mr. Trump told reporters in Florida before boarding Air Force One. “It’s a shame that our country had to go through this. To be honest, it’s a shame that your president has had to go through this.” He added, “This was an illegal takedown that failed.” Mr. Barr’s letter was the culmi- nation of a tense two days since Mr. Mueller delivered his report to the Justice Department. Mr. Barr spent the weekend poring over the special counsel’s work, as Mr. Trump strategized with lawyers and political aides at his Mar-a- Lago estate in Florida. Mr. Mueller, who has been a spectral presence in the capital for nearly two years — so often dis- cussed, but so rarely seen — was photographed leaving a church on Sunday morning just across La- fayette Square from the White House. Hours later, Mr. Barr delivered his letter describing the special counsel’s findings to Congress. But congressional Democrats have demanded more, and the let- ter could be just the beginning of a lengthy constitutional battle be- tween Congress and the Justice MUELLER FINDS NO TRUMP-RUSSIA CONSPIRACY President Sees ‘Exoneration,’ but Barr Says Inquiry Did Not Settle Obstruction Issue By MARK MAZZETTI and KATIE BENNER U(DF463D)X+#!%!=!#!} Some of the scariest parts of the film “Us” are heard rather than seen. Lupita Nyong’o is a big reason why. PAGE C1 ARTS C1-6 She Sounds Awful. That’s Good. It is one of the world’s most grueling races, 26 miles over Siberia’s Lake Baikal, amid cracking ice and shifting weather. Russia Dispatch. PAGE A4 INTERNATIONAL A4-10 An Ice Marathon in Russia A military-linked party was unexpect- edly in the lead, likely cementing the army’s status as the country’s dominant political force. PAGE A10 In Thai Elections, a Surprise Wang Yi has been held incommunicado for three months, part of a government crackdown on independent religious groups. PAGE A9 Church Leader Tested in China Women make up eight percent of the U.S. Marine Corps. At Parris Island, S.C., they start their journey. PAGE A12 NATIONAL A11-20 From Woman to Marine Black women in sexual assault cases often face added pain: charges of dis- loyalty to their race. PAGE A11 When the Accuser Is Black Top Chinese officials, looking at a skep- tical audience both at home and abroad, pledge to open the country’s markets to foreign investment. PAGE B4 BUSINESS B1-8 A Trade Thaw From China? As start-ups like Lyft and Pinterest prepare I.P.O.s, Silicon Valley investors are ready for their close-ups. PAGE B1 Venture Capitalists Preen The veracity of Chanel Lewis’s confes- sion is being called into question in a murder retrial in Queens. PAGE A24 NEW YORK A21, 24 Issues of Race and Policing The Blue Devils rallied in the final minute to edge Central Florida, 77-76, and reach the N.C.A.A. tournament’s round of 16. Tennessee, a No. 2 seed, defeated Iowa in overtime. PAGE D3 SPORTSMONDAY D1-6 No. 1 Duke Advances, Barely Rob Gronkowski, 29, a three-time Super Bowl champion known for his size and speed as a tight end and for his goofy antics off the field, made the announce- ment on Instagram. PAGE D6 Patriots’ Gronkowski Retires Charles M. Blow PAGE A23 EDITORIAL, OP-ED A22-23 WASHINGTON — President Trump was in the private quarters of his Palm Beach, Fla., club on Sunday afternoon when two White House lawyers briefed him on the details of Attorney General William P. Barr’s four-page sum- mary of the Russia investigation. Mr. Trump, just back from a round of golf, expressed vindica- tion, though no great display of emotion, two people close to him said. An hour later, as he boarded Air Force One to fly to Washing- ton, a very different Mr. Trump emerged. Speaking with barely concealed fury, he told reporters, “It’s a shame that our country had to go through this. To be honest, it’s a shame that your president has had to go through this.” He deni- grated the investigation, led by the special counsel, Robert S. Mueller III, as an “illegal take- down that failed” and said those responsible for it should face scru- tiny. Mr. Trump’s aides warned him not to react to the findings with a sense of triumphalism, people close to him said. But the presi- dent, who has long felt victimized by the Russia investigation and Quiet Weekend Closes With Triumph and Fury By MARK LANDLER and MAGGIE HABERMAN President Trump spoke angrily with reporters on Sunday before leaving Florida for Washington. TOM BRENNER FOR THE NEW YORK TIMES Continued on Page A14 WASHINGTON — For Presi- dent Trump, it may have been the best day