RESTRICTION SUMMARY: AP CLIENTS ONLY

SHOTLIST:

U.S. HOUSE JUDICIARY COMMITTEE - AP CLIENTS ONLY

Washington - 19 April 2019

1. STILL IMAGES -  Various pages of House Judiciary Committee issued subpoena

ASSOCIATED PRESS - AP CLIENTS ONLY

Washington - 19 April 2019

2. Wide of people reading newspaper headlines at Washington's Newseum

3. SOUNDBITE (English) Julie Pace, Associated Press, Washington Bureau Chief:

"The report really paints a damning picture of the Trump presidency. It shows a president who was consumed by the Mueller investigation. Someone who tried to get his top advisers to lie or obfuscate on his behalf and who really was trying to interfere with the Mueller investigation and actually only was blocked by his own - by his own team who either refused to carry out some of his orders or simply just let them fall by the wayside."

4. Various newspaper headlines on Mueller's report

5. SOUNDBITE (English) Julie Pace, Associated Press, Washington Bureau Chief:

"Ultimately Mueller did not find that, did not decide to go forward with criminal charges against Trump or some of the other figures that were around him at the early stages of his administration or during the campaign. But really when you,  when you put that aside there is a lot in here that really paints a troubling picture of this administration and it turns this into a political question now. That's for Democrats. Democrats have to decide if they want to continue to pursue these investigations, if they want to move forward with impeachment. There are really mixed feelings in the Democratic caucus about that but we now shift from a criminal question to a political question."

6. Medium of people reading displays of newspapers

7. SOUNDBITE (English) Julie Pace, Associated Press, Washington Bureau Chief:

"Certainly the full report the unredacted report will provide us with, with some level of additional information. There are, there are pieces of this report where you can figure out what's probably behind the redactions but then there are some where we really don't know and Democrats and the public have probably or you know feel like they have a right to know what is behind those redactions."

8. Various newspaper headlines on Mueller's report

9. SOUNDBITE (English) Julie Pace, Associated Press, Washington Bureau Chief:

"One of the reasons you're seeing the oversight committees move forward with trying to pursue the full report is they just want to keep the investigations going. It is very unlikely that we will learn something in the unredacted report that will fundamentally change either public opinion or understanding about what happened here. But these committees feel like it is their responsibility. They are the legislative branch. They are a check on the executive branch. They feel like it's their responsibility to push forward, take the next step, get the unredacted report. "

10. Various newspaper headlines on Mueller's report

11. SOUNDBITE (English) Julie Pace, Associated Press, Washington Bureau Chief:

"There are definitely some loud voices in the Democratic caucus that want to move forward on impeachment but we've heard for from the start from Democratic leaders people like Nancy Pelosi that she sees a pretty high bar for, for impeachment hearings. She has said repeatedly that she feels like in order to move forward on impeachment, you have to not only have really solid evidence of an impeachable offense but you also have to be able to bring not just Democrats but also Republicans on board."

DONALD TRUMP VIA TWITTER @REALDONALDTRUMP - AP CLIENTS ONLY

Internet - 19 April 2019

++NOTE GRAPHIC LANGUAGE++

12. @realDonaldTrump Twitter page

13. Donald Trump tweet of a "Game of Thrones" type still image (English) "NO COLLUSION. NO OBSTRUCTION. FOR THE HATERS AND THE RADICAL LEFT DEMOCRATS -- GAME OVER"

14. Donald Trump tweet (English) "...agreed to testify, it was not necessary for me to respond to statements made in the "Report" about me, some of which are total bullshit & only given to make the other person look good (or me to look bad). This was an Illegally Started Hoax that never should have happened, a...

15. Donald Trump tweet (English) "Statements are made about me by certain people in the Crazy Mueller Report, in itself written by 18 Angry Democrat Trump Haters, which are fabricated & totally untrue. Watch out for people that take so-called "notes," when the notes never existed until needed. Because I never...."

