On Wednesday, May 29, Special Counsel Robert Mueller made his first public remarks since the end of his two-year investigation of Russia’s interference in the 2016 presidential election.
In his remarks, the special counsel reaffirmed the conclusions of his report, stating that his “report is [his] testimony.” However, Mueller did not exonerate the President. Rather, he stated, “If we had had confidence that the president clearly did not commit a crime, we would have said so.”
While Mueller referred to the Justice Department tradition that prohibits indicting a sitting president, he made it clear that Congress has the means and the responsibility to act. He commented that the Constitution “requires a process other than the criminal justice system to formally accuse a sitting president of wrongdoing.”
The process to which Mueller refers is an impeachment investigation – and Members of Congress are starting to get that message loud and clear. A number of Members of Congress, who had previously stopped short of supporting impeachment proceedings, have since spoken out to demand an impeachment inquiry be launched by the House Judiciary Committee. And those who had already made the call are now renewing their support:
Robert Mueller’s statement makes it clear: Congress has a legal and moral obligation to begin impeachment proceedings immediately.
— Cory Booker (@CoryBooker) May 29, 2019
It’s time for Congress to begin impeachment hearings and follow the facts. Robert Mueller clearly expects Congress to exercise its constitutional authority and take steps that he could not. We can’t let the president defy basic accountability measures built into our Constitution.
— Kirsten Gillibrand (@SenGillibrand) May 29, 2019
Mueller leaves no doubt:
1) He didn’t exonerate the president because there is evidence he committed crimes.
2) Justice Department policy prevented him from charging the president with any crimes.
3) The Constitution leaves it up to Congress to act—and that’s impeachment.— Elizabeth Warren (@ewarren) May 29, 2019
Regardless of whether special counsel Robert Mueller provides further testimony, we have more than enough evidence that Trump has committed numerous Constitutional violations. There is a clear path forward for Congress and it is to start impeachment investigations.
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