of his tenure so far. The darkest, most ominous cloud hanging over his presidency was all but lifted on Sunday with the release of the special counsel’s conclusions, which undercut the threat of impeachment and pro- vided him with a powerful boost for the final 22 months of his term. There are still other clouds overhead and no one outside the Justice Department has actually read the report by Robert S. Mueller III, the special counsel, which may yet disclose damning information if made public. But the end of the investigation with- out findings of collusion with Russia fortified the president for the battles to come, including his campaign for re-election. While critics will still argue about whether Mr. Trump tried to obstruct justice, the president quickly claimed vindication and Republican allies pounced on their Democratic colleagues for what they called an unrelenting partisan campaign against him. Even as his own party’s congres- sional leaders called on the coun- try to move on, however, the president indicated that he may not be ready to, denouncing the very existence of Mr. Mueller’s investigation as “an illegal take- down that failed” and calling for a counterinvestigation into how it got started. Emboldened and angry, the president can now proceed with his administration without the distraction of new search war- rants and indictments by Mr. Mueller’s team or the worry that the special counsel might charge Mr. Trump’s family members or Burden Lifts, Leaving President Fortified for the Battles to Come By PETER BAKER NEWS ANALYSIS Continued on Page A16 THE MEDIA After hours of waiting for news to break, TV anchors and commentators scrambled to interpret “a lot of legalese.” PAGE A17 Attorney General William P. Barr leaving his house on Sunday. ALEX WONG/GETTY IMAGES WASHINGTON — Over the 22 months of their inquiry, Robert S. Mueller III’s investigators exam- ined countless documents and in- terviewed dozens of witnesses, in- cluding some of the highest-rank- ing lawyers and aides in the White House, to determine whether President Trump obstructed jus- tice. But in the end, the special counsel reached no conclusion — instead producing a report that merely marshaled evidence on both sides. Then, Attorney General William P. Barr, a political appoint- ee whom Mr. Trump installed less than a month ago and who began reading Mr. Mueller’s report on Friday, stepped in. With the con- currence of his deputy, Rod J. Rosenstein, Mr. Barr seized the opportunity to render a judgment — pronouncing Mr. Trump clear of committing any criminal offense. The propriety of that move by Mr. Barr — who had written an un- solicited memo last year arguing that Mr. Mueller ought not to be permitted to investigate Mr. Trump for obstruction of justice — is certain to be a focus of political contention as Congress grapples with what it now knows about the still-secret Mueller report. Mueller Demurs So Barr Makes A Key Decision By MICHAEL S. SCHMIDT and CHARLIE SAVAGE Continued on Page A17 INQUIRIES Democrats vowed to press on with investigations of the president while demanding access to Mr. Mueller’s report. PAGE A16 Continued on Page A14 VOL. CLXVIII . . . No. 58,277 © 2019 The New York Times Company MONDAY, MARCH 25, 2019 Printed in Chicago $3.00 Cloudy south. Mostly sunny north. Breezy. Highs in upper 30s to lower 50s. Clear to partly cloudy tonight. Cold. Lows in 20s to 30s. Sunny to- morrow. Weather map, Page A19. National Edition
Transcript of MUELLER FINDS NO TRUMP-RUSSIA CONSPIRACYaccording to a summary of the special counsel s key findings...
WASHINGTON — The investi-gation led by Robert S. Mueller IIIfound no evidence that PresidentTrump or any of his aides coordi-nated with the Russian govern-ment’s 2016 election interference,according to a summary of thespecial counsel’s key findingsmade public on Sunday by Attor-ney General William P. Barr.
Mr. Mueller, who spent nearlytwo years investigating Moscow’sdetermined effort to sabotage thelast presidential election, found noconspiracy “despite multiple of-fers from Russian-affiliated indi-viduals to assist the Trump cam-paign,” Mr. Barr wrote in a letterto lawmakers.
Mr. Mueller’s team drew no con-clusions about whether Mr.Trump illegally obstructed jus-tice, Mr. Barr said, so he made hisown decision. The attorney gen-eral and his deputy, Rod J. Rosen-stein, determined that the specialcounsel’s investigators had insuf-ficient evidence to establish thatthe president committed that of-fense.