ASSOCIATED PRESS - AP CLIENTS ONLY

Washington - 19 April 2019

16. SOUNDBITE (English) Julie Pace, Associated Press, Washington Bureau Chief:

"The president goes back and forth on this Mueller Report. On the one hand, he wants to argue that the main takeaway was hey I did nothing wrong there was no no collusion, no criminal obstruction. On the other hand, he's keenly aware that the report does paint this really damning picture of his presidency. And so he wants to with all those details out there now he wants to really undermine them. He wants to point fingers at Mueller's team and say they don't have enough credibility to make judgments on me. And then also he wants to cast doubt on the many Trump advisers who talked to Bob Mueller and provided pretty stunning details. He believes based on his track record over the past two years that he, he can undermine the credibility of that report, certainly for his base and perhaps for, for other Americans as well."

ASSOCIATED PRESS - AP CLIENTS ONLY

Washington - 18 April 2019

17. STILL IMAGE - Pages from Mueller's redacted report

18. President Trump and Melania depart White House

STORYLINE:

The chairman of the House Judiciary Committee issued a subpoena Friday for special counsel's Robert Mueller's report as Congress escalates its investigation of President Donald Trump.

"It now falls to Congress to determine the full scope of that alleged misconduct and to decide what steps we must take going forward," said Rep. Jerrold Nadler, D-N.Y. He expects the Justice Department to comply by May 1.

While Mueller declined to prosecute Trump on obstruction of justice, he did not exonerate the president, all but leaving the question to Congress.

Associated Press Washington Bureau Chief Julia Pace says "Certainly the full report -- the unredacted report will provide us with -- with some level of additional information...there are pieces of this report where you can figure out what's probably behind the redactions but then there are some where we really don't know and Democrats and the public have probably or you know feel like they have a right to know what is behind those redactions."

Mueller's report provides fresh evidence of Trump's interference in the Russia investigation and challenges lawmakers to respond.

The risks for both parties are clear if they duck the responsibility or prolong an inquiry that, rather than coming to a close, may be just beginning.

"My committee needs and is entitled to the full version of the report and the underlying evidence consistent with past practice," Nadler said in a statement.

The materials are due the day Barr is scheduled to testify before a Senate committee and one day before Barr is set to appear before Nadler's committee.

Nadler also has summoned Mueller to testify.

Republicans are eager to move beyond what Trump calls the "witch hunt" that has overshadowed the party and the presidency.

While Democrats say Mueller's findings are far more serious than initially indicated in Barr's four-page summary last month, they've been hesitant to pursue the ultimate step, impeachment proceedings, despite pressure from the left flank of the party to begin efforts to try to remove the president from office.

Pace says "Democrats have to decide if they want to continue to pursue these investigations -- if they want to move forward with impeachment. There are really mixed feelings in the Democratic caucus about that but we now shift from a criminal question to a political question."

===========================================================

Clients are reminded:

(i) to check the terms of their licence agreements for use of content outside news programming and that further advice and assistance can be obtained from the AP Archive on: Tel +44 (0) 20 7482 7482 Email: info@aparchive.com

(ii) they should check with the applicable collecting society in their Territory regarding the clearance of any sound recording or performance included within the AP Television News service

(iii) they have editorial responsibility for the use of all and any content included within the AP Television News service and for libel, privacy, compliance and third party rights applicable to their Territory.

RESTRICTION SUMMARY: AP CLIENTS ONLY

SHOTLIST:

U.S. HOUSE JUDICIARY COMMITTEE - AP CLIENTS ONLY

Washington - 19 April 2019

1. STILL IMAGES -  Various pages of House Judiciary Committee issued subpoena

ASSOCIATED PRESS - AP CLIENTS ONLY

Washington - 19 April 2019

2. Wide of people reading newspaper headlines at Washington's Newseum

3. SOUNDBITE (English) Julie Pace, Associated Press, Washington Bureau Chief:

"The report really paints a damning picture of the Trump presidency. It shows a president who was consumed by the Mueller investigation. Someone who tried to get his top advisers to lie or obfuscate on his behalf and who really was trying to interfere with the Mueller investigation and actually only was blocked by his own - by his own team who either refused to carry out some of his orders or simply just let them fall by the wayside."

