Special counsel Robert Mueller says President Donald Trump's efforts to influence the Russia investigation "were mostly unsuccessful," but that was because the people surrounding the president "declined to carry out orders to accede to his requests."

AP reporter Chad Day gives an initial review in this AP debrief of the two-volume report that exceeds 400 pages.

"The first volume that deals with Russian election interference and the actions of the Trump campaign is a couple of hundred pages long and goes into exhaustive detail about the information that they've gathered," he says.

"Interviewing 500 witnesses, issuing more than twenty eight hundred subpoenas, and putting together probably the most complete picture of what happened during the 2016 election involving the Trump campaign and Russia."

Mueller's report details instances by several officials, including former FBI Director James Comey, former White House counsel Don McGahn and former campaign manager Corey Lewandowski, ignoring or refusing Trump's requests to interfere in the investigation.

"But some of those episodes show that Trump made several attempts to seize control of the investigation try to have Special Counsel Robert Mueller removed from the probe, or that his attorneys were trying to gather information about what people who were cooperating with the investigation were telling prosecutors," Day says.

Washington, DC - 18 April 2019

1. STILL: Redacted report of Special Council Robert Mueller

Washington, D.C. - 18 April 2019

2. SOUNDBITE (English) Chad Day, Associated Press +++PARTIALLY COVERED WITH STILL IMAGE+++

"So the headline today is that Mueller has made two big conclusions out of his report. Number one is that he did not establish that there was a criminal conspiracy between the Russian government and the Trump campaign to interfere in the 2016 election. The other is that he did not exonerate the president on the question of whether he obstructed justice, or tried to influence the Russia probe and crossed over into criminal conduct.

Washington, DC - 15 April 2010

3. FILE: Still of Robert Mueller on Capitol Hill

Washington, DC - 18 April 2019

4. STILL: Redacted report of Special Council Robert Mueller

5. SOUNDBITE (English) Chad Day, Associated Press +++PARTIALLY COVERED WITH STILL IMAGES+++

"In particular on the question of obstruction, Mueller examined 10 different episodes in which he was looking at the president's conduct to determine whether or not it crossed over into criminal conduct. Some of those episodes show that Trump made several attempts to seize control of the investigation, try to have Special Counsel Robert Mueller removed from the probe, or that his attorneys were trying to gather information about what people who were cooperating with the investigation were telling prosecutors."

6. STILL: President Trump speaks at Wounded Warrior Soldier Ride at White House

7. SOUNDBITE (English) Chad Day, Associated Press +++PARTIALLY COVERED WITH STILL IMAGES+++

"In particular, there's one episode that's related involving his personal attorney of his who is trying to gather information from former National Security Adviser Michael Flynn. Now, this is going back in time a little bit, but Flynn had just cut off contact with the Trump legal team, ahead of his pleading guilty and cooperating with the government. The report says that one of Trump's attorneys then reached out and tried to remind them that the president had warm feelings for Flynn and ask him to see if there was any information that he knew that could implicate the president. Whenever Flynn's attorneys rebuffed that effort, the attorney then said that he would remind the president that that Flynn's actions showed hostility towards the president. So, what they're showing is that they're painting a picture here of a president and people around him who are trying to shape and gather information about the probe but also to in some cases you know take control of it and influence the direction of where it's going."

Washington, DC - 18 December 2018

8. FILE: Still of National Security Adviser Michael Flynn arrives at federal courthouse

9. FILE: Still of National Security Adviser Michael Flynn at federal courthouse

Washington, DC - 18 April 2019

10. SOUNDBITE (English) Chad Day, Associated Press +++PARTIALLY COVERED WITH STILL IMAGES+++

"The report also details what happened in the months right after Special Counsel Robert Mueller was appointed in May of 2017. In particular, it shows that the president ordered his then White House counsel Don McGhan to try to have a special counsel Robert Mueller removed. Now McGahn rebuffed this effort but it shows how the president and the report quotes him saw the probe as possible end to his presidency, and something that would threaten his power. And at that point was trying to take efforts to take control of the investigation by having Mueller removed."

Washington, DC -- 15 April 2010

11. FILE: Still of Robert Mueller testifies on Capitol Hill

National Harbor, Maryland - 22 February 2018

12. FILE: Still of White House Counsel Don McGhan speaking at conservative gathering

Washington, DC - 18 April 2019

Redacted report on Russian interference on 2016 presidential election

"Democratic presidential contender Bernie Sanders made a surprise visit to the Apollo Theater on April 4th 2019 in New York for an event honoring Harry Belafonte and Tony Bennett.

It was the Jazz Foundation's 'Great Night in Harlem' annual gala, but the day also marked another significant anniversary.

""This is also a night that we remember the assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., and one of the great leaders in American history who died, as we'll never forget helping sanitation workers get some dignity in their lives,"" Sanders said.

King was fatally shot outside his motel room in Memphis, Tennessee on April 4th 1968 by James Earl Ray, He was sentenced to 99 years, and died in prison in 1998.

Sanders recounted the great strides Dr. King made toward racial harmony, but agrees that tolerance has lost steps over the past couple of years.

As for the reason, Sanders pulled no punches.

""We have a president, and I say this without any joy in my heart, who is a racist. It's hard to believe that we have a president of the United States who is in fact, a racist,"" Sanders said.

That's why Sanders claims eradicating racism is a high priority for him, if elected to the nation's highest office.

""As president of the United States, what I would be doing is bringing our people together to create a nation that works for all of us, and not just the one-percent. To deal with the racism and the disparities that exists, not only between the rich and the poor, but between whites and blacks. And that would certainly be a major priority of a Sanders administration,"" he said

***

Public at last, special counsel Robert Mueller's report revealed to a waiting nation April 18th that President Donald Trump had tried to seize control of the Russia probe and force Mueller's removal to stop him from investigating potential obstruction of justice by the president.

In a previously unreported episode, the report revealed that in June 2017, Trump directed then-White House counsel Don McGahn to call the acting attorney general and say that Mueller must be ousted because he had conflicts of interest.

McGahn refused, deciding that he would rather resign than trigger what he regarded as a potential Saturday Night Massacre of Watergate fame.

For all of that, Mueller said he could not conclusively determine that Trump had committed criminal obstruction of justice.

The Justice Department posted the report online April 18th, 90 minutes after Attorney General William Barr offered his own final assessment of the findings.

***

On May 6th President Donald Trump's ex-lawyer and fixer has left his Manhattan home before starting a three-year prison sentence for crimes including campaign finance violations related to hush-money payments made on Trump's behalf.

Michael Cohen was expected to report later on May 6th at the Federal Correctional Institution, Otisville, a prison 70 miles northwest of New York City.

He paused briefly outside the building and spoke to a media throng, saying he looks forward to the day when he can ""share the truth.""

Then he was escorted to a waiting vehicle and driven away.

***

Trade talks between China and the U.S. continued on May 10th in Washington despite new tariffs the U.S. imposed on $200 billion in Chinese imports and Beijing's vow to retaliate.

