Robert Mueller says Donald Trump was not exonerated in Russia probe

US Special Counsel Robert Mueller said he could not exonerate Donald Trump from obstruction of justice as part of the Russia investigation.

Mr Mueller, who was questioned by a congressional hearing on Wednesday, also said the US president also wanted him fired as special counsel.

It comes as televised hearings on Capitol Hill open with Mr Mueller giving back-to-back appearances since wrapping his two-year investigation into whether Russia interfered in the 2016 presidential elections.

The investigation also looked into suspicious links between Trump associates and Russian officials.

Robert Mueller prepares to testify before the House Judiciary Committee during a much-anticipated hearing about Russian interference into the 2016 election.
EPA

The House of Representatives Judiciary Committee's Democratic chairman, Jerrold Nadler, opened Wednesday's proceedings by praising Mueller and said no one, including Mr Trump, is "above the law."

Mr Mueller, 74, was surrounded by news photographers as he took his place in the packed hearing room, apparently showing little emotion as he scanned the scene.

Former special counsel Robert Mueller listens as he testifies before the House Judiciary Committee hearing on his report on Russian election interference.
AP

When asked whether Mr Trump wanted him fired for investigating possible obstruction of justice, Mr Mueller referred to his report on the investigation.

He said: "That's what it says in the report, yes. I stand by the report."

House Judiciary Committee Chair Jerrold Nadler arrives to hear former special counsel Robert Mueller
AP

Mr Mueller also told the hearing that he could not exonerate Mr Trump of obstruction of justice, adding that the president's claims that he had done so in his report are not correct.

"The president was not exculpated for the acts that he allegedly committed," Mr Mueller said.

"Obstruction of justice strikes at the core of the government's efforts to find the truth and to hold wrongdoers accountable."

"The president was not exculpated for the acts that he allegedly committed," Mr Mueller said.
AFP/Getty Images

Mr Mueller, accused by Mr Trump of heading a "witch hunt" and trying to orchestrate a "coup" against the Republican president, said his inquiry was conducted in "a fair and independent manner" and that members of the special counsel's team "were of the highest integrity".

"Let me say one more thing," Mueller said. "Over the course of my career, I have seen a number of challenges to our democracy. The Russian government's effort to interfere with our election is among the most serious."

In a comment sure to disappoint Republicans, Mr Mueller said he would not answer questions about the origins of the Russia probe in the FBI before he was named to take over the inquiry in 2017 or about a controversial dossier compiled by a former British intelligence agent

Former special counsel Robert Mueller testifies to the House Judiciary Committee about his investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 election.
AP

Mr Mueller has warned that he will not stray beyond what has already been revealed in his report.

The Justice Department has instructed Mr Mueller to stay strictly within those parameters, giving him a formal directive to point to if he faces questions he does not want to answer.

Mr Trump lashed out early Wednesday ahead of the hearing, saying on Twitter that "Democrats and others" are trying to fabricate a crime and pin it on "a very innocent President".

"Why didn't Robert Mueller investigate the investigators?" Mr Trump said in his tweet.

Former special counsel Robert Mueller testifies to the House Judiciary Committee about his investigation into President Donald Trump.
AP

Mr Trump has made Mr Mueller a regular target of attack over the past two years in an attempt to undermine his credibility and portray him as biased and compromised.

Over the last week, Mr Trump began to frequently ask confidants how he thought the hearing would go, and while he expressed no worry that Mr Mueller would reveal anything damaging, he was irritated that the former special counsel was being given the national stage, according to two Republicans close to the White House.

Mr Mueller's investigation led to criminal charges against 34 people and three Russian entities.

People who were convicted at trial or pleaded guilty included Mr Trump's former campaign chairman and other aides.

Mr Mueller, who served as Federal Bureau of Investigation director from 2001 to 2013 under presidents in both parties, was named as special counsel by the Justice Department in May 2017 to take over the FBI's Russia probe after Mr Trump fired James Comey as the agency's chief.

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