4. Various newspaper headlines on Mueller's report

5. SOUNDBITE (English) Julie Pace, Associated Press, Washington Bureau Chief:

"Ultimately Mueller did not find that, did not decide to go forward with criminal charges against Trump or some of the other figures that were around him at the early stages of his administration or during the campaign. But really when you,  when you put that aside there is a lot in here that really paints a troubling picture of this administration and it turns this into a political question now. That's for Democrats. Democrats have to decide if they want to continue to pursue these investigations, if they want to move forward with impeachment. There are really mixed feelings in the Democratic caucus about that but we now shift from a criminal question to a political question."

6. Medium of people reading displays of newspapers

7. SOUNDBITE (English) Julie Pace, Associated Press, Washington Bureau Chief:

"Certainly the full report the unredacted report will provide us with, with some level of additional information. There are, there are pieces of this report where you can figure out what's probably behind the redactions but then there are some where we really don't know and Democrats and the public have probably or you know feel like they have a right to know what is behind those redactions."

8. Various newspaper headlines on Mueller's report

9. SOUNDBITE (English) Julie Pace, Associated Press, Washington Bureau Chief:

"One of the reasons you're seeing the oversight committees move forward with trying to pursue the full report is they just want to keep the investigations going. It is very unlikely that we will learn something in the unredacted report that will fundamentally change either public opinion or understanding about what happened here. But these committees feel like it is their responsibility. They are the legislative branch. They are a check on the executive branch. They feel like it's their responsibility to push forward, take the next step, get the unredacted report. "

10. Various newspaper headlines on Mueller's report

11. SOUNDBITE (English) Julie Pace, Associated Press, Washington Bureau Chief:

"There are definitely some loud voices in the Democratic caucus that want to move forward on impeachment but we've heard for from the start from Democratic leaders people like Nancy Pelosi that she sees a pretty high bar for, for impeachment hearings. She has said repeatedly that she feels like in order to move forward on impeachment, you have to not only have really solid evidence of an impeachable offense but you also have to be able to bring not just Democrats but also Republicans on board."

DONALD TRUMP VIA TWITTER @REALDONALDTRUMP - AP CLIENTS ONLY

Internet - 19 April 2019

++NOTE GRAPHIC LANGUAGE++

12. @realDonaldTrump Twitter page

13. Donald Trump tweet of a "Game of Thrones" type still image (English) "NO COLLUSION. NO OBSTRUCTION. FOR THE HATERS AND THE RADICAL LEFT DEMOCRATS -- GAME OVER"

14. Donald Trump tweet (English) "...agreed to testify, it was not necessary for me to respond to statements made in the "Report" about me, some of which are total bullshit & only given to make the other person look good (or me to look bad). This was an Illegally Started Hoax that never should have happened, a...

15. Donald Trump tweet (English) "Statements are made about me by certain people in the Crazy Mueller Report, in itself written by 18 Angry Democrat Trump Haters, which are fabricated & totally untrue. Watch out for people that take so-called "notes," when the notes never existed until needed. Because I never...."

ASSOCIATED PRESS - AP CLIENTS ONLY

Washington - 19 April 2019

16. SOUNDBITE (English) Julie Pace, Associated Press, Washington Bureau Chief:

"The president goes back and forth on this Mueller Report. On the one hand, he wants to argue that the main takeaway was hey I did nothing wrong there was no no collusion, no criminal obstruction. On the other hand, he's keenly aware that the report does paint this really damning picture of his presidency. And so he wants to with all those details out there now he wants to really undermine them. He wants to point fingers at Mueller's team and say they don't have enough credibility to make judgments on me. And then also he wants to cast doubt on the many Trump advisers who talked to Bob Mueller and provided pretty stunning details. He believes based on his track record over the past two years that he, he can undermine the credibility of that report, certainly for his base and perhaps for, for other Americans as well."

ASSOCIATED PRESS - AP CLIENTS ONLY

Washington - 18 April 2019

17. STILL IMAGE - Pages from Mueller's redacted report

18. President Trump and Melania depart White House

STORYLINE:

The chairman of the House Judiciary Committee issued a subpoena Friday for special counsel's Robert Mueller's report as Congress escalates its investigation of President Donald Trump.

"It now falls to Congress to determine the full scope of that alleged misconduct and to decide what steps we must take going forward," said Rep. Jerrold Nadler, D-N.Y. He expects the Justice Department to comply by May 1.