Negotiators are trying to resolve the standoff after the United States raised tariffs on Chinese imports, escalating tensions between the world's two biggest economies and rattling stock markets around the world.

Earlier in the week, top U.S. trade negotiator Robert Lighthizer and Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin accused the Chinese of reneging on commitments they'd made earlier, throwing the trade talks into disarray.

A Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman said Beijing is hoping the Trump administration will meet China ""halfway"" in the dispute over trade.

***

U.S. and Chinese negotiators held trade talks May 10th under increasing pressure after President Donald Trump raised tariffs on $200 billion in Chinese goods and Beijing promised to retaliate, escalating a battle over China's technology ambitions.

The Trump administration raised duties on nearly half of Chinese imports to 25% from 10%. China's Commerce Ministry said it would impose ""necessary countermeasures"" but gave no details.

The increase went ahead even after American and Chinese negotiators began more talks in Washington aimed at ending a dispute that has disrupted billions of dollars in trade and shaken global financial markets. The lead Chinese negotiator, Vice Premier Liu He, left the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative about midday, but it was not immediately clear whether talks had ended.

***

On May 29th Chinese tech giant Huawei filed a motion in a US court challenging the constitutionality of a law that limits its sales of telecom equipment.

The motion is the latest action in the company's ongoing clash with the US government.

During a press briefing on May 28th in Beijing, Huawei's chief legal officer Song Liuping said his company had filed a motion for summary judgment asking the court to rule on whether it is constitutional for the US to implement a military spending provision that bars the government and its contractors from using Huawei equipment.

Song accused US politicians of ""using the strength of an entire nation to come after a private company.""

Two weeks ago, the US Commerce Department placed Huawei on its ""Entity List,"" effectively barring US firms from selling its technology without government approval.

Song said this action sets a ""dangerous precedent"" for other companies and could harm Huawei's three billion customers around the world.

Huawei relies heavily on US components, including computer chips, and about one-third of its suppliers are American.

The move has already affected the company's US partnerships.

Song also denied Washington's claim that Huawei threatens international cybersecurity.

***

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi says President Donald Trump doesn't know right from wrong and is ""indifferent to law and any sense of ethics about who we are as a country.""

The top House Democrat said June 13th that when Trump says he's open to accepting information from a foreign power against a political opponent he is ignoring his oath of office to protect and defend the Constitution.

She said that ""it's a very sad thing, a very sad thing that he does not know right from wrong.""

Pelosi is one of Trump's leading antagonists. But she is taking a slow, cautious approach when many in her party are demanding an impeachment inquiry.

She says ""everybody in the country should be totally appalled"" by Trump's remarks to ABC News.

Trump told ABC on June 12th that if a foreign power were offering dirt on his 2020 opponent, he'd be open to accepting it and would have no obligation to call in the FBI.

***

White House press secretary Sarah Sanders, whose tenure was marked by a breakdown in regular press briefings and questions about the administration's credibility, as well as her own, will leave her post at the end of the June, President Donald Trump announced June 18th.

Sanders is one of Trump's closest and most trusted White House aides and one of the few remaining on staff who worked on his campaign.

""After 3 1/2 years, our wonderful Sarah Huckabee Sanders will be leaving the White House at the end of the June and going home to the Great State of Arkansas,"" Trump tweeted just before she accompanied him to a White House event on prison reform.

Trump suggesting her as a future candidate for Arkansas governor. ""She would be fantastic.""

Under Sanders' tenure, regular White House press briefings became a relic of the past. She has not held a formal briefing since March 11th.

Reporters often catch her on the White House driveway after she is interviewed by Fox News Channel and other TV news outlets.

Her credibility has also come under question.

Special counsel Robert Mueller's Russia report revealed that Sanders admitted to investigators that she had made an unfounded claim about ""countless"" FBI agents reaching out to express support for Trump's decision to fire FBI Director James Comey in May 2017.

Sanders succeeded Sean Spicer, Trump's first press secretary, in mid-2017.

***

US President Donald Trump kicked off his re-election campaign June 18th with a grievance-filled Florida rally that focused more on settling scores than laying out his agenda for the next four years.

Trump spent much of the first portion of his speech attacking the press, the political establishment and Robert Mueller's special counsel investigation into Russian election interference.

Trump complained he had been ""under assault from the very first day"" of his presidency by a ""fake news media"" and ""illegal witch hunt"" that had tried to keep him and his supporters down.

And he painted a disturbing picture of what life would look like if he loses in 2020, accusing his critics of ""un-American conduct"" and telling the crowd that Democrats ""want to destroy you and they want to destroy our country as we know it.""

The apocalyptic language and finger-pointing made clear that Trump's 2020 campaign is likely to look a whole lot like his improbably successful runs four years ago.

And he appeared eager for a re-run of 2016, spending considerable time focused on his former Democratic rival, Hillary Clinton, who elicited """"Lock her up!"" chants, even though she is not on the ballot.

00:02:55:15"

"00:00:00

Sanders: 'We have a president who is a racist'

4204537

ASSOCIATED PRESS

New York, 4 April 2019

1. SOUNDBITE (English) Sen. Bernie Sanders, (I) Presidential candidate, on racism and the president:

(Reporter: With all the strides we've made toward racial justice and harmony, a lot of that in the last couple of years has taken steps back. What would you do to make it better?)

"" It's hard to believe that we have a president of the United States who is in fact, a racist.

00:04:22

A redacted version of Mueller's report is released

4206747

ASSOCIATED PRESS

Washington - 18 April 2019

2. STILL IMAGE - Special counsel Robert Mueller's report

00:11:05

Michael Cohen heads to prison

4209528

ASSOCIATED PRESS

++CLIENTS NOTE: EXPLICIT LANGUAGE CAN BE HEARD IN BROLL++

New York - 6 May 2019

3. Michael Cohen exiting apartment building to speak to media

4. Cohen making his way to a waiting car++EXPLICIT LANGUAGE++

00:30:08

China US trade talks resume in Washington

4210324

ASSOCIATED PRESS

Washington - 10 May 2019

5. U.S. trade negotiator Robert Lighthizer and Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin greeting Liu He, Vice Premier of the People's Republic of China outside the office of the USTR, they all walk inside

00:37:03

B-roll of goods made in China

4210369

ASSOCIATED PRESS

New York - 10 May 2019

6. Black + Decker drill

7. Made in China on drill

8. Medium of Apple laptop computers

9. Assembled in China on laptop

00:54:10

Huawei asks court to deem US law unconstitutional

4213090

ASSOCIATED PRESS

Beijing - 29 May 2019

10. Wide of Huawei's chief legal officer Song Liuping walking to podium

11. SOUNDBITE (English) Song Liuping, Huawei chief legal officer:

""Just now, we filed a motion for summary judgement. By doing this we hope that the court can issue a judgment in the fastest and the most efficient way, declare restrictions on Huawei as unconstitutional

01:20:20

Pelosi: Trump doesn't know right from wrong

4215740

ASSOCIATED PRESS

Washington, DC - 13 June 2019

12. SOUNDBITE (English) Rep. Nancy Pelosi, Speaker of the House

""Yesterday the president gave us, once again, evidence that he does not know right from wrong. It's a very sad and very sad thing that he does not know right from wrong.""

