Robert Mueller on not indicting Trump in Russia interference probe

“Robert Mueller just died. Well, I’m glad he’s dead.” The Republican president added, “He can’t hurt innocent people anymore!”

Interest in Mueller’s Russia investigation surges as Trump makes controversial comments. What did he find? Why does Trump “hate” Mueller? Social media users raised several questions.

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Mueller made clear that his investigation into Russian interference was limited by long-standing Justice Department rules, not a lack of review.

“Under long-standing department policy, a sitting president cannot be charged with a federal crime while in office. This is unconstitutional. Therefore, charging the president with a crime is not an option.”

The policy, issued by the Justice Department’s Office of Legal Counsel (OLC), ultimately means Mueller cannot bring criminal charges against Trump while he is in office.

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“If we were satisfied that the president clearly did not commit a crime, we would say so. However, we do not determine whether the president did commit a crime.”

“In accordance with Department of Justice policy and the principles of fairness, we have decided not to make a determination as to whether the president committed a crime. That is our decision,” he added.

Mueller has held no press conferences or made public appearances during the investigation, remaining silent despite attacks from Trump and his supporters and creating an air of mystery about his work.

All told, Mueller brought criminal charges against six aides to the president, including his campaign chairman and first national security adviser.

Mueller is the second-longest-serving director in FBI history after J. Edgar Hoover, who held the post until 2013 after agreeing to Democratic President Barack Obama’s request to stay on after his 10-year term ended.

After several years in private practice, Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein asked Mueller to return to public service as special counsel in the Trump-Russia investigation.

(With AP input)