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Democrats plan strategy after Mueller report

Trump wants investigation

WASHINGTON — Democrats grappled Monday with special counsel Robert Mueller’s findings, holding strategy sessions as Republicans gleefully called for them to “move on.” President Donald Trump accused those responsible for launching Mueller’s Russia probe of “treasonous things against our country” and said they “certainly will be looked into.”

Trump said the release of Mueller’s full report “wouldn’t bother me at all” as the Democrats clamored for the Justice Department to release the entire document and not just Sunday’s four-page summary from Attorney General William Barr.

Barr’s letter said Mueller did not find Trump’s campaign “conspired or coordinated” with Russia to influence the 2016 presidential election — knocking down arguments from Democrats who have long claimed there was evidence of such collusion.

But Mueller reached no conclusion on whether Trump obstructed the federal investigation, according to Barr’s summary, instead setting out “evidence on both sides” of the question and stating that “while this report does not conclude the president committed a crime, it also does not exonerate him.” Absent a recommendation from Mueller, Barr stepped in and decided there wasn’t sufficient evidence to establish that the president obstructed justice.

Rep. David Cicilline, a Democratic member of the House Judiciary Committee, said he is among those “not willing to accept the Barr report as a substitute” for the special counsel’s findings. He said the Judiciary panel will make a formal request for Mueller’s report, with the expectation of a response from the Justice Department in “short order.”

“People expect that this report be produced,” Cicilline said. “The longer we wait the worse it is for the American people.”

Trump, his spokesmen and leading congressional Republicans all claimed total vindication for the president anyway. Questioned by reporters, Trump said he welcomed Mueller’s results but complained he had been abused by the investigation occurring at all and taking too long.

“We can never let this happen to another president again,” he said. “There are a lot of people out there that have done some very evil things, very bad things, I would say treasonous things against our country.”

“Those people will certainly be looked at. I’ve been looking at them for a long time. And I’m saying why haven’t they been looked at. They lied to Congress.”

On Monday, Democrats showed they will curtail some focus, at least, in their investigations of Trump and try to keep attention on policy goals. The House intelligence panel postponed an open hearing with a Russian-born former business adviser to Trump.

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi was scheduled to hold a news conference Tuesday on health care legislation.

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