Former FBI Deputy Director Andrew McCabe said special counsel Robert Mueller came close to showing a conspiracy between the Trump campaign and Russia but couldn’t make the final link.

“I’m sure they uncovered whatever evidence was there for them to uncover,” he told MSNBC’s Rachel Maddow on Thursday. “It’s almost tantalizing, right? You have two sides that are working towards a common goal, that is getting President Trump, or then-candidate Trump, elected. What we clearly have is those two sides are working to mutual benefit. The Russians absolutely wanted Trump to be the victorious candidate in the election, and certainly the campaign had the same desire.”