Donald Trump Warning: You are not logged in. Your IP address will be publicly visible if you make any edits. If you log in or create an account, your edits will be attributed to your username, along with other benefits.Anti-spam check. Do not fill this in! === Investigations === After he assumed office, Trump was the subject of increasing Justice Department and congressional scrutiny, with investigations covering his election campaign, transition, and inauguration, actions taken during his presidency, along with his [[The Trump Organization|private businesses]], personal taxes, and [[Donald J. Trump Foundation|charitable foundation]].<ref>{{cite web|last1=Woodward|first1=Calvin|last2=Pace|first2=Julie|title=Scope of investigations into Trump has shaped his presidency|url=https://apnews.com/article/6d6361fdf19846cb9eb020d9c6fbfa5a|access-date=December 19, 2018|work=[[AP News]]|date=December 16, 2018}}</ref> There were 30 investigations of Trump, including ten federal criminal investigations, eight state and local investigations, and twelve congressional investigations.<ref>{{cite web|last1=Buchanan|first1=Larry|last2=Yourish|first2=Karen|title=Tracking 30 Investigations Related to Trump|url=https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2019/05/13/us/politics/trump-investigations.html|access-date=October 4, 2020|work=[[The New York Times]]|date=September 25, 2019}}</ref> In April 2019, the [[House Oversight Committee]] issued [[subpoena]]s seeking financial details from Trump's banks, Deutsche Bank and [[Capital One]], and his accounting firm, [[Mazars USA]]. Trump then sued the banks, Mazars, and committee chair [[Elijah Cummings]] to prevent the disclosures.<ref>{{cite news|date=April 22, 2019|last1=Fahrenthold|first1=David A.|author-link1=David Fahrenthold|last2=Bade|first2=Rachael|last3=Wagner|first3=John|title=Trump sues in bid to block congressional subpoena of financial records|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/trump-sues-in-bid-to-block-congressional-subpoena-of-financial-records/2019/04/22/a98de3d0-6500-11e9-82ba-fcfeff232e8f_story.html|newspaper=[[The Washington Post]]|access-date=May 1, 2019}}</ref> In May, [[United States District Court for the District of Columbia|DC District Court]] judge [[Amit Mehta]] ruled that Mazars must comply with the subpoena,<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2019/05/20/us/politics/trump-financial-records.html|title=Accountants Must Turn Over Trump's Financial Records, Lower-Court Judge Rules|first=Charlie|last=Savage|author-link=Charlie Savage (author)|date=May 20, 2019|access-date=September 30, 2021|work=[[The New York Times]]}}</ref> and judge [[Edgardo Ramos]] of the [[United States District Court for the Southern District of New York|Southern District Court of New York]] ruled that the banks must also comply.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/judge-rejects-trumps-request-to-halt-congressional-subpoenas-for-his-banking-records/2019/05/22/28f9b93a-7ccd-11e9-8bb7-0fc796cf2ec0_story.html|title=Judge rejects Trump's request to halt congressional subpoenas for his banking records|newspaper=[[The Washington Post]]|date=May 22, 2019|access-date=September 30, 2021|first1=Renae|last1=Merle|first2=Michael|last2=Kranish|author-link2=Michael Kranish|first3=Felicia|last3=Sonmez|author-link3=Felicia Sonmez}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2019/05/22/business/deutsche-bank-trump-subpoena.html|title=Trump's Financial Secrets Move Closer to Disclosure|first1=Emily|last1=Flitter|first2=Jesse|last2=McKinley|first3=David|last3=Enrich|author-link3=David Enrich|first4=Nicholas|last4=Fandos|author-link4=Nicholas Fandos|date=May 22, 2019|access-date=September 30, 2021|work=[[The New York Times]]}}</ref> Trump's attorneys appealed the rulings.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.newsweek.com/trump-subpoena-appeal-merrick-garland-court-1431543|title=Donald Trump's Subpoena Appeals Now Head to Merrick Garland's Court|date=May 21, 2019|access-date=August 24, 2021|work=[[Newsweek]]|first=Alexandra|last=Hutzler}}</ref> In September 2022, the committee and Trump agreed to a settlement about Mazars, and the accounting firm began turning over documents.