While Mueller declined to prosecute Trump on obstruction of justice, he did not exonerate the president, all but leaving the question to Congress.

Associated Press Washington Bureau Chief Julia Pace says "Certainly the full report -- the unredacted report will provide us with -- with some level of additional information...there are pieces of this report where you can figure out what's probably behind the redactions but then there are some where we really don't know and Democrats and the public have probably or you know feel like they have a right to know what is behind those redactions."

Mueller's report provides fresh evidence of Trump's interference in the Russia investigation and challenges lawmakers to respond.

The risks for both parties are clear if they duck the responsibility or prolong an inquiry that, rather than coming to a close, may be just beginning.

"My committee needs and is entitled to the full version of the report and the underlying evidence consistent with past practice," Nadler said in a statement.

The materials are due the day Barr is scheduled to testify before a Senate committee and one day before Barr is set to appear before Nadler's committee.

Nadler also has summoned Mueller to testify.

Republicans are eager to move beyond what Trump calls the "witch hunt" that has overshadowed the party and the presidency.

While Democrats say Mueller's findings are far more serious than initially indicated in Barr's four-page summary last month, they've been hesitant to pursue the ultimate step, impeachment proceedings, despite pressure from the left flank of the party to begin efforts to try to remove the president from office.

Pace says "Democrats have to decide if they want to continue to pursue these investigations -- if they want to move forward with impeachment. There are really mixed feelings in the Democratic caucus about that but we now shift from a criminal question to a political question."

===========================================================

Clients are reminded:

(i) to check the terms of their licence agreements for use of content outside news programming and that further advice and assistance can be obtained from the AP Archive on: Tel +44 (0) 20 7482 7482 Email: info@aparchive.com

(ii) they should check with the applicable collecting society in their Territory regarding the clearance of any sound recording or performance included within the AP Television News service

(iii) they have editorial responsibility for the use of all and any content included within the AP Television News service and for libel, privacy, compliance and third party rights applicable to their Territory.

RESTRICTION SUMMARY: AP CLIENTS ONLY

SHOTLIST:

ASSOCIATED PRESS - AP CLIENTS ONLY

Washington - 19 April 2019

1. Wide of people reading newspaper headlines at Washington's Newseum (PARTIALLY COVERS UPCOMING SOUNDBITE)

2. Newspaper headlines on Mueller's report (PARTIALLY COVERS UPCOMING SOUNDBITE)

3. SOUNDBITE (English) Julie Pace, Associated Press, Washington Bureau Chief:

"The report really paints a damning picture of the Trump presidency. It shows a president who was consumed by the Mueller investigation. Someone who tried to get his top advisers to lie or obfuscate on his behalf and who really was trying to interfere with the Mueller investigation and actually only was blocked by his own - by his own team who either refused to carry out some of his orders or simply just let them fall by the wayside."

ASSOCIATED PRESS - AP CLIENTS ONLY

Washington - 18 April 2019

4. STILL IMAGE - Pages from Mueller's redacted report (PARTIALLY COVERS UPCOMING SOUNDBITE)

ASSOCIATED PRESS - AP CLIENTS ONLY

Washington - 19 April 2019

5. SOUNDBITE (English) Julie Pace, Associated Press, Washington Bureau Chief:

SOUNDBITE (English) Julie Pace, Associated Press, Washington Bureau Chief:

"Ultimately Mueller did not find that, did not decide to go forward with criminal charges against Trump or some of the other figures that were around him at the early stages of his administration or during the campaign. But really when you,  when you put that aside there is a lot in here that really paints a troubling picture of this administration and it turns this into a political question now. That's for Democrats. Democrats have to decide if they want to continue to pursue these investigations, if they want to move forward with impeachment. There are really mixed feelings in the Democratic caucus about that but we now shift from a criminal question to a political question."