13. SOUNDBITE (English) Rep. Nancy Pelosi, Speaker of the House

"" The intelligence community, with great confidence has put forth that the Russians interfered in our election. That's an assault on our democracy, an assault on our democracy. This president says, it's a hoax. He takes an oath to protect and defend the Constitution. But, I guess it doesn't include him in terms of being to be held accountable to obey the law.""

02:02:23

Sarah Sanders to leave White House

4215792

ASSOCIATED PRESS

Washington, DC - 9 October 2018

14. President Donald Trump walking with Sarah Sanders on the White House South Lawn

02:11:03

Trump: Radical Democrats 'want to destroy you'

4216511

ASSOCIATED PRESS

Orlando, Florida - 18 June 2019

15. Wide shot of Trump on stage at rally

16. SOUNDBITE (English) Donald Trump, U.S. President:

No collusion and the facts that led our great attorney general to determine no obstruction. No collusion, no obstruction and they spent 40 million dollars on this witch hunt, 40 million dollars.""

17. Crowd

18. SOUNDBITE (English) Donald Trump, U.S. President:

"" Our radical Democrat opponents are driven by hatred, prejudice and rage. They want to destroy you and they want to destroy our country as we know it. Not acceptable. It's not going to happen.""

"

Special counsel Robert Mueller did not find evidence that President Donald Trump's campaign "conspired or coordinated" with Russia to influence the 2016 presidential election but reached no conclusion on whether Trump obstructed justice, Attorney General William Barr declared. That brought a hearty claim of vindication from Trump but set the stage for new rounds of political and legal fighting.

Trump cheered the Sunday outcome but also laid bare his resentment after two years of investigations that have shadowed his administration. "It's a shame that our country has had to go through this. To be honest, it's a shame that your president has had to go through this," he said.

Democrats pointed out that Mueller found evidence for and against obstruction and demanded to see his full report. They insisted that even the summary by the president's attorney general hardly put him in the clear.

Mueller's conclusions, summarized by Barr in a four-page letter to Congress, represented a victory for Trump on a key question that has hung over his presidency from the start: Did his campaign work with Russia to defeat Democrat Hillary Clinton? That was further good news for the president on top of the Justice Department's earlier announcement that Mueller had wrapped his investigation without new indictments. The resolution also could deflate the hopes of Democrats in Congress and on the 2020 campaign trail that incriminating findings from Mueller would hobble the president's agenda and re-election bid.

But while Mueller was categorical in ruling out criminal collusion, he was more circumspect on presidential obstruction of justice. Despite Trump's claim of total exoneration, Mueller did not draw a conclusion one way or the other on whether he sought to stifle the Russia investigation through his actions including the firing of former FBI director James Comey.

According to Barr's summary, Mueller set out "evidence on both sides of the question" and stated that "while this report does not conclude the president committed a crime, it also does not exonerate him."

Barr, who was nominated by Trump in December, and Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein, who appointed Mueller in May 2017 and oversaw much of his work, went further in Trump's favor.

The attorney general said he and Rosenstein had determined that Mueller's evidence was insufficient to prove in court that Trump had committed obstruction of justice to hamper the probe. Barr has previously voiced a broad view of presidential powers, and in an unsolicited memo last June he cast doubt on whether the president could have obstructed justice through acts - like firing his FBI director - that he was legally empowered to take.

Barr said their decision was based on the evidence uncovered by Mueller and not affected by Justice Department legal opinions that say a sitting president cannot be indicted.

Washington, D.C. - 24 March 2019

1. SOUNDBITE (English) Eric Tucker, The Associated Press:

"So perhaps the most significant finding out of the special counsel's report today is that special counsel Mueller did not find any evidence of criminal conspiracy between anyone associated with the Trump campaign and Russia. That is there's no quote unquote "collusion" that is prosecutable in any way between the Trump campaign and the Kremlin. And that is the question that has been hovering over this investigation from the start. So that's a big victory for the president. it's a really unequivocal victory. The other interesting finding of note is on the question of whether the President obstructed justice. And here it's a little bit more complicated. In this particular aspect of the investigation the special counsel did not reach a conclusion one way or the other as to whether the President obstructed justice. Instead, according to Attorney General Barr who summarized these findings, Mueller presented evidence on both sides of the ledger for these different episodes involving Trump's behavior that were examined, and then did not reach a conclusion one way or the other. However, Barr said that he and Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein had reached their own conclusion based on Mueller's evidence and determined that it was insufficient to establish obstruction of justice."

++BLACK FRAMES BETWEEN SOUNDBITES++

2. SOUNDBITE (English) Eric Tucker, The Associated Press:

"So the letter today from the attorney general, it's a four-page letter, it marks the conclusion, the real end conclusion of the special counsel's investigation. We expect to hear more details of what the special counsel found in coming days and weeks."

++BLACK FRAMES BETWEEN SOUNDBITES++

3 . SOUNDBITE (English) Eric Tucker, The Associated Press:

"The major investigation that concerns the president right now is taking place in New York City. That's an investigation into hush money payments that were made to two women, one a former Playboy model, the other a porn star, who both say they had sex with the president about a decade before he was elected. And both received money during the campaign effectively to not come forward with their allegations. Prosecutors in New York City, in southern district of New York, are investigating whether that's a campaign finance violation. The president's been implicated in wrongdoing by his former lawyer, Michael Cohen. It's not yet clear what's going to happen with that investigation."

++BLACK FRAMES BETWEEN SOUNDBITES++

4. SOUNDBITE (English) Eric Tucker, The Associated Press:

"I think the main takeaway actually is going to be how unsatisfied Democrats are. This is a four-page summary of what appears to be a very lengthy, very detailed report from the special counsel. And there is a suggestion in this letter that the special counsel did find evidence in at least some of the episodes he examined of potential obstruction of justice and simply did not reach a conclusion. So if you're a Democrat on Capitol Hill right now, you want access to all of the special counsel's work and you want the American public to see all of the evidence he gathered and his underlying report. And so we can expect going forward, that is going to be the next big legal front is this fight between Congress and the Justice Department over how much of Mueller's two years of work the public has to see. Especially because on the question of obstruction, it's clear that Mueller did indicate that there's a there there. He just didn't reach a conclusion one way or the other so that's given hope to Democrats that they want to see more."

++BLACK FRAMES BETWEEN SOUNDBITES++

5. SOUNDBITE (English) Eric Tucker, The Associated Press:

"The regulations actually do not stipulate that the report is made public. That's a judgment call. It's what the regulations actually mandate is that a confidential report is delivered by the special counsel to the attorney general, who oversees his work. So in this case that would be Mueller to Barr. And then it is possible that a document could be made public. But you have to imagine, and we know this for sure in this case, that this is a document that concerns grand jury information, perhaps classified information. That's a complicated process to scrub that document of any potential issues, executive privilege issues. And that's going to take some time."