<ref>{{cite web|last=Broadwater|first=Luke|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2022/09/17/us/politics/mazars-accounting-trump-documents.html|title=Trump's Former Accounting Firm Begins Turning Over Documents to Congress|work=[[The New York Times]]|date=September 17, 2022 |access-date=January 28, 2023}}</ref> ==== Hush money payments ==== {{Main|Stormy Daniels–Donald Trump scandal}} {{See also|Personal and business legal affairs of Donald Trump#Payments related to alleged affairs|Karen McDougal#Alleged affair with Donald Trump|Prosecution of Donald Trump in New York#Hush money payments}} During the 2016 presidential election campaign, [[American Media, Inc.]] (AMI), the parent company of the ''[[National Enquirer]]'',<ref>{{cite news|last1=Ellison|first1=Sarah|author-link1=Sarah Ellison|last2=Farhi|first2=Paul|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/style/publisher-of-the-national-enquirer-admits-to-hush-money-payments-made-on-trumps-behalf/2018/12/12/ebf24b76-fe49-11e8-83c0-b06139e540e5_story.html|title=Publisher of the National Enquirer admits to hush-money payments made on Trump's behalf|newspaper=[[The Washington Post]]|date=December 12, 2018|access-date=January 17, 2021}}</ref> and a company set up by Cohen paid ''[[Playboy]]'' model [[Karen McDougal]] and [[Pornographic film actor|adult film actress]] [[Stormy Daniels]] for keeping silent about their alleged affairs with Trump between 2006 and 2007.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/politics/wp/2018/08/21/how-the-campaign-finance-charges-against-michael-cohen-may-implicate-trump|title=How the campaign finance charges against Michael Cohen implicate Trump|newspaper=[[The Washington Post]]|first=Philip|last=Bump|date=August 21, 2018|access-date=July 25, 2019}}</ref> Cohen pleaded guilty in 2018 to breaking campaign finance laws, saying he had arranged both payments at the direction of Trump to influence the presidential election.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://apnews.com/article/74aaf72511d64fceb1d64529207bde64|title=Cohen pleads guilty, implicates Trump in hush-money scheme|last1=Neumeister|first1=Larry|last2=Hays|first2=Tom|date=August 22, 2018|access-date=October 7, 2021|work=[[AP News]]}}</ref> Trump denied the affairs and claimed he was not aware of Cohen's payment to Daniels, but he reimbursed him in 2017.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.politico.com/story/2018/03/07/trump-stormy-daniels-payment-444133|title=White House on Stormy Daniels: Trump 'denied all these allegations'|last=Nelson|first=Louis|date=March 7, 2018|work=[[Politico]]|access-date=March 16, 2018}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2018/08/22/trump-insists-learned-michael-cohen-payments-later-on-in-fox-friends-exclusive.html|title=Trump insists he learned of Michael Cohen payments 'later on', in 'Fox & Friends' exclusive|last=Singman|first=Brooke|access-date=August 23, 2018|work=[[Fox News]]|date=August 22, 2018}}</ref> Federal prosecutors asserted that Trump had been involved in discussions regarding non-disclosure payments as early as 2014.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/national-security/federal-prosecutors-recommend-substantial-prison-term-for-former-trump-lawyer-michael-cohen/2018/12/07/e144f248-f7f3-11e8-8c9a-860ce2a8148f_story.html|title=Court filings directly implicate Trump in efforts to buy women's silence, reveal new contact between inner circle and Russian|newspaper=[[The Washington Post]]|last1=Barrett|first1=Devlin|last2=Zapotosky|first2=Matt|date=December 7, 2018|access-date=December 7, 2018}}</ref> Court documents showed that the FBI believed Trump was directly involved in the payment to Daniels, based on calls he had with Cohen in October 2016.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-trump-cohen/documents-detail-trump-teams-efforts-to-arrange-payment-to-porn-star-idUSKCN1UD18D|title=FBI documents point to Trump role in hush money for porn star Daniels|last1=Allen|first1=Jonathan|last2=Stempel|first2=Jonathan|work=[[Reuters]]|date=July 18, 2019|access-date=July 22, 2019}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://apnews.com/article/2d4138abfd0b4e71a63c94d3203e435a|title=Records detail frenetic effort to bury stories about Trump|last=Mustian|first=Jim|work=[[AP News]]|date=July 19, 2019|access-date=July 22, 2019}}</ref> Federal prosecutors closed the investigation in 2019,<ref>{{cite web|work=[[AP News]]|date=July 19, 2019|access-date=October 7, 2021|first=Jim|last=Mustian|title=Why no hush-money charges against Trump? Feds are silent|url=https://apnews.com/article/0543a381b39a42d09c27567274477983}}</ref> but the [[Manhattan District Attorney]] subpoenaed the Trump Organization and AMI for records related to the payments<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2019/08/01/nyregion/trump-cohen-stormy-daniels-vance.html|title=Manhattan D.A. Subpoenas Trump Organization Over Stormy Daniels Hush Money|first1=Ben|last1=Protess|first2=William K.