Hours after the release of special counsel Robert Mueller’s report, President Trump bragged Thursday about not firing all the people involved in the investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 presidential election.
His tweet was prompted by Fox News personality Jesse Watters talking about executive privilege.
“‘Donald Trump was being framed, he fought back. That is not Obstruction.’ @JesseBWatters I had the right to end the whole Witch Hunt if I wanted,” Trump tweeted. “I could have fired everyone, including Mueller, if I wanted. I chose not to. I had the RIGHT to use Executive Privilege. I didn’t!”
“Donald Trump was being framed, he fought back. That is not Obstruction.” @JesseBWatters I had the right to end the whole Witch Hunt if I wanted. I could have fired everyone, including Mueller, if I wanted. I chose not to. I had the RIGHT to use Executive Privilege. I didn’t!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) April 18, 2019
Trump’s tweet follows the release of a redacted version of Mueller’s report which did not establish collusion between the Trump campaign and Russia.
Democrats and members of the media have raised concerns that Trump’s behavior, including Trump’s “attempts to influence” the 2016 election, were glossed over by the Department of Justice and could warrant further investigation.
Attorney General William Barr said in a morning press briefing that Mueller examined 10 different instances of possible obstruction and, in line with his original summary of the report, found none of Trump’s actions called for criminal prosecution.
