House Judiciary Chairman Jerrold Nadler says the responsibility to look into US President Donald Trump's "crimes, lies and other wrongdoing" falls on Congress, and he has vowed to finish the work Special Counsel Robert Mueller has done.
Nadler made the comments in New York Wednesday in response to the special counsel's earlier remarks about the investigation - Mueller's first public statement since his redacted report was made public in April.
"Although Department of Justice policy prevented the special counsel from bringing criminal charges against the president, the special counsel has clearly demonstrated that President Trump is lying. He is lying about the special counsel's findings, lying about the testimony of key witnesses in the special counsel's report, and above all, lying in saying that the special counsel found no obstruction and no collusion," Nadler said.
"Unfortunately, Special Counsel Mueller was unable to pursue criminal charges against the president because Department of Justice policy prevents a sitting president from being prosecuted. That policy, in my opinion, is wrong but it prevented a special counsel from pursuing justice to the fullest extent possible. Therefore, as Mueller again highlighted this morning, it falls to Congress to respond to the crimes, lies, and other wrongdoing of President Trump," he added.
"We will do so. Make no mistake: No one, not even the president of the United States, is above the law."
Mueller's first public statement on the Russia investigation is fuelling fresh calls on Capitol Hill to begin impeachment proceedings against Trump, a step that Democratic leaders have so far resisted.
Surprising Washington with his first public statement on the Russia investigation, Mueller indicated Wednesday that it's up to Congress to decide what to do with his findings.
The special counsel said he was bound by Justice Department policy that a sitting president cannot be indicted, but stressed he could not exonerate Trump.
Instead, he said, "the Constitution requires a process other than the criminal justice system."
And he made clear that the process won't include him, announcing the special counsel's office is closing — and that his testimony to Congress, should he be forced to deliver it, will not go beyond what his report already says.