5/29/2019

ROBERT MUELLER/RUSSIA INVESTIGATION/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT: “It’s been a constant refrain for President Donald Trump since the April 19 release of special counsel Robert Mueller’s report: ‘No collusion, no obstruction,’ Trump has said and tweeted dozens of times. But Mueller’s dramatic public statement on Wednesday [5-29-19] was a powerful reminder, perhaps even to the White House, that Trump’s past comments were misleading at best. In concluding remarks before formally leaving his post after more than two years, Mueller made clear on Wednesday that he did not determine that Trump hadn’t obstructed justice, and that ‘if we had had confidence the president clearly did not commit a crime we would have said so.’ It was far from the ‘total exoneration’ that Trump has repeatedly — and falsely — claimed. The renewed attention Mueller drew to his findings also seemed to produce a subtle change from Trump and his allies. They were mostly careful not to assert that Mueller had cleared Trump outright. It seemed a retreat from more definitive statements, and a recognition that Mueller’s spoken words would have more resonance than his dense, 448-page official report.”

Anita Kumar, “‘No obstruction’ no more: Mueller statement prompts shift in Trump talking points,” Politico, May 29, 2019 7:05 pm