++BLACK FRAMES BETWEEN SOUNDBITES++

6. SOUNDBITE (English) Eric Tucker, The Associated Press:

"It is important to take stock of this moment that this is a pretty significant victory in terms of this collusion, or no collusion finding I should say, between the president and Russia and the special counsel according to Barr was pretty unequivocal about that. And so the president, we can expect him to rightfully claim victory and based on what we know from the special counsel's findings, that perhaps seems justified on that front. However there is a reference that is interesting and that is multiple offers from people connected to Russia, Russian associates, two individuals associated with the Trump campaign, offering help. We suspect that's a reference to the Trump Tower meeting that took place in June 2016 between Donald Trump Jr. and a Kremlin connected lawyer. He took that meeting with the expectation of receiving dirt on Hillary Clinton that could be used in weaponised during the campaign. We also know that a former Trump campaign aide George Papadopoulos had a meeting in London where he learned from a professor that Russia had dirt on Clinton in the form of thousands of stolen e-mails. So we suspect that Mueller's making reference to that, the fact that there are these multiple overtures of help from people connected to Russia. But there's no evidence or no allegation even that either of those two sides worked together. And that's a significant conclusion."

Washington, D.C. - 11 November 2018

7. Still - Donald Trump Jr. (Partly covers Soundbite #6)

++BLACK FRAMES BETWEEN SOUNDBITES++

Washington, D.C. - 24 March 2019

8. SOUNDBITE (English) Eric Tucker, The Associated Press:

"As it relates to the question of collusion, we do have a definitive answer from the special counsel and ostensibly endorsed by the attorney general that there was no collusion. We've heard that from the president for the last two years. That is the central finding and take away from this four-page summary that there was indeed no collusion, no criminal conspiracy between the Trump campaign on one hand and the criminal in the Kremlin on the other to get Trump elected."

++BLACK FRAMES BETWEEN SOUNDBITES++

9. SOUNDBITE (English) Eric Tucker, The Associated Press:

"It is possible that House Democrats could come up with a different conclusion on the on the collusion question. It's not clear how readily embraced by the American public that would be, because the special counsel is regarded as the ultimate arbiter of, with subpoena power, evidence, ability to criminally prosecute, so he's regarded as the final voice. So it's not clear whether the American public will accept if Mueller says no collusion and House Democrats say otherwise."

++ENDS ON SOUNDBITE++

Special counsel Robert Mueller did not find evidence that President Donald Trump's campaign "conspired or coordinated" with Russia to influence the 2016 presidential election but reached no conclusion on whether Trump obstructed justice, Attorney General William Barr declared. That brought a hearty claim of vindication from Trump but set the stage for new rounds of political and legal fighting.

Trump cheered the Sunday outcome but also laid bare his resentment after two years of investigations that have shadowed his administration. "It's a shame that our country has had to go through this. To be honest, it's a shame that your president has had to go through this," he said.

Democrats pointed out that Mueller found evidence for and against obstruction and demanded to see his full report. They insisted that even the summary by the president's attorney general hardly put him in the clear.

Mueller's conclusions, summarized by Barr in a four-page letter to Congress, represented a victory for Trump on a key question that has hung over his presidency from the start: Did his campaign work with Russia to defeat Democrat Hillary Clinton? That was further good news for the president on top of the Justice Department's earlier announcement that Mueller had wrapped his investigation without new indictments. The resolution also could deflate the hopes of Democrats in Congress and on the 2020 campaign trail that incriminating findings from Mueller would hobble the president's agenda and re-election bid.

But while Mueller was categorical in ruling out criminal collusion, he was more circumspect on presidential obstruction of justice. Despite Trump's claim of total exoneration, Mueller did not draw a conclusion one way or the other on whether he sought to stifle the Russia investigation through his actions including the firing of former FBI director James Comey.

According to Barr's summary, Mueller set out "evidence on both sides of the question" and stated that "while this report does not conclude the president committed a crime, it also does not exonerate him."

Barr, who was nominated by Trump in December, and Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein, who appointed Mueller in May 2017 and oversaw much of his work, went further in Trump's favor.

The attorney general said he and Rosenstein had determined that Mueller's evidence was insufficient to prove in court that Trump had committed obstruction of justice to hamper the probe. Barr has previously voiced a broad view of presidential powers, and in an unsolicited memo last June he cast doubt on whether the president could have obstructed justice through acts — like firing his FBI director — that he was legally empowered to take.

Barr said their decision was based on the evidence uncovered by Mueller and not affected by Justice Department legal opinions that say a sitting president cannot be indicted.

Washington, D.C. - 24 March 2019

1. SOUNDBITE (English) Eric Tucker, The Associated Press:

"So perhaps the most significant finding out of the special counsel's report today is that special counsel  Mueller did not find any evidence of criminal conspiracy between anyone associated with the Trump campaign and Russia. That is there's no quote unquote collusion that is prosecutable in any way between the Trump campaign and the Kremlin. And that is the question that has been hovering over this investigation from the start. So that's a big victory for the president. it's a really unequivocal victory. The other interesting finding of note is on the question of whether the President obstructed justice. And here it's a little bit more complicated. In this particular aspect than the investigation the special counsel did not reach a conclusion one way or the other as to whether the President obstructed justice. Instead, according to Attorney General Barr who summarized these findings,  Mueller presented evidence on both sides of the ledger for these different episodes involving Trump's behavior that were examined, and then did not reach a conclusion one way or the other. However Barr said that he and Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein had reached their own conclusion based on Mueller's evidence and determined that it was insufficient to establish obstruction of justice."

2. SOUNDBITE (English) Eric Tucker, The Associated Press:

"So the letter today from the attorney general, it's a four page letter, it marks the conclusion, the real end conclusion of the special counsel's investigation. We  expect to hear more details of what the special counsel found in coming days and weeks."

++BLACK FRAMES BETWEEN SOUNDBITES++

3 . SOUNDBITE (English) Eric Tucker, The Associated Press:

"The major investigation that concerns the president right now is taking place in New York City. That's an investigation into hush money payments that were made to two women, one a former Playboy model, the other a porn star, who both say they had sex with the president about a decade before he was elected. And both received money during the campaign effectively to not come forward with their allegations. Prosecutors in New York City, in southern district of New York, are investigating whether that's a campaign finance violation. The president's been implicated in wrongdoing by his former lawyer Michael Cohen. It's not yet clear what's going to happen with that investigation."

++BLACK FRAMES BETWEEN SOUNDBITES++

4. SOUNDBITE (English) Eric Tucker, The Associated Press:

"I think the main takeaway actually is going to be how unsatisfied Democrats are. This is a four page summary of what appears to be a very lengthy, very detailed report from the special counsel. And there is a suggestion in this letter that the special counsel did find evidence in at least some of the episodes he examined of potential obstruction of justice and simply did not reach a conclusion. So if you're a Democrat on Capitol Hill right now, you want access to all of the special counsel's work and you want the American public to see all of the evidence he gathered and his underlying report.  And so we can expect going forward, that is going to be the next big legal front is this fight between Congress and the Justice Department over how much of Muller's two years of work the public has to see. Especially because on the question of obstruction, it's clear that Mueller did indicate that there's a there there. He just didn't reach a conclusion one way or the other so that's given hope to Democrats that they want to see more."