ASSOCIATED PRESS /U.S. HOUSE JUDICIARY COMMITTEE - AP CLIENTS ONLY

6. STILL IMAGES -  Compilation (PARTIALLY COVERS UPCOMING SOUNDBITE)

ASSOCIATED PRESS - AP CLIENTS ONLY

Washington - 18 April 2019

Special counsel Robert Mueller's redacted report  and

U.S. HOUSE JUDICIARY COMMITTEE

Washington - 19 April 2019

Various pages of House Judiciary Committee issued subpoena

7. SOUNDBITE (English) Julie Pace, Associated Press, Washington Bureau Chief:

"Certainly the full report the unredacted report will provide us with, with some level of additional information. There are, there are pieces of this report where you can figure out what's probably behind the redactions but then there are some where we really don't know and Democrats and the public have probably or you know feel like they have a right to know what is behind those redactions."

ASSOCIATED PRESS - AP CLIENTS ONLY

Washington - 18 April 2019

8. President Trump and Melania depart White House (PARTIALLY COVERS UPCOMING SOUNDBITE)

ASSOCIATED PRESS - AP CLIENTS ONLY

Washington - 19 April 2019

9. SOUNDBITE (English) Julie Pace, Associated Press, Washington Bureau Chief:

"There are definitely some loud voices in the Democratic caucus that want to move forward on impeachment but we've heard for from the start from Democratic leaders people like Nancy Pelosi that she sees a pretty high bar for, for impeachment hearings. She has said repeatedly that she feels like in order to move forward on impeachment, you have to not only have really solid evidence of an impeachable offense but you also have to be able to bring not just Democrats but also Republicans on board."

DONALD TRUMP VIA TWITTER @REALDONALDTRUMP - AP CLIENTS ONLY

Internet - 19 April 2019

10. @realDonaldTrump Twitter page (PARTIALLY COVERS UPCOMING SOUNDBITE)

11. Donald Trump tweet of a "Game of Thrones" type still image (English) "NO COLLUSION. NO OBSTRUCTION. FOR THE HATERS AND THE RADICAL LEFT DEMOCRATS -- GAME OVER" (PARTIALLY COVERS UPCOMING SOUNDBITE)

12. Donald Trump tweet (English) "Statements are made about me by certain people in the Crazy Mueller Report, in itself written by 18 Angry Democrat Trump Haters, which are fabricated & totally untrue. Watch out for people that take so-called "notes," when the notes never existed until needed. Because I never...." (PARTIALLY COVERS UPCOMING SOUNDBITE)

13. Donald Trump tweet (English) "...agreed to testify, it was not necessary for me to respond to statements made in the "Report" about me, some of which are total bullshit & only given to make the other person look good (or me to look bad). This was an Illegally Started Hoax that never should have happened, a... (PARTIALLY COVERS UPCOMING SOUNDBITE)

ASSOCIATED PRESS - AP CLIENTS ONLY

Washington - 19 April 2019

14. SOUNDBITE (English) Julie Pace, Associated Press, Washington Bureau Chief:

"The president goes back and forth on this Mueller Report. On the one hand, he wants to argue that the main takeaway was hey I did nothing wrong there was no no collusion, no criminal obstruction. On the other hand, he's keenly aware that the report does paint this really damning picture of his presidency. And so he wants to with all those details out there now he wants to really undermine them. He wants to point fingers at Mueller's team and say they don't have enough credibility to make judgments on me. And then also he wants to cast doubt on the many Trump advisers who talked to Bob Mueller and provided pretty stunning details. He believes based on his track record over the past two years that he, he can undermine the credibility of that report, certainly for his base and perhaps for, for other Americans as well."

ASSOCIATED PRESS - AP CLIENTS ONLY

Washington - 18 April 2019

15. President Trump and Melania depart White House (PARTIALLY COVERS PREVIOUS SOUNDBITE)

STORYLINE:

The chairman of the House Judiciary Committee issued a subpoena Friday for special counsel's Robert Mueller's report as Congress escalates its investigation of President Donald Trump.

"It now falls to Congress to determine the full scope of that alleged misconduct and to decide what steps we must take going forward," said Rep. Jerrold Nadler, D-N.Y. He expects the Justice Department to comply by May 1.

While Mueller declined to prosecute Trump on obstruction of justice, he did not exonerate the president, all but leaving the question to Congress.

Associated Press Washington Bureau Chief Julia Pace says "Certainly the full report -- the unredacted report will provide us with -- with some level of additional information...there are pieces of this report where you can figure out what's probably behind the redactions but then there are some where we really don't know and Democrats and the public have probably or you know feel like they have a right to know what is behind those redactions."

