Russian President Vladimir Putin praised special counsel Robert Mueller’s investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 election, calling it a “very objective investigation” Tuesday.
“On the whole he had a very objective investigation and he confirmed no traces whatsoever of collusion between Russia and the incoming administration, which we said was absolutely fake,” Putin said through a translator.
Though a translator, Putin praised the Mueller Report, saying “on the whole he had a very objective investigation and he confirmed no traces whatsoever of collusion between Russia and the incoming Administration, which we said was absolutely fake.” pic.twitter.com/jRk86S4QMW
— Mark Knoller (@markknoller) May 14, 2019
Secretary of State Mike Pompeo met with Putin in Sochi on Tuesday, the first time the two leaders have met since the release of Mueller’s 448-page redacted report.
The Russian government undertook a “sweeping and systematic” campaign to help President Trump win the White House in 2016 and campaign aides were eager to benefit from their help, Mueller concluded. However, investigators did not find that the president or his campaign conspired with Russia to win the election.
“The investigation established multiple links between Trump campaign officials and individuals tied to the Russian government,” the report said.
Trump spoke with Putin about the investigation and other topics during a phone call that lasted more than an hour earlier this month.
