The Department of Justice “determined not to make a traditional prosecutorial judgement.”On the issue of obstruction of justice, Mr Barr’s letter is more ambivalent. Noting that Mr Mueller decided not to make a “traditional prosecutorial judgment” on the issue of obstruction of justice, it adds: “While this report does not conclude that the president committed a crime, it also does not exonerate him.
Jerry Nadler, the head of the judiciary committee in the House of Representatives, noted that the special counsel “clearly and explicitly is not exonerating the president”. “We must hear from AG Barr about his decision-making and see all the underlying evidence for the American people to know all the facts.”
But Republicans said the letter exonerated the president. Senator Lindsey Graham said it was a “bad day for those hoping the Mueller investigation would take president Trump down . . . Now it is time to move on, govern the country, and get ready to combat Russia and other foreign actors ahead of 2020.”
A senior department of justice official said she did not know how long it would take Mr Barr to decide which portions of Mr Mueller’s report to make public.
Mueller is a prosecutor. His report will be from that perspective. As Prof. Dershowitz said, allow the Trump team to see it, offer their rebuttals and release BOTH at the same time. It’s only fair.