|last2=Rashbaum|work=[[The New York Times]]|date=August 1, 2019|access-date=August 2, 2019}}</ref> and Trump and the Trump Organization for eight years of tax returns.<ref>{{cite web|work=[[The New York Times]]|date=September 16, 2019|first1=William K.|last1=Rashbaum|first2=Ben|last2=Protess|title=8 Years of Trump Tax Returns Are Subpoenaed by Manhattan D.A.|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2019/09/16/nyregion/trump-tax-returns-cy-vance.html|access-date=October 7, 2021}}</ref> In November 2022, ''The New York Times'' reported that Manhattan prosecutors were "newly optimistic about building a case" against Trump.<ref>{{cite web|last1=Bromwich|first1=Jonah E.|last2=Protess|first2=Ben|last3=Rashbaum|first3=William K.|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2022/11/21/nyregion/trump-bragg-stormy-daniels.html|title=Manhattan Prosecutors Move to Jump-Start Criminal Inquiry Into Trump|work=[[The New York Times]]|date=November 21, 2022|access-date=November 26, 2022}}</ref> ==== Russian election interference ==== {{Main|Russian interference in the 2016 United States elections|Timelines related to Donald Trump and Russian interference in United States elections}} {{See also|Senate Intelligence Committee report on Russian interference in the 2016 United States presidential election|Steele dossier}} In January 2017, American intelligence agencies—the [[CIA]], the [[FBI]], and the [[NSA]], represented by the [[Director of National Intelligence]]—jointly stated with "[[Analytic confidence#Levels of analytic confidence in national security reports|high confidence]]" that the Russian government interfered in the 2016 presidential election to favor the election of Trump.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2017/07/06/us/politics/trump-russia-intelligence-agencies-cia-fbi-nsa.html|title=Trump Misleads on Russian Meddling: Why 17 Intelligence Agencies Don't Need to Agree|last=Rosenberg|first=Matthew|author-link=Matthew Rosenberg|date=July 6, 2017|access-date=October 7, 2021|work=[[The New York Times]]}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|last=Sanger|first=David E.|author-link=David E. Sanger|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2017/01/06/us/politics/russia-hack-report.html|title=Putin Ordered 'Influence Campaign' Aimed at U.S. Election, Report Says|work=[[The New York Times]]|date=January 6, 2017 |access-date=October 4, 2021}}</ref> In March 2017, FBI Director [[James Comey]] told Congress, "[T]he FBI, as part of our counterintelligence mission, is investigating the Russian government's efforts to interfere in the 2016 presidential election. That includes investigating the nature of any links between individuals associated with the Trump campaign and the Russian government, and whether there was any coordination between the campaign and Russia's efforts."<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2017/03/its-official-the-fbi-is-investigating-trumps-links-to-russia/520134/|title=It's Official: The FBI Is Investigating Trump's Links to Russia|last=Berman|first=Russell|date=March 20, 2017|work=[[The Atlantic]]|access-date=June 7, 2017}}</ref> Many suspicious<ref>{{cite web|last=Harding|first=Luke|title=How Trump walked into Putin's web|work=[[The Guardian]]|date=November 15, 2017|url=https://www.theguardian.com/news/2017/nov/15/how-trump-walked-into-putins-web-luke|access-date=May 22, 2019}}</ref> [[links between Trump associates and Russian officials and spies]] were discovered and the relationships between Russians and "team Trump" were widely reported by the press.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2016/dec/13/donald-trump-russia-vladimir-putin-us-election-hack|title=Trump's relationship with Russia – what we know and what comes next|last=McCarthy|first=Tom|date=December 13, 2016|work=[[The Guardian]]|access-date=March 11, 2017}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/politics/wp/2017/03/03/the-web-of-relationships-between-team-trump-and-russia/|title=The web of relationships between Team Trump and Russia|last=Bump|first=Philip|date=March 3, 2017|newspaper=[[The Washington Post]]|access-date=March 11, 2017}}</ref> Manafort, one of Trump's campaign managers, worked from December 2004 to February 2010 to help pro-Russian politician [[Viktor Yanukovych]] win the Ukrainian presidency.