English subtitles for clip: File:Special Counsel Robert S. Mueller III Makes Statement on Investigation into Russian Interference...webm

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Good morning everyone and thank you

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for being here two years ago the acting Attorney General

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asked me to serve as special counsel

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and he created the special counsel's office

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the appointment order directed the office to investigate

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Russian interference in the twenty sixteen presidential election

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this included investigating any links

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or coordination between the Russian government

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and individuals associated

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with the trump campaign

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no I have not spoken publicly during our investigation

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I'm speaking out today because our investigation is complete

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the Attorney General has made the report on our investigation

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largely public we are formally closing the special counsel's

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office and as well I'm resigning

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from the department of justice to return to private

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life I'll make a few remarks about the results of our work

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but beyond these few remarks it is important that the offices

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written work speak for itself

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let me begin where the appointment order begins

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and that is interference

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in the twenty sixteen presidential

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election as alleged by the grand jury in an indictment Russian

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intelligence officers who were part of the Russian military

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launched a concerted attack on our political system

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the indictment alleges that they use sophisticated cyber techniques

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to hack into computers and networks used by the Clinton campaign

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they stole private information

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and then release that information through fake

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online and identities and through the organization wikileaks

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the releases were designed

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and timed to interfere with our election

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and do damage a presidential candidate

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and at the same time as the grand jury alleged in a separate

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indictment a private Russian entity engaged in a social media

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operation where Russian citizens posed

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as Americans in order to influence

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and a an election these indictments contain Alec allegations

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and we are not caught commenting on the guilt

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of any specific defendant

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every defendant is presumed innocent unless

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and until proven guilty

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the indictments allege any other activities in our report

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to describe efforts to interfere in our political system

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they needed to be investigated

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and understood and that is among the reasons why the department

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of justice established our office

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that is also a reason we investigated efforts to obstruct

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the investigation the matter is we investigated were of paramount

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importance it was critical

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for us to obtain full and accurate information

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from every person we question

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when a subject of an investigation obstructs that investigation

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or lies to investigators

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it strikes at the core of the government's

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effort to find the truth

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and hold wrongdoers accountable

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let me say a word about the report report has

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two parts addressing the two main issues we were asked to investigate

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the first volume of the report details numerous efforts emanating

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from Russia to influence the election

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this volume includes a discussion of the top campaigns response

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to this activity as well

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as our conclusion that there was insufficient evidence to charge

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a broader conspiracy and in the

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second volume the report describes

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the results and analysis

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of our instruction of justice investigation

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involving the president

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the order appointing a special counsel

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authorized us to investigate actions that could

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obstruct the investigation

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we conducted that investigation

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and we kept the office of the acting Attorney General

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apprised of the progress of our work

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and as set forth in the report after

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that investigation if we had had cog confidence

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that the president clearly did not commit a crime we would

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have said so we did not

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however make a determination

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as to whether the president did commit a crime

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the introduction to the volume two of our report explains

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that decision it explains under longstanding department policy

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a present president cannot be charged with a federal crime

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well he is in office that is unconstitutional

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even if the charge is kept under seal

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and hidden from public view

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that too is prohibited the special counsel's office is part

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of the department of justice

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and by regulation it was bound by that department policy

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charging the president with a crime was

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therefore not an option we could

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consider the department's written opinion explaining the policy

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makes several important points

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that further informed our handling of the obstruction investigation

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those points are summarized in our report

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and I will describe two of them

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for you first the opinion explicitly explicitly

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permits the investigation of a sitting president

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because it is important to preserve evidence

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while memories are fresh

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and documents available

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among other things that evidence could be used if there were

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co conspirators who could be charged now

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and second the opinion says that the constitution requires

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a process other than the criminal justice system

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to formally accused a sitting president

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of wrongdoing.

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And beyond department policy we were guided by principles

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of fairness it would be unfair to potentially

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it would be unfair to potentially accuse somebody of a crime

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when there can be no court resolution of the actual charge

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so that was just a department policy

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those were the principles under which we operated

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and from then we concluded that we would

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would not reach a determination

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one way or the other about whether the president committed

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a crime that is the offices

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yeah that is the offices final position

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and we will not comment on any other conclusions or hypotheticals

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about the president we conducted an independent criminal investigation

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and reported the results to the Attorney General

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as required by department

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regulations the Attorney General then concluded that it was

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appropriate to provide a report

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to Congress and to the American people

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at one point in time I requested that certain portions of

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the report be released the general prepare a preferred to make

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that and preferred to make the entire

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report public all at once

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and we appreciate that the Attorney General made the report

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largely public and I surely not question the attorney general's

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good face in that decision.

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No I hope and expect this to be the only time that I will speak

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to you in this matter.

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I am making that decision myself

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no one has told me whether I can or should testify

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or speak further about this matter

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there is been discussion about an appearance before Congress

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any testimony from this office would not go beyond our report

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it contains our findings

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and analysis and the reasons

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for the decisions we made

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we chose those words carefully

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and the work speaks for itself

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and the report is my testimony

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I would not provide information beyond

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that which is already public

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in any appearance before Congress

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in addition access to our under the underlying work product

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is being decided in a process that does not does not involve

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our office so beyond what I've said here today

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and what is contained in our written work

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I do not believe it is appropriate

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for me to speak further about the investigation or to comment

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on the actions of the justice department or Congress

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and it's for that reason I will not be taking questions today

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as well now before I step away

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I want to thank the attorneys

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the FBI agents the analysts

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the professional staff who helped us conduct this

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investigation and a fair

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and independent manner these individuals who spent nearly two

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years with the special counsel's office

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or of the highest integrity

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and I will close by reiterating the central allegation of

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our indictments that there were multiple

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systematic efforts to interfere in our election

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and that allegation deserves the attention of

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every American thank you thank you

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for being here today.

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No question