++BLACK FRAMES BETWEEN SOUNDBITES++

5. SOUNDBITE (English) Eric Tucker, The Associated Press:

"The regulations actually do not stipulate that the report is made public. That's a judgment call. It's what the regulations actually mandate is that a confidential report is delivered by the special counsel to the attorney general, who oversees his work. So in this case that would be Mueller to Barr.  And then it is possible that a document could be made public. But you have to imagine, and we know this for sure in this case, that this is a document that concerns grand jury information, perhaps classified information. That's a complicated process to scrub that document of any potential issues, executive privilege issues. And that's going to take some time."

++BLACK FRAMES BETWEEN SOUNDBITES++

6. SOUNDBITE (English) Eric Tucker, The Associated Press:

"It is important to take stock of this moment that this is a pretty significant victory in terms of this collusion, or no collusion finding I should say, between the president and Russia and the special counsel according to Barr was pretty unequivocal about that. And so the president, we can expect him to rightfully claim victory and based on what we know from the special counsel's findings, that perhaps seems justified on that front. However there is a reference that is interesting and that is multiple offers from people connected to Russia,  Russian associates two individuals associated with the Trump campaign, offering help. We suspect that's a reference to the Trump Tower meeting that took place in June 2016 between Donald Trump Jr. and a Kremlin connected lawyer. He took that meeting with the expectation of receiving dirt on Hillary Clinton that could be used in weaponized during the campaign. We also know that a former Trump campaign aide George Papadopoulos had a meeting in London where he learned from a professor that Russia had dirt on Clinton in the form of thousands of stolen e-mails. So we suspect that Mueller's making reference to that, the fact that there are these multiple overtures of help from people connected to Russia. But there's no evidence or no allegation even that either of those two sides worked together. And that's a significant conclusion."

Washington, D.C. - 11 November 2018

7. Still - Donald Trump Jr. (Partly covers Soundbite #6)

++BLACK FRAMES BETWEEN SOUNDBITES++

Washington, D.C. - 24 March 2019

8. SOUNDBITE (English) Eric Tucker, The Associated Press:

"As it relates to the question of collusion, we do have a definitive answer from the special counsel and ostensibly endorsed by the attorney general that there was no collusion. We've heard that from the president for the last two years. That is the central finding and take away from this four page summary that there was indeed no collusion, no criminal conspiracy between the Trump campaign on one hand and the criminal in the Kremlin on the other to get Trump elected."

++BLACK FRAMES BETWEEN SOUNDBITES++

9. SOUNDBITE (English) Eric Tucker, The Associated Press:

"It is possible that House Democrats could come up with a different conclusion on the on the collusion question. It's not clear how readily embraced by the American public. That would be because the special counsel is regarded as the ultimate arbiter of, with subpoena power, evidence, ability to criminally prosecute, so he's regarded as the final voice. So it's not clear whether the American public will accept if  Mueller says no collusion and House Democrats say otherwise."

++ENDS ON SOUNDBITE++

House Democrats and Republicans battled over the recently released Justice Department's IG report on the FBI and the 2016 election during a Capitol Hill hearing Tuesday.

The report, authored by Michael Horowitz, blasted FBI actions during the 2016 investigation into whether Clinton, the Democratic presidential candidate, had mishandled classified information on her private email server when she was secretary of state.

Republicans have become increasingly skeptical of special counsel Robert Mueller's investigation into potential coordination between Russia and Trump's Republican presidential campaign.

They've been saying they're not convinced by the report's conclusion that the decision to spare Clinton from criminal charges was free from bias, or by reassurances that the problems were limited to just a handful of employees

"There were FBI agents and attorneys who decided to prejudge the outcome of the Hillary Clinton case before the investigation ended. I want you let that sink in for a second," said Rep. Trey Gowdy of South Carolina.

"The IG's report has spawned more questions and more theories about the FBI and DOJ's handling of the Clinton investigation," said Republican colleague Bob Goodlatte of Virginia.

"It confirms that Mrs Clinton did in fact receive special treatment from the Obama Justice Department and FBI during their investigation," Goodlatte said.

Democrats, however, battled back.

"Why is it that after you released this report, Mr. Horowitz, some of my colleagues seriously suggested that we opened an investigation into your investigation, of the investigation?" said Democratic Rep. Jerry Nadler.

"The Republicans are now tripling down threatening to impeach Rod Rosenstein and Christopher Wray for somehow obstructing their efforts to get to the bottom of all of this," added Democratic Rep. Elijah Cummings of Maryland.   

Monday, Horowitz appeared with FBI Director Christoper Wray before a senate panel.

Wray said that the FBI is determined to not repeat any of the mistakes identified in the watchdog report.

Days earlier, President Donald Trump asserted the report exonerated him.

"There was no collusion.  There was no obstruction," the president told reporters. "And I think that the Mueller investigation has been totally discredited."

Although the report criticized former FBI Director James Comey for multiple decisions that investigators said broke from protocol. But the inspector general said it found no evidence that political bias affected the outcome of the investigation.

And the report focused only on the FBI's actions during the 2016 election, not the Mueller investigation.

POOL

Washington, DC - 19 June 2018

1. Wide of House lawmakers on dais at hearing

2. Mid of Justice Department Inspector General Michael Horowitz at witness table

3. SOUNDBITE (English) Rep. Trey Gowdy, (R) South Carolina

"There were FBI agents and attorneys who decided to prejudge the outcome of the Hillary Clinton case before the investigation ended. I want you let that sink in for a second. They prejudged the outcome of the Hillary Clinton investigation before the investigation ended, and these exact same FBI agents and attorneys prejudged the outcome of the Russian investigation before it even began."

4. Mid of lawmakers on dais

5. Mid of Horowitz at witness table

6. SOUNDBITE (English) Rep. Jerry Nadler, (D) New York

"Why is it that after the Department of Justice and the FBI concluded they should not charge Secretary Clinton with a crime, rather than accepting the conclusion as we would in most criminal cases, the judiciary and oversight majorities launched an investigation into the Department of Justice and the FBI? Why is it that after you released this report, Mr. Horowitz, some of my colleagues seriously suggested that we open an investigation into your investigation, of the investigation?"

7. Mid of lawmakers on dais

8. SOUNDBITE: (English) Rep. Bob Goodlatte, (R) Virginia

"The IG's report has spawned more questions and more theories about the FBI and DOJ's handling of the Clinton investigation. It confirms that Mrs. Clinton did in fact receive special treatment from the Obama Justice Department and FBI during their investigation."