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/the-fix/wp/2016/08/19/paul-manaforts-complicated-ties-to-ukraine-explained/|title=Paul Manafort's complicated ties to Ukraine, explained|last=Phillips|first=Amber|date=August 19, 2016|newspaper=[[The Washington Post]]|access-date=June 14, 2017}}</ref> Other Trump associates, including Flynn and Stone, were connected to Russian officials.<ref>{{cite web|last=Risen|first=James|title=Roger Stone Made His Name as a Dirty Trickster, but the Trump-Russia Cover-Up May Finally Bring Him Down|url=https://theintercept.com/2019/01/26/roger-stone-made-his-name-as-a-dirty-trickster-but-the-trump-russia-coverup-may-finally-bring-him-down/|work=[[The Intercept]]|date=January 26, 2019|access-date=October 7, 2021}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://time.com/4433880/donald-trump-ties-to-russia/|title=Donald Trump's Many, Many, Many, Many Ties to Russia|last=Nesbit|first=Jeff|date=August 2, 2016|magazine=[[Time (magazine)|Time]]|access-date=February 28, 2017}}</ref> Russian agents were overheard during the campaign saying they could use Manafort and Flynn to influence Trump.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://thehill.com/policy/national-security/335035-nyt-russians-discussed-using-manafort-flynn-to-influence-trump|title=NYT: Russians discussed using Manafort, Flynn to influence Trump|last=Williams|first=Katie Bo|date=May 24, 2017|work=[[The Hill (newspaper)|The Hill]]|access-date=May 28, 2017}}</ref> Members of Trump's campaign and later his White House staff, particularly Flynn, were in contact with Russian officials both before and after the November election.<ref>{{cite web|title=We Still Don't Know What Happened Between Trump and Russia|url=https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/2019/11/we-still-dont-know-what-happened-between-trump-and-russia/602116/|work=[[The Atlantic]]|date=November 15, 2019|access-date=October 7, 2021|first=David A.|last=Graham}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-trump-russia-contacts-idUSKCN18E106|title=Exclusive: Trump campaign had at least 18 undisclosed contacts with Russians: sources|last1=Parker|first1=Ned|last2=Landay|first2=Jonathan|last3=Strobel|first3=Warren|date=May 18, 2017|access-date=May 19, 2017|work=[[Reuters]]}}</ref> On December 29, 2016, Flynn talked with Russian Ambassador [[Sergey Kislyak]] about sanctions that were imposed that same day; Flynn later resigned in the midst of controversy over whether he misled Pence.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://cnn.com/2017/02/13/politics/michael-flynn-white-house-national-security-adviser/|title=Flynn resigns amid controversy over Russia contacts|last1=Murray|first1=Sara|author-link1=Sara Murray (journalist)|last2=Borger|first2=Gloria|author-link2=Gloria Borger|last3=Diamond|first3=Jeremy|author-link3=Jeremy Diamond (journalist)|date=February 14, 2017|access-date=March 2, 2017|work=[[CNN]]}}</ref> Trump told Kislyak and [[Sergei Lavrov]] in May 2017 he was unconcerned about Russian interference in U.S. elections.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/national-security/trump-told-russian-officials-in-2017-he-wasnt-concerned-about-moscows-interference-in-us-election/2019/09/27/b20a8bc8-e159-11e9-b199-f638bf2c340f_story.html|title=Trump told Russian officials in 2017 he wasn't concerned about Moscow's interference in U.S. election|newspaper=[[The Washington Post]]|date=September 27, 2019|access-date=October 8, 2021|first1=Shane|last1=Harris|author-link1=Shane Harris|first2=Josh|last2=Dawsey|author-link2=Josh Dawsey|first3=Ellen|last3=Nakashima|author-link3=Ellen Nakashima}}</ref> Trump and his allies promoted [[Conspiracy theories related to the Trump–Ukraine scandal|a conspiracy theory]] that Ukraine, rather than Russia, interfered in the 2016 election—which was also promoted by Russia to [[Frameup|frame]] Ukraine.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2019/11/22/us/politics/ukraine-russia-interference.html|title=Charges of Ukrainian Meddling? A Russian Operation, U.S. Intelligence Says|first1=Julian E.