Mueller says he's officially closing the Russia investigation and resigning as special counsel

Robert Mueller.
(Image credit: Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)

We finally know what Special Counsel Robert Mueller's voice sounds like.

On Wednesday, more than a month after submitting a report of his two-year investigation into Russia's interference in the 2016 election, Mueller publicly said the "investigation is complete." Mueller took no questions after the conference, but did say he was "formally closing the special counsel's office" and resigning his position "to return to private life."

Wednesday marked Mueller's first public statement regarding the probe, though it largely just summed up previous Department of Justice statements. Mueller's probe had concluded without charging President Trump with obstruction of justice, but also without exonerating him of the charge, and Mueller doubled down Wednesday by saying that if his team "had confidence that the president did not commit a crime, we would have said so." Still, Mueller clarified that it would "unconstitutional" to charge President Trump with a crime.

Subscribe to The Week

Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

SUBSCRIBE & SAVE
https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/flexiimages/jacafc5zvs1692883516.jpg

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

Sign up
See more

Mueller's statement also comes amid continued efforts by House Democrats to get him to testify before Congress in the coming weeks, though Mueller implied he wouldn't agree to that because "the report is my testimony," he said. It also comes just days before CBS is set to air an interview with Attorney General William Barr on Friday. Barr reportedly knew what Mueller planned to say Wednesday ahead of time, and Mueller said no one asked him to make the Wednesday statement.

To continue reading this article...
Continue reading this article and get limited website access each month.
Get unlimited website access, exclusive newsletters plus much more.
Cancel or pause at any time.
Already a subscriber to The Week?
Not sure which email you used for your subscription? Contact us
Kathryn Krawczyk

Kathryn is a graduate of Syracuse University, with degrees in magazine journalism and information technology, along with hours to earn another degree after working at SU's independent paper The Daily Orange. She's currently recovering from a horse addiction while living in New York City, and likes to share her extremely dry sense of humor on Twitter.