9. Mid of Horowitz at witness table

10. SOUNDBITE (English) Rep. Elijah Cummings, (D) Maryland:

"The Republicans point to some individual expressions of bias, and these are facts the inspector general already revealed. Instead the Republicans are now tripling down threatening to impeach Rod Rosenstein and Christopher Wray for somehow obstructing their efforts to get to the bottom of all of this."  

11. Wide of lawmakers on dais

FOR CLEAN VERSION SEE STORY NUMBER: apus099334

House Democrats and Republicans battled over the recently released Justice Department's IG report on the FBI and the 2016 election during a Capitol Hill hearing Tuesday.

The report, authored by Michael Horowitz, blasted FBI actions during the 2016 investigation into whether Clinton, the Democratic presidential candidate, had mishandled classified information on her private email server when she was secretary of state.

Republicans have become increasingly skeptical of special counsel Robert Mueller's investigation into potential coordination between Russia and Trump's Republican presidential campaign.

They've been saying they're not convinced by the report's conclusion that the decision to spare Clinton from criminal charges was free from bias, or by reassurances that the problems were limited to just a handful of employees

"There were FBI agents and attorneys who decided to prejudge the outcome of the Hillary Clinton case before the investigation ended. I want you let that sink in for a second," said Rep. Trey Gowdy of South Carolina.

"The IG's report has spawned more questions and more theories about the FBI and DOJ's handling of the Clinton investigation," said Republican colleague Bob Goodlatte of Virginia.

"It confirms that Mrs Clinton did in fact receive special treatment from the Obama Justice Department and FBI during their investigation," Goodlatte said.

Democrats, however, battled back.

"Why is it that after you released this report, Mr. Horowitz, some of my colleagues seriously suggested that we opened an investigation into your investigation, of the investigation?" said Democratic Rep. Jerry Nadler.

"The Republicans are now tripling down threatening to impeach Rod Rosenstein and Christopher Wray for somehow obstructing their efforts to get to the bottom of all of this," added Democratic Rep. Elijah Cummings of Maryland.   

Monday, Horowitz appeared with FBI Director Christoper Wray before a senate panel.

Wray said that the FBI is determined to not repeat any of the mistakes identified in the watchdog report.

Days earlier, President Donald Trump asserted the report exonerated him.

"There was no collusion.  There was no obstruction," the president told reporters. "And I think that the Mueller investigation has been totally discredited."

Although the report criticized former FBI Director James Comey for multiple decisions that investigators said broke from protocol. But the inspector general said it found no evidence that political bias affected the outcome of the investigation.

And the report focused only on the FBI's actions during the 2016 election, not the Mueller investigation.

POOL

Washington, DC - 19 June 2018

+++WHITE FLASHES BETWEEN SOUNDBITES+++

1. SOUNDBITE (English) Rep. Trey Gowdy, (R) South Carolina +++SOT PARTIALLY COVERED WITH BROLL+++

"There were FBI agents and attorneys who decided to prejudge the outcome of the Hillary Clinton case before the investigation ended. I want you let that sink in for a second. They prejudged the outcome of the Hillary Clinton investigation before the investigation ended, and these exact same FBI agents and attorneys prejudged the outcome of the Russian investigation before it even began."

2. Mid of Horowitz at witness table

3. SOUNDBITE (English) Rep. Jerry Nadler, (D) New York +++SOT PARTIALLY COVERED WITH BROLL+++

"Why is it that after the Department of Justice and the FBI concluded they should not charge Secretary Clinton with a crime, rather than accepting the conclusion as we would in most criminal cases, the judiciary and oversight majorities launched an investigation into the Department of Justice and the FBI? Why is it that after you released this report, Mr. Horowitz, some of my colleagues seriously suggested that we open an investigation into your investigation, of the investigation?"

4. Mid of Horowitz at witness table

5. SOUNDBITE: (English) Rep. Bob Goodlatte, (R) Virginia

"The IG's report has spawned more questions and more theories about the FBI and DOJ's handling of the Clinton investigation. It confirms that Mrs. Clinton did in fact receive special treatment from the Obama Justice Department and FBI during their investigation."  

+++WHITE FLASH+++

6. SOUNDBITE (English) Rep. Elijah Cummings, (D) Maryland:

"The Republicans point to some individual expressions of bias, and these are facts the inspector general already revealed. Instead the Republicans are now tripling down threatening to impeach Rod Rosenstein and Christopher Wray for somehow obstructing their efforts to get to the bottom of all of this."

House Democrats and Republicans battled over the recently released Justice Department's IG report on the FBI and the 2016 election during a Capitol Hill hearing Tuesday.

The report, authored by Michael Horowitz, blasted FBI actions during the 2016 investigation into whether Clinton, the Democratic presidential candidate, had mishandled classified information on her private email server when she was secretary of state.

Republicans have become increasingly skeptical of special counsel Robert Mueller's investigation into potential coordination between Russia and Trump's Republican presidential campaign.

They've been saying they're not convinced by the report's conclusion that the decision to spare Clinton from criminal charges was free from bias, or by reassurances that the problems were limited to just a handful of employees

"There were FBI agents and attorneys who decided to prejudge the outcome of the Hillary Clinton case before the investigation ended. I want you let that sink in for a second," said Rep. Trey Gowdy of South Carolina.

"The IG's report has spawned more questions and more theories about the FBI and DOJ's handling of the Clinton investigation," said Republican colleague Bob Goodlatte of Virginia.

"It confirms that Mrs Clinton did in fact receive special treatment from the Obama Justice Department and FBI during their investigation," Goodlatte said.

Democrats, however, battled back.

"Why is it that after you released this report, Mr. Horowitz, some of my colleagues seriously suggested that we opened an investigation into your investigation, of the investigation?" said Democratic Rep. Jerry Nadler.

"The Republicans are now tripling down threatening to impeach Rod Rosenstein and Christopher Wray for somehow obstructing their efforts to get to the bottom of all of this," added Democratic Rep. Elijah Cummings of Maryland.   

Monday, Horowitz appeared with FBI Director Christoper Wray before a senate panel.

Wray said that the FBI is determined to not repeat any of the mistakes identified in the watchdog report.

Days earlier, President Donald Trump asserted the report exonerated him.

"There was no collusion.  There was no obstruction," the president told reporters. "And I think that the Mueller investigation has been totally discredited."

Although the report criticized former FBI Director James Comey for multiple decisions that investigators said broke from protocol. But the inspector general said it found no evidence that political bias affected the outcome of the investigation.

And the report focused only on the FBI's actions during the 2016 election, not the Mueller investigation.

POOL

Washington, DC - 19 June 2018

1. Wide of House lawmakers on dais at hearing

2. Mid of Justice Department Inspector General Michael Horowitz at witness table

3. SOUNDBITE (English) Rep. Trey Gowdy, (R) South Carolina

"There were FBI agents and attorneys who decided to prejudge the outcome of the Hillary Clinton case before the investigation ended. I want you let that sink in for a second. They prejudged the outcome of the Hillary Clinton investigation before the investigation ended, and these exact same FBI agents and attorneys prejudged the outcome of the Russian investigation before it even began."