|last1=Barnes|first2=Matthew|last2=Rosenberg|author-link2=Matthew Rosenberg|date=November 22, 2019|access-date=October 8, 2021|work=[[The New York Times]]}}</ref> After the [[Democratic National Committee]] was hacked, Trump first claimed it withheld "its server" from the FBI (in actuality there were more than 140 servers, of which digital copies were given to the FBI); second, that [[CrowdStrike]], the company that investigated the servers, was Ukraine-based and Ukrainian-owned (in actuality, CrowdStrike is U.S.-based, with the largest owners being American companies); and third that "the server" was hidden in Ukraine. Members of the Trump administration spoke out against the conspiracy theories.<ref>{{cite web|last=Pelley|first=Scott|author-link=Scott Pelley|title=Why President Trump asked Ukraine to look into a DNC "server" and CrowdStrike|url=https://www.cbsnews.com/news/trump-crowdstrike-ukraine-server-conspiracy-theory-60-minutes-2020-02-16/|access-date=February 18, 2020|work=[[CBS News]]|date=February 16, 2020}}</ref> ==== FBI Crossfire Hurricane and 2017 counterintelligence investigations ==== In July 2016, the FBI launched an investigation, codenamed [[Crossfire Hurricane (FBI investigation)|Crossfire Hurricane]], into possible links between Russia and the Trump campaign.<ref>{{cite web|work=[[The New York Times]]|title=Code Name Crossfire Hurricane: The Secret Origins of the Trump Investigation|date=May 16, 2018|access-date=December 21, 2023|first1=Matt|last1=Apuzzo|author-link1=Matt Apuzzo|first2=Adam|last2=Goldman|author-link2=Adam Goldman|first3=Nicholas|last3=Fandos|author-link3=Nicholas Fandos|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2018/05/16/us/politics/crossfire-hurricane-trump-russia-fbi-mueller-investigation.html}}</ref> After Trump fired FBI director James Comey in May 2017, the FBI opened a counterintelligence investigation into Trump's personal and [[Business projects of Donald Trump in Russia|business dealings with Russia]].<ref>{{cite web|work=[[NBC News]]|url=https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/donald-trump/fbi-agent-who-helped-launch-russia-investigation-says-trump-was-n1239442|title=FBI agent who helped launch Russia investigation says Trump was 'compromised'|access-date=December 21, 2023|first=Ken|last=Dilanian|date=September 7, 2020}}</ref> Crossfire Hurricane was transferred to the Mueller investigation,<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.9news.com.au/world/crossfire-hurricane-trump-russia-investigation-started-with-alexander-downer-interview/16121e23-bdfc-4f32-9822-e4a7f841e3e4|work=[[Nine News]]|title=Crossfire Hurricane: Trump Russia investigation started with Alexander Downer interview|first=Nick|last=Pearson|date=May 17, 2018|access-date=December 21, 2023}}</ref> but deputy attorney general [[Rod Rosenstein]] ended the investigation into Trump's direct ties to Russia while giving the bureau the false impression that Mueller would pursue the matter.<ref name="never">{{cite web|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2020/08/30/us/politics/trump-russia-justice-department.html|title=Justice Dept. Never Fully Examined Trump's Ties to Russia, Ex-Officials Say|first=Michael S.|last=Schmidt|author-link=Michael S. Schmidt|date=August 30, 2020|access-date=October 8, 2021|work=[[The New York Times]]}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-trump-russia-rosenstein-idUSKBN23330H|title=Rosenstein to testify in Senate on Trump-Russia probe|work=[[Reuters]]|date=May 27, 2020|access-date=October 19, 2021}}</ref> ==== Mueller investigation ==== {{Main|Mueller special counsel investigation|Mueller report|Criminal charges brought in the Mueller special counsel investigation}} In May 2017, [[United States Deputy Attorney General|Deputy Attorney General]] Rod Rosenstein appointed [[Robert Mueller]], a former [[director of the FBI]], [[special counsel]] for the [[United States Department of Justice|Department of Justice]] (DOJ), ordering him to "examine 'any links and/or coordination between the Russian government' and the Trump campaign". He privately told Mueller to restrict the investigation to criminal matters "in connection with Russia's 2016 election interference".<ref name="never"/> The special counsel also investigated whether Trump's [[dismissal of James Comey]] as FBI director constituted obstruction of justice<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/post-politics/wp/2017/06/15/the-president-is-under-investigation-for-obstruction-of-justice-how-did-we-get-here/|title=Trump Is Officially under Investigation. How Did We Get Here?