He cautioned, however, that Mr.Mueller’s report states that “whilethis report does not conclude thatthe president committed a crime,it also does not exonerate him” onthe obstruction of justice issue.
Still, the release of the findingswas a significant political victoryfor Mr. Trump and lifted a cloudthat has hung over his presidencysince before he took the oath of of-fice. It is also likely to alter discus-sion in Congress about the fate ofthe Trump presidency; some
Democrats had pledged to waituntil the special counsel finishedhis work before deciding whetherto initiate impeachment proceed-ings.
The president trumpeted thenews almost immediately, even ashe mischaracterized the specialcounsel’s findings. “It was a com-plete and total exoneration,” Mr.Trump told reporters in Floridabefore boarding Air Force One.“It’s a shame that our country hadto go through this. To be honest,it’s a shame that your presidenthas had to go through this.”
He added, “This was an illegaltakedown that failed.”
Mr. Barr’s letter was the culmi-nation of a tense two days sinceMr. Mueller delivered his report tothe Justice Department. Mr. Barrspent the weekend poring overthe special counsel’s work, as Mr.Trump strategized with lawyersand political aides at his Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida.
Mr. Mueller, who has been aspectral presence in the capital fornearly two years — so often dis-cussed, but so rarely seen — wasphotographed leaving a church onSunday morning just across La-fayette Square from the WhiteHouse.
Hours later, Mr. Barr deliveredhis letter describing the specialcounsel’s findings to Congress.But congressional Democratshave demanded more, and the let-ter could be just the beginning of alengthy constitutional battle be-tween Congress and the Justice
MUELLER FINDS NO TRUMP-RUSSIA CONSPIRACYPresident Sees ‘Exoneration,’ but Barr Says
Inquiry Did Not Settle Obstruction Issue
By MARK MAZZETTI and KATIE BENNER
C M Y K Yxxx,2019-03-25,A,001,Bs-4C,E2
U(DF463D)X+#!%!=!#!}
Some of the scariest parts of the film“Us” are heard rather than seen. LupitaNyong’o is a big reason why. PAGE C1
ARTS C1-6
She Sounds Awful. That’s Good.
It is one of the world’s most gruelingraces, 26 miles over Siberia’s LakeBaikal, amid cracking ice and shiftingweather. Russia Dispatch. PAGE A4
INTERNATIONAL A4-10
An Ice Marathon in Russia
A military-linked party was unexpect-edly in the lead, likely cementing thearmy’s status as the country’s dominantpolitical force. PAGE A10
In Thai Elections, a Surprise
Wang Yi has been held incommunicadofor three months, part of a governmentcrackdown on independent religiousgroups. PAGE A9
Church Leader Tested in China
Women make up eight percent of theU.S. Marine Corps. At Parris Island,S.C., they start their journey. PAGE A12
NATIONAL A11-20
From Woman to Marine
Black women in sexual assault casesoften face added pain: charges of dis-loyalty to their race. PAGE A11
When the Accuser Is Black
Top Chinese officials, looking at a skep-tical audience both at home and abroad,pledge to open the country’s markets toforeign investment. PAGE B4
BUSINESS B1-8
A Trade Thaw From China?
As start-ups like Lyft and Pinterestprepare I.P.O.s, Silicon Valley investorsare ready for their close-ups. PAGE B1
Venture Capitalists Preen
The veracity of Chanel Lewis’s confes-sion is being called into question in amurder retrial in Queens. PAGE A24
NEW YORK A21, 24
Issues of Race and Policing
The Blue Devils rallied in the finalminute to edge Central Florida, 77-76,and reach the N.C.A.A. tournament’sround of 16. Tennessee, a No. 2 seed,defeated Iowa in overtime. PAGE D3
SPORTSMONDAY D1-6
No. 1 Duke Advances, Barely
Rob Gronkowski, 29, a three-time SuperBowl champion known for his size andspeed as a tight end and for his goofyantics off the field, made the announce-ment on Instagram. PAGE D6
Patriots’ Gronkowski Retires
Charles M. Blow PAGE A23
EDITORIAL, OP-ED A22-23
WASHINGTON — PresidentTrump was in the private quartersof his Palm Beach, Fla., club onSunday afternoon when twoWhite House lawyers briefed himon the details of Attorney GeneralWilliam P. Barr’s four-page sum-mary of the Russia investigation.