4. Mid of lawmakers on dais

5. Mid of Horowitz at witness table

6. SOUNDBITE (English) Rep. Jerry Nadler, (D) New York

"Why is it that after the Department of Justice and the FBI concluded they should not charge Secretary Clinton with a crime, rather than accepting the conclusion as we would in most criminal cases, the judiciary and oversight majorities launched an investigation into the Department of Justice and the FBI? Why is it that after you released this report, Mr. Horowitz, some of my colleagues seriously suggested that we open an investigation into your investigation, of the investigation?"

7. Mid of lawmakers on dais

8. SOUNDBITE: (English) Rep. Bob Goodlatte, (R) Virginia

"The IG's report has spawned more questions and more theories about the FBI and DOJ's handling of the Clinton investigation. It confirms that Mrs. Clinton did in fact receive special treatment from the Obama Justice Department and FBI during their investigation."

9. Mid of Horowitz at witness table

10. SOUNDBITE (English) Rep. Elijah Cummings, (D) Maryland:

"The Republicans point to some individual expressions of bias, and these are facts the inspector general already revealed. Instead the Republicans are now tripling down threatening to impeach Rod Rosenstein and Christopher Wray for somehow obstructing their efforts to get to the bottom of all of this."  

11. Wide of lawmakers on dais

The FBI is determined to not repeat any of the mistakes identified in a harshly critical watchdog report on the handling of the Hillary Clinton email investigation, Director Chris Wray said Monday at a congressional hearing.

Wray said the FBI accepts the findings of the Justice Department inspector general report and has begun making changes, including about how the FBI handles especially sensitive investigations. The bureau is also reinforcing for employees the need to avoid the appearance of political bias, a key point of criticism in last week's report.

"We're going to learn from the report and be better as a result," Wray said.

The report blasted FBI actions during the 2016 investigation into whether Clinton, the Democratic presidential candidate, had mishandled classified information on her private email server when she was secretary of state.

It said anti-Donald Trump text messages exchanged by FBI employees who worked on the investigation cast a cloud on the agency's handling of the probe and damaged its reputation. It also said that fired FBI Director James Comey repeatedly broke from protocol, including when he publicly announced his recommendation against charging Clinton and when he bucked the judgment of Justice Department bosses by alerting Congress months later that the investigation was being reopened because of newly discovered emails.

But the report found that the July 2016 decision to spare Clinton from criminal charges was not tainted by political bias or considerations.

Inspector General Michael Horowitz, who joined Wray at a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing Monday, said there are lessons to be learned from the 500-page report, including about respecting an institution's hierarchy and norms.

POOL

Washington - 18 June 2018

1. SOUNDBITE (English) Sen. Chuck Grassley, (R) Iowa:

"The Justice Department faces a serious credibility problem because millions of Americans suspect that there is a double standard. They see a story of kid glove treatment for one side and bare knuckle tactics for the other."

2. Wide of hearing

3. SOUNDBITE (English) Sen. Chuck Grassley, (R) Iowa:

"Director Wray has quite a mess to clean up. I think he probably knows that. The department has serious accountability issues. In scandal after scandal, accountability is the exception rather than the rule."

4. Wide of hearing

5. SOUNDBITE (English) Sen. Dianne Feinstein, (D) California:

"While the report is highly critical of Director Comey, it did not find that it was biased against President Trump or in favor of Secretary Clinton, as some have alleged."

6. Wide of hearing

7. SOUNDBITE (English) Sen. Dianne Feinstein, (D) California:

"Throughout the Clinton investigation, Republicans in Congress demanded information from Director Comey and the Justice Department under subpoena and threat of contempt. Today, they are doing the same thing with special counsel Mueller's investigation. It was wrong then and it's wrong now."

8. Wide of Department of Justice Inspector General Michael Horowitz and FBI Director Christopher Wray swearing in

9. SOUNDBITE (English) Michael Horowitz, Department of Justice Inspector General:

"As detailed in our report, we found that the inappropriate political messages we uncovered cast a cloud over the media investigation, sowed doubt about the credibility of the FBI's handling of it and impacted the reputation of the FBI."

10. Wide of hearing

11. SOUNDBITE (English) Michael Horowitz, Department of Justice Inspector General:

"With regard to the decision to close the investigation without prosecution, we found no evidence that the conclusions by the prosecutors were the result of improper considerations, including political bias, but rather were exercises of prosecutorial discretion by the prosecutors based on their assessment of the facts of the law and past department practice."

12. Wide of Horowitz and Wray

13. SOUNDBITE (English) Christopher Wray, FBI Director:

"Although the report did not find any evidence of political bias or improper considerations ultimately impacting the investigation under review, the report did identify errors of judgment, violations of or disregard for policy and decisions that at least in the benefit of hindsight, were certainly not the best choices."

14. Wide of Horowitz and Wray

15. SOUNDBITE (English) Christopher Wray, FBI Director:

"The OIG's report makes clear that we have significant work to do. And as I said, we're going to learn from the report and be better as a result. At the same time, I want to emphasize that this report is focused on a specific set of events back in 2016 and a small number of FBI employees connected with those events. Mistakes made by those employees do not define our 37,000 men and women and the great work they do everyday. Nothing in this report impugns the integrity of our workforce as a whole or the FBI as an institution. I want to be very clear with this committee about the FBI that I've been able to see up close every day in the 10 months since my confirmation hearing before you all."

16. UPSOUND (English) Sen. Patrick Leahy, (D) Vermont:

"Do you have any reason to believe that this investigation has been discredited?"

17. SOUNDBITE (English) Christopher Wray, FBI Director:

"Senator, as I said to you last month and as I said before, I do not believe special counsel Mueller is on a witch hunt."

18. Wide of Horowitz and Wray

19. SOUNDBITE (English) Christopher Wray, FBI Director:

"What I can tell you is that I cannot imagine a situation in which I would unilaterally assume for myself, as the FBI director, a charging decision and then announce it in a news conference."

20. Wide of hearing

The FBI is determined to not repeat any of the mistakes identified in a harshly critical watchdog report on the handling of the Hillary Clinton email investigation, Director Chris Wray said Monday at a congressional hearing.

Wray said the FBI accepts the findings of the Justice Department inspector general report and has begun making changes, including about how the FBI handles especially sensitive investigations. The bureau is also reinforcing for employees the need to avoid the appearance of political bias, a key point of criticism in last week's report.

"We're going to learn from the report and be better as a result," Wray said.

The report blasted FBI actions during the 2016 investigation into whether Clinton, the Democratic presidential candidate, had mishandled classified information on her private email server when she was secretary of state.

It said anti-Donald Trump text messages exchanged by FBI employees who worked on the investigation cast a cloud on the agency's handling of the probe and damaged its reputation. It also said that fired FBI Director James Comey repeatedly broke from protocol, including when he publicly announced his recommendation against charging Clinton and when he bucked the judgment of Justice Department bosses by alerting Congress months later that the investigation was being reopened because of newly discovered emails.