|newspaper=[[The Washington Post]]|last=Vitkovskaya|first=Julie|date=June 16, 2017|access-date=June 16, 2017}}</ref> and the Trump campaign's possible ties to Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, [[Turkey]], [[Qatar]], Israel, and China.<ref>{{cite web|first=Joshua|last=Keating|author-link=Joshua Keating|title=It's Not Just a "Russia" Investigation Anymore|url=https://slate.com/news-and-politics/2018/03/mueller-investigation-spreads-to-qatar-israel-uae-china-turkey.html|work=[[Slate (magazine)|Slate]]|date=March 8, 2018|access-date=October 8, 2021}}</ref> Trump sought to fire Mueller and shut down the investigation multiple times but backed down after his staff objected or after changing his mind.<ref>{{cite web|last1=Haberman|first1=Maggie|author-link1=Maggie Haberman|last2=Schmidt|first2=Michael S.|author-link2=Michael S. Schmidt|title=Trump Sought to Fire Mueller in December|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2018/04/10/us/politics/trump-sought-to-fire-mueller-in-december.html|work=[[The New York Times]]|date=April 10, 2018|access-date=October 8, 2021}}</ref> In March 2019, Mueller concluded his investigation and gave [[Mueller report|his report]] to Attorney General [[William Barr]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.cnbc.com/2019/03/22/robert-mueller-submits-special-counsels-russia-probe-report-to-attorney-general-william-barr.html|title=Mueller probe ends: Special counsel submits Russia report to Attorney General William Barr|last=Breuninger|first=Kevin|date=March 22, 2019|work=[[CNBC]]|access-date=March 22, 2019}}</ref> Two days later, Barr [[Barr letter|sent a letter to Congress]] purporting to summarize the report's main conclusions. A federal court, as well as Mueller himself, said Barr mischaracterized the investigation's conclusions and, in so doing, confused the public.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/national-security/mueller-complained-that-barrs-letter-did-not-capture-context-of-trump-probe/2019/04/30/d3c8fdb6-6b7b-11e9-a66d-a82d3f3d96d5_story.html|title=Mueller complained that Barr's letter did not capture 'context' of Trump probe|first1=Devlin|last1=Barrett|first2=Matt|last2=Zapotosky|date=April 30, 2019|newspaper=[[The Washington Post]]|access-date=May 30, 2019}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/national-security/mueller-report-attorney-general-william-barr/2020/03/05/3fa7afce-5f2c-11ea-b29b-9db42f7803a7_story.html|title=Judge cites Barr's 'misleading' statements in ordering review of Mueller report redactions|newspaper=[[The Washington Post]]|first1=Spencer S.|last1=Hsu|first2=Devlin|last2=Barrett|date=March 5, 2020|access-date=October 8, 2021}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2020/03/05/us/politics/mueller-report-barr-judge-walton.html|title=Judge Calls Barr's Handling of Mueller Report 'Distorted' and 'Misleading'|first=Charlie|last=Savage|author-link=Charlie Savage (author)|work=[[The New York Times]]|date=March 5, 2020|access-date=October 8, 2021}}</ref> Trump repeatedly and falsely claimed that the investigation exonerated him; the Mueller report expressly stated that it did not exonerate him.<ref>{{cite web|first1=Hope|last1=Yen|first2=Calvin|last2=Woodward|title=AP FACT CHECK: Trump falsely claims Mueller exonerated him|url=https://apnews.com/article/130932b573664ea5a4d186f752bb8d50|date=July 24, 2019|access-date=October 8, 2021|work=[[Associated Press]]}}</ref> A redacted version of the report was publicly released in April 2019. It found that Russia interfered in 2016 to favor Trump's candidacy and hinder Clinton's.<ref>{{cite web|title=Main points of Mueller report|date=January 16, 2012 |url=https://www.afp.com/en/news/15/main-points-mueller-report-doc-1fr5vv1|publisher=[[Agence France-Presse]]|access-date=April 20, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190420143436/https://www.afp.com/en/news/15/main-points-mueller-report-doc-1fr5vv1|archive-date=April 20, 2019}}</ref> Despite "numerous links between the Russian government and the Trump campaign", the report found that the prevailing evidence "did not establish" that Trump campaign members conspired or coordinated with Russian interference.