Mr. Trump, just back from a
round of golf, expressed vindica-tion, though no great display ofemotion, two people close to himsaid. An hour later, as he boardedAir Force One to fly to Washing-ton, a very different Mr. Trumpemerged.
Speaking with barely concealedfury, he told reporters, “It’s ashame that our country had to gothrough this. To be honest, it’s ashame that your president hashad to go through this.” He deni-
grated the investigation, led bythe special counsel, Robert S.Mueller III, as an “illegal take-down that failed” and said thoseresponsible for it should face scru-tiny.
Mr. Trump’s aides warned himnot to react to the findings with asense of triumphalism, peopleclose to him said. But the presi-dent, who has long felt victimizedby the Russia investigation and
Quiet Weekend Closes With Triumph and Fury
By MARK LANDLERand MAGGIE HABERMAN
President Trump spoke angrily with reporters on Sunday before leaving Florida for Washington.TOM BRENNER FOR THE NEW YORK TIMES
Continued on Page A14
WASHINGTON — For Presi-dent Trump, it may have beenthe best day of his tenure so far.The darkest, most ominous cloudhanging over his presidency wasall but lifted on Sunday with therelease of the special counsel’sconclusions, which undercut thethreat of impeachment and pro-vided him with a powerful boostfor the final 22 months of histerm.
There are still other cloudsoverhead and no one outside theJustice Department has actuallyread the report by Robert S.Mueller III, the special counsel,which may yet disclose damninginformation if made public. Butthe end of the investigation with-out findings of collusion withRussia fortified the president forthe battles to come, including hiscampaign for re-election.
While critics will still argueabout whether Mr. Trump tried
to obstruct justice, the presidentquickly claimed vindication andRepublican allies pounced ontheir Democratic colleagues forwhat they called an unrelentingpartisan campaign against him.Even as his own party’s congres-sional leaders called on the coun-try to move on, however, thepresident indicated that he maynot be ready to, denouncing thevery existence of Mr. Mueller’sinvestigation as “an illegal take-down that failed” and calling fora counterinvestigation into howit got started.
Emboldened and angry, thepresident can now proceed withhis administration without thedistraction of new search war-rants and indictments by Mr.Mueller’s team or the worry thatthe special counsel might chargeMr. Trump’s family members or
Burden Lifts, Leaving PresidentFortified for the Battles to Come
By PETER BAKERNEWS ANALYSIS
Continued on Page A16
THE MEDIA After hours of waiting for news to break, TV anchors andcommentators scrambled to interpret “a lot of legalese.” PAGE A17
Attorney General William P. Barr leaving his house on Sunday.ALEX WONG/GETTY IMAGES
WASHINGTON — Over the 22months of their inquiry, Robert S.Mueller III’s investigators exam-ined countless documents and in-terviewed dozens of witnesses, in-cluding some of the highest-rank-ing lawyers and aides in the WhiteHouse, to determine whetherPresident Trump obstructed jus-tice. But in the end, the specialcounsel reached no conclusion —instead producing a report thatmerely marshaled evidence onboth sides.
Then, Attorney GeneralWilliam P. Barr, a political appoint-ee whom Mr. Trump installed lessthan a month ago and who beganreading Mr. Mueller’s report onFriday, stepped in. With the con-currence of his deputy, Rod J.Rosenstein, Mr. Barr seized theopportunity to render a judgment— pronouncing Mr. Trump clear ofcommitting any criminal offense.
The propriety of that move byMr. Barr — who had written an un-solicited memo last year arguingthat Mr. Mueller ought not to bepermitted to investigate Mr.Trump for obstruction of justice —is certain to be a focus of politicalcontention as Congress grappleswith what it now knows about thestill-secret Mueller report.
Mueller DemursSo Barr MakesA Key DecisionBy MICHAEL S. SCHMIDT
and CHARLIE SAVAGE
Continued on Page A17
INQUIRIES Democrats vowed to press on with investigations of thepresident while demanding access to Mr. Mueller’s report. PAGE A16
Continued on Page A14
VOL. CLXVIII . . . No. 58,277 © 2019 The New York Times Company MONDAY, MARCH 25, 2019 Printed in Chicago $3.00
Cloudy south. Mostly sunny north.Breezy. Highs in upper 30s to lower50s. Clear to partly cloudy tonight.Cold. Lows in 20s to 30s. Sunny to-morrow. Weather map, Page A19.
National Edition
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