In the News

WASHINGTON – The news that Special Counsel Robert Mueller found no coordination by President Donald Trump or his aides with Russian election interference was welcomed by GOP members of Congress on Sunday.  

"NO COLLUSION!" House member Sean Duffy of Wisconsin, a vocal Trump supporter, exclaimed on Twitter, saying, "Now it's time for Democrats in Congress & the media to apologize, move on, and help us keep making America great!" 

“We should all be happy that after an extensive investigation, the Special Counsel ‘did not establish that members of the Trump Campaign conspired or coordinated with the Russian government.’ Unfortunately, the investigation took almost two years and was a huge distraction from the significant problems facing our nation. Hopefully, the attorney general can quickly conclude his final report and allow us to turn our full attention to those other challenging issues.”

According to a letter released Sunday by Atty. Gen. William Barr, Mueller "did not find that the Trump campaign or anyone associated with it conspired or coordinated with Russia in its efforts to influence the 2016 U.S. presidential election." 

On the separate question of whether  the president committed obstruction of justice with respect to the Russia investigation, Barr wrote that Mueller "did not draw a conclusion – one way or the other –– as to whether the examined conduct constituted obstruction." 

Barr reported that the "Special Counsel states that 'while this report does not conclude that the President committed a crime, it also does not exonerate him.'”

In a statement Monday, House Democrat Mark Pocan of Wisconsin said: 

“Just a handful of individuals have read the Special Counsel’s report, meaning nearly everyone who is making conclusions regarding it, has not read it. Given Attorney General Barr’s role as a political appointee — as well as President Trump’s record of essentially firing Attorney General Sessions over fears that he would not protect him, we must demand transparency and read it ourselves to draw our own conclusions. The American people deserve the full truth behind the Special Counsel’s report and any attempts to censor it will be unacceptable." 

Other Wisconsin Democrats echoed that sentiment. Senate Democrat Tammy Baldwin said on Twitter Tuesday: 

"Special Counsel Mueller's independent investigation did not exonerate President Trump. Attorney General Barr needs to release the full Mueller report and underlying documentation. The American people deserve to know why the President has not been cleared of wrongdoing." 

Democratic U.S. Rep. Gwen Moore said Tuesday: "The Special Counsel states that 'while this report does not conclude that the President committed a crime, it also does not exonerate him.' The full report and findings should be released to the public and Congress."

Wisconsin Republican Jim Sensenbrenner, former House judiciary chair, issued the following statement Monday: 

“Throughout this process, I have repeatedly said that Special Counsel Bob Mueller should be able to finish his investigation unimpeded and that I would withhold judgment until then. After two years, millions of taxpayer dollars, and the full power of our legal system, Mueller has confirmed that the President did not collude with Russia.

"The special counsel’s investigation was free of political bias, and it will be a mistake for my Democratic colleagues to continue pursuing this disproven narrative for purely partisan purposes. I am eager to read the full report, but today’s top line summary from the Attorney General is a welcomed vindication for the President.”