<ref>{{cite web|last1=Ostriker|first1=Rebecca|last2=Puzzanghera|first2=Jim|last3=Finucane|first3=Martin|last4=Datar|first4=Saurabh|last5=Uraizee|first5=Irfan|last6=Garvin|first6=Patrick|title=What the Mueller report says about Trump and more|url=https://apps.bostonglobe.com/news/politics/graphics/2019/03/mueller-report/|work=[[The Boston Globe]]|date=April 18, 2019|access-date=April 22, 2019}}</ref><ref name="takeaways">{{cite web|last=Law|first=Tara|title=Here Are the Biggest Takeaways From the Mueller Report|date=April 18, 2019|url=http://time.com/5567077/mueller-report-release/|magazine=[[Time (magazine)|Time]]|access-date=April 22, 2019}}</ref> The report revealed sweeping Russian interference<ref name="takeaways" /> and detailed how Trump and his campaign welcomed and encouraged it, believing "[they] would benefit electorally from information stolen and released through Russian efforts".<ref>{{cite web|last1=Lynch|first1=Sarah N.|last2=Sullivan|first2=Andy|date=April 18, 2018|title=In unflattering detail, Mueller report reveals Trump actions to impede inquiry|work=[[Reuters]]|url=https://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-trump-russia-idUSKCN1RU0DN |access-date=July 10, 2022}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|work=[[The New York Times]]|date=July 24, 2019|first=Mark|last=Mazzetti|author-link=Mark Mazzetti|title=Mueller Warns of Russian Sabotage and Rejects Trump's 'Witch Hunt' Claims|access-date=March 4, 2020|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2019/07/24/us/politics/trump-mueller-testimony.html}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|newspaper=[[The Washington Post]]|date=May 30, 2019|last=Bump|first=Philip|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2019/05/30/trump-briefly-acknowledges-that-russia-aided-his-election-falsely-says-he-didnt-help-effort/|access-date=March 5, 2020|title=Trump briefly acknowledges that Russia aided his election – and falsely says he didn't help the effort}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|last1=Polantz|first1=Katelyn|last2=Kaufman|first2=Ellie|last3=Murray|first3=Sara|url=https://cnn.com/2020/06/19/politics/mueller-report-rerelease-fewer-redactions/|title=Mueller raised possibility Trump lied to him, newly unsealed report reveals|work=[[CNN]]|date=June 19, 2020|access-date=October 30, 2022}}</ref> The report also detailed multiple acts of potential obstruction of justice by Trump but did not make a "traditional prosecutorial judgment" on whether Trump broke the law, suggesting that Congress should make such a determination.<ref>{{cite news|last1=Barrett|first1=Devlin|last2=Zapotosky|first2=Matt|title=Mueller report lays out obstruction evidence against the president|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/national-security/attorney-general-to-provide-overview-of-mueller-report-at-news-conference-before-its-release/2019/04/17/8dcc9440-54b9-11e9-814f-e2f46684196e_story.html|newspaper=[[The Washington Post]]|date=April 17, 2019|access-date=April 20, 2019}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.factcheck.org/2019/04/what-the-mueller-report-says-about-obstruction/|title=What the Mueller Report Says About Obstruction|last1=Farley|first1=Robert|last2=Robertson|first2=Lori|last3=Gore|first3=D'Angelo|last4=Spencer|first4=Saranac Hale|last5=Fichera|first5=Angelo|last6=McDonald|first6=Jessica|date=April 18, 2019|work=[[FactCheck.org]]|access-date=April 22, 2019}}</ref> Investigators decided they could not "apply an approach that could potentially result in a judgment that the President committed crimes" as an [[Office of Legal Counsel]] opinion stated that a sitting president could not be indicted,<ref name="LM">{{cite web|last=Mascaro|first=Lisa|title=Mueller drops obstruction dilemma on Congress|url=https://apnews.com/article/35829a2b010248f193d1efd00c4de7e5|work=[[AP News]]|date=April 18, 2019|access-date=April 20, 2019}}</ref> and investigators would not accuse him of a crime when he cannot clear his name in court.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.cbsnews.com/live-news/robert-mueller-statement-today-report-investigation-trump-2016-election-live-updates-2019-05/|title=Mueller: If it were clear president committed no crime, "we would have said so"|last=Segers|first=Grace|date=May 29, 2019|work=[[CBS News]]|access-date=June 2, 2019}}</ref> The report concluded that Congress, having the authority to take action against a president for wrongdoing, "may apply the obstruction laws".<ref name="LM"/> The House of Representatives subsequently launched an [[Impeachment inquiry against Donald Trump|impeachment inquiry]] following the [[Trump–Ukraine scandal]], but did not pursue an article of impeachment related to the Mueller investigation.