But the report found that the July 2016 decision to spare Clinton from criminal charges was not tainted by political bias or considerations.

Inspector General Michael Horowitz, who joined Wray at a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing Monday, said there are lessons to be learned from the 500-page report, including about respecting an institution's hierarchy and norms.

POOL

Washington - 18 June 2018

1. SOUNDBITE (English) Sen. Chuck Grassley, (R) Iowa:

"The Justice Department faces a serious credibility problem because millions of Americans suspect that there is a double standard. They see a story of kid glove treatment for one side and bare knuckle tactics for the other."

2. Wide of hearing

3. SOUNDBITE (English) Sen. Chuck Grassley, (R) Iowa:

"Director Wray has quite a mess to clean up. I think he probably knows that. The department has serious accountability issues. In scandal after scandal, accountability is the exception rather than the rule."

4. Wide of hearing

5. SOUNDBITE (English) Sen. Dianne Feinstein, (D) California:

"While the report is highly critical of Director Comey, it did not find that it was biased against President Trump or in favor of Secretary Clinton, as some have alleged."

6. Wide of hearing

7. SOUNDBITE (English) Sen. Dianne Feinstein, (D) California:

"Throughout the Clinton investigation, Republicans in Congress demanded information from Director Comey and the Justice Department under subpoena and threat of contempt. Today, they are doing the same thing with special counsel Mueller's investigation. It was wrong then and it's wrong now."

8. Wide of Department of Justice Inspector General Michael Horowitz and FBI Director Christopher Wray swearing in

9. SOUNDBITE (English) Michael Horowitz, Department of Justice Inspector General:

"As detailed in our report, we found that the inappropriate political messages we uncovered cast a cloud over the media investigation, sowed doubt about the credibility of the FBI's handling of it and impacted the reputation of the FBI."

10. Wide of hearing

11. SOUNDBITE (English) Michael Horowitz, Department of Justice Inspector General:

"With regard to the decision to close the investigation without prosecution, we found no evidence that the conclusions by the prosecutors were the result of improper considerations, including political bias, but rather were exercises of prosecutorial discretion by the prosecutors based on their assessment of the facts of the law and past department practice."

12. Wide of Horowitz and Wray

13. SOUNDBITE (English) Christopher Wray, FBI Director:

"Although the report did not find any evidence of political bias or improper considerations ultimately impacting the investigation under review, the report did identify errors of judgment, violations of or disregard for policy and decisions that at least in the benefit of hindsight, were certainly not the best choices."

14. Wide of Horowitz and Wray

15. SOUNDBITE (English) Christopher Wray, FBI Director:

"The OIG's report makes clear that we have significant work to do. And as I said, we're going to learn from the report and be better as a result. At the same time, I want to emphasize that this report is focused on a specific set of events back in 2016 and a small number of FBI employees connected with those events. Mistakes made by those employees do not define our 37,000 men and women and the great work they do everyday. Nothing in this report impugns the integrity of our workforce as a whole or the FBI as an institution. I want to be very clear with this committee about the FBI that I've been able to see up close every day in the 10 months since my confirmation hearing before you all."

16. UPSOUND (English) Sen. Patrick Leahy, (D) Vermont:

"Do you have any reason to believe that this investigation has been discredited?"

17. SOUNDBITE (English) Christopher Wray, FBI Director:

"Senator, as I said to you last month and as I said before, I do not believe special counsel Mueller is on a witch hunt."

18. Wide of Horowitz and Wray

19. SOUNDBITE (English) Christopher Wray, FBI Director:

"What I can tell you is that I cannot imagine a situation in which I would unilaterally assume for myself, as the FBI director, a charging decision and then announce it in a news conference."

20. Wide of hearing

FOR CLEAN VERSION SEE STORY NUMBER: apus099289

The FBI is determined to not repeat any of the mistakes identified in a harshly critical watchdog report on the handling of the Hillary Clinton email investigation, Director Chris Wray said Monday at a congressional hearing.

Wray said the FBI accepts the findings of the Justice Department inspector general report and has begun making changes, including about how the FBI handles especially sensitive investigations. The bureau is also reinforcing for employees the need to avoid the appearance of political bias, a key point of criticism in last week's report.

"We're going to learn from the report and be better as a result," Wray said.

The report blasted FBI actions during the 2016 investigation into whether Clinton, the Democratic presidential candidate, had mishandled classified information on her private email server when she was secretary of state.

It said anti-Donald Trump text messages exchanged by FBI employees who worked on the investigation cast a cloud on the agency's handling of the probe and damaged its reputation. It also said that fired FBI Director James Comey repeatedly broke from protocol, including when he publicly announced his recommendation against charging Clinton and when he bucked the judgment of Justice Department bosses by alerting Congress months later that the investigation was being reopened because of newly discovered emails.

But the report found that the July 2016 decision to spare Clinton from criminal charges was not tainted by political bias or considerations.

Inspector General Michael Horowitz, who joined Wray at a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing Monday, said there are lessons to be learned from the 500-page report, including about respecting an institution's hierarchy and norms.

POOL

Washington - 18 June 2018

++SOUNDBITES SEPARATED BY WHITE FLASHES++

1. SOUNDBITE (English) Sen. Chuck Grassley, (R) Iowa:

"The Justice Department faces a serious credibility problem because millions of Americans suspect that there is a double standard. They see a story of kid glove treatment for one side and bare knuckle tactics for the other."

2. SOUNDBITE (English) Sen. Chuck Grassley, (R) Iowa:

"Director Wray has quite a mess to clean up. I think he probably knows that. The department has serious accountability issues. In scandal after scandal, accountability is the exception rather than the rule."

3. SOUNDBITE (English) Christopher Wray, FBI Director:

"Although the report did not find any evidence of political bias or improper considerations ultimately impacting the investigation under review, the report did identify errors of judgment, violations of or disregard for policy and decisions that at least in the benefit of hindsight, were certainly not the best choices."

4. SOUNDBITE (English) Christopher Wray, FBI Director:

"The OIG's report makes clear that we have significant work to do. And as I said, we're going to learn from the report and be better as a result. At the same time, I want to emphasize that this report is focused on a specific set of events back in 2016 and a small number of FBI employees connected with those events. Mistakes made by those employees do not define our 37,000 men and women and the great work they do everyday. Nothing in this report impugns the integrity of our workforce as a whole or the FBI as an institution. I want to be very clear with this committee about the FBI that I've been able to see up close every day in the 10 months since my confirmation hearing before you all."

5. UPSOUND (English) Sen. Patrick Leahy, (D) Vermont:

"Do you have any reason to believe that this investigation has been discredited?"

6. SOUNDBITE (English) Christopher Wray, FBI Director:

"Senator, as I said to you last month and as I said before, I do not believe special counsel Mueller is on a witch hunt."

7. SOUNDBITE (English) Christopher Wray, FBI Director:

"What I can tell you is that I cannot imagine a situation in which I would unilaterally assume for myself, as the FBI director, a charging decision and then announce it in a news conference."