Backlash as Donald Trump is cleared of election collusion with the Russians

Donald Trump declared America the “greatest place on earth” today after it was revealed Special Counsel Robert Mueller found no evidence that his campaign colluded with Russia to win the 2016 US presidential election.

But the president’s elation was tempered by demands from Democrat leaders for the release of Mr Mueller’s full report and accusations that Attorney General William Barr, who issued a summary of the Special Counsel’s findings last night, was not neutral.

In his four-page summary, the Attorney General wrote that the 22-month investigation “did not establish that members of the Trump Campaign conspired or coordinated with the Russian government in its election interference activities” during the 2016 campaign.

On allegations of obstruction of justice, Mr Mueller’s report “does not conclude that the President committed a crime, it also does not exonerate him”. Rather than reach a conclusion himself, the Special Counsel “sets out evidence on both sides of the question”.

But Mr Barr said he and Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein decided there was insufficient evidence to charge the president with any offence.

There was an angry backlash from Democrats who had hoped to build a case for impeachment. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and the top Democrat in the Senate, Chuck Schumer, issued a statement to Congress claiming the Attorney General’s letter “raises as many questions as it answers”. They said Mr Barr, who was appointed by the president a little over a month ago, was “not a neutral observer”.

“The fact that Mueller’s report does not exonerate the president on a charge as serious as obstruction of justice demonstrates how urgent it is that the full report and underlying documentation be made public without any further delay,” they added.

The chairman of the House Judiciary Committee, Jerrold Nadler, said he will call Mr Barr to testify “in the near future” because of the “very concerning discrepancies and final decision making” at the Justice Department.

As he arrived at the White House after a weekend at his Mar-a-Lago private club in Florida, Mr Trump said only: “I just want to tell you that, America is the greatest place on earth.”

Earlier, the president blasted the inquiry as “an illegal takedown that failed”. He also tweeted: “No Collusion, No Obstruction, Complete and Total EXONERATION. KEEP AMERICA GREAT!” Mr Trump’s daughter Ivanka Trump shared a quote on Twitter from former US president Abraham Lincoln. She wrote: “Truth is generally the best vindication against slander.”

The White House followed the president’s example by ignoring Mr Mueller’s insistence that he was unable to clear the president of claims he obstructed justice. The allegations stem from an accusation from former FBI director James Comey that Mr Trump suggested to him he could drop a probe into his then National Security Adviser Michael Flynn over his communications with a Russian diplomat.

The initial findings were seen in Washington today as a boost to Mr Trump’s re-election hopes in 2020.

Mr Barr wrote that he intends to release as much information from the report as he can within the boundaries of the law.