<ref>{{cite web|title=Why Democrats sidelined Mueller in impeachment articles|first1=Kyle|last1=Cheney|first2=Heather|last2=Caygle|first3=John|last3=Bresnahan|url=https://www.politico.com/news/2019/12/10/democrats-sidelined-mueller-trump-impeachment-080910|work=[[Politico]]|date=December 10, 2019|access-date=October 8, 2021}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2019/12/10/democrats-ditch-bribery-mueller-trump-impeachment-articles-is-that-smart-play/|title=Democrats ditch 'bribery' and Mueller in Trump impeachment articles. But is that the smart play?|first=Aaron|last=Blake|date=December 10, 2019|access-date=October 8, 2021|newspaper=[[The Washington Post]]}}</ref> Several Trump associates pleaded guilty or were convicted in connection with Mueller's investigation and related cases, including Manafort, [[Trials of Paul Manafort|convicted on eight felony counts]],<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/national-security/manafort-jury-suggests-it-cannot-come-to-a-consensus-on-a-single-count/2018/08/21/a2478ac0-a559-11e8-a656-943eefab5daf_story.html|title=Manafort convicted on 8 counts; mistrial declared on 10 others|last1=Zapotosky|first1=Matt|last2=Bui|first2=Lynh|last3=Jackman|first3=Tom|last4=Barrett|first4=Devlin|date=August 21, 2018|newspaper=[[The Washington Post]]|access-date=August 21, 2018}}</ref> deputy campaign manager [[Rick Gates (political consultant)|Rick Gates]],<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2019/dec/17/trump-russia-rick-gates-45-days-prison-fbi|title=Rick Gates: ex-Trump aide sentenced to 45 days in prison for lying to FBI|work=[[The Guardian]]|date=December 17, 2019|access-date=October 5, 2021}}</ref> foreign policy advisor Papadopoulos,<ref>{{cite web|last=Polantz|first=Katelyn|url=https://cnn.com/2018/11/26/politics/george-papadopoulos-prison/|title=George Papadopoulos to start 14-day prison sentence Monday|work=[[CNN]]|date=November 26, 2018|access-date=October 6, 2021}}</ref> and Flynn.<ref>{{cite web|last=Mangan|first=Dan|title=Trump and Giuliani are right that 'collusion is not a crime.' But that doesn't matter for Mueller's probe|url=https://www.cnbc.com/2018/07/30/giuliani-is-right-collusion-isnt-a-crime-but-that-wont-help-trump.html|work=[[CNBC]]|date=July 30, 2018|access-date=October 8, 2021}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=Mueller investigation: No jail time sought for Trump ex-adviser Michael Flynn|url=https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-46449950|work=[[BBC]]|date=December 5, 2018|access-date=October 8, 2021}}</ref> Cohen pleaded guilty to lying to Congress about Trump's 2016 attempts to reach a deal with Russia to build [[Trump Tower Moscow|a Trump Tower in Moscow]]. Cohen said he had made the false statements on behalf of Trump, who was identified as "Individual-1" in the court documents.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/michael-cohen-trumps-former-lawyer-pleads-guilty-to-lying-to-congress/2018/11/29/5fac986a-f3e0-11e8-bc79-68604ed88993_story.html|title=Michael Cohen, Trump's former lawyer, pleads guilty to lying to Congress about Moscow project|date=November 29, 2018|newspaper=[[The Washington Post]]|first1=Devlin|last1=Barrett|first2=Matt|last2=Zapotosky|first3=Rosalind S.|last3=Helderman|author-link3=Rosalind S. Helderman|access-date=December 12, 2018}}</ref> In February 2020, Stone was sentenced to 40 months in prison for lying to Congress and witness tampering regarding his attempts to learn more about hacked Democratic emails during the 2016 election. The sentencing judge said Stone "was prosecuted for covering up for the president".<ref>{{cite news|first1=Rachel|last1=Weiner|first2=Matt|last2=Zapotosky|first3=Tom|last3=Jackman|first4=Devlin|last4=Barrett|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/public-safety/roger-stone-sentence-due-thursday-in-federal-court/2020/02/19/2e01bfc8-4c38-11ea-9b5c-eac5b16dafaa_story.html|title=Roger Stone sentenced to three years and four months in prison, as Trump predicts 'exoneration' for his friend|newspaper=[[The Washington Post]]|date=February 20, 2020|access-date=March 3, 2020}}</ref> Summary: Please note that all contributions to Christianpedia may be edited, altered, or removed by other contributors. If you do not want your writing to be edited mercilessly, then do not submit it here. You are also promising us that you wrote this yourself, or copied it from a public domain or similar free resource (see Christianpedia:Copyrights for details). Do not submit copyrighted work without permission! 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