Mueller's report provides fresh evidence of Trump's interference in the Russia investigation and challenges lawmakers to respond.

The risks for both parties are clear if they duck the responsibility or prolong an inquiry that, rather than coming to a close, may be just beginning.

"My committee needs and is entitled to the full version of the report and the underlying evidence consistent with past practice," Nadler said in a statement.

The materials are due the day Barr is scheduled to testify before a Senate committee and one day before Barr is set to appear before Nadler's committee.

Nadler also has summoned Mueller to testify.

Republicans are eager to move beyond what Trump calls the "witch hunt" that has overshadowed the party and the presidency.

While Democrats say Mueller's findings are far more serious than initially indicated in Barr's four-page summary last month, they've been hesitant to pursue the ultimate step, impeachment proceedings, despite pressure from the left flank of the party to begin efforts to try to remove the president from office.

Pace says "Democrats have to decide if they want to continue to pursue these investigations -- if they want to move forward with impeachment. There are really mixed feelings in the Democratic caucus about that but we now shift from a criminal question to a political question."

===========================================================

Clients are reminded:

(i) to check the terms of their licence agreements for use of content outside news programming and that further advice and assistance can be obtained from the AP Archive on: Tel +44 (0) 20 7482 7482 Email: info@aparchive.com

(ii) they should check with the applicable collecting society in their Territory regarding the clearance of any sound recording or performance included within the AP Television News service

(iii) they have editorial responsibility for the use of all and any content included within the AP Television News service and for libel, privacy, compliance and third party rights applicable to their Territory.

US Special Counsel Robert Mueller on Friday turned over his long-awaited final report on the contentious Russia investigation that has cast a dark shadow over Donald Trump's presidency, entangled Trump's family and resulted in criminal charges against some of the president's closest associates.

The comprehensive report, still confidential, marks the end of Mueller's probe but sets the stage for big public fights to come.

Associated Press reporter Eric Tucker says the next steps are up to Attorney General William Barr, to Congress and, in all likelihood, federal courts.

Barr is "going to review this report and will decide how much of it to make public. He says he will release something as soon as this weekend that functions as a summary of the central findings of the special counsel."

With no details released at this point, it's not known whether Mueller's report answers the core questions of his investigation: Did Trump's campaign collude with the Kremlin to sway the 2016 presidential election in favor of the celebrity businessman? Also, did Trump take steps later, including by firing his FBI director, to obstruct the probe?

But Tucker says the delivery of the report does mean the investigation has concluded without any public charges of a criminal conspiracy between the campaign and Russia, or of obstruction by the president.

Mueller is not recommending any further indictments in the Russia probe, a Justice Department official confirmed Friday.

ASSOCIATED PRESS

Washington, DC - 22 March 2019

1. Wide shot of the White House as the sun sets

ASSOCIATED PRESS

Washington, DC - June 2013

2. STILL photo of Robert Mueller at FBI headquarters

ASSOCIATED PRESS

Washington, DC - 22 March 2019

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

"Special Counsel Robert Mueller today concluded his nearly two year long investigation into potential collusion between the Trump campaign and Russia. He delivered a confidential report to the Justice Department this afternoon and Attorney General William Barr says he will report back to Congress as soon as this weekend about a summary of the findings of that report."

ASSOCIATED PRESS

McLean, Virginia - 19 March 2019

4. Attorney General William Barr leaving his house for work

ASSOCIATED PRESS

Washington, DC - 22 March 2019

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

"The attorney general is going to review this report and we know from Justice Department officials it's a comprehensive report. He's going to review this report and will decide how much of it to make public. He says he will release something as soon as this weekend that functions as a summary of the central findings of the special counsel."

ASSOCIATED PRESS

Washington, DC - 19 March 2019

6. Exterior shots of the Justice Department

ASSOCIATED PRESS

Washington, DC - 22 March 2019

7. SOUNDBITE (English) Eric Tucker, Associated Press:

"Attorney General Barr has committed to releasing information as well to the public so the information he delivers to congressional officials we expect to also be released to the public."

8. Letter from Attorney General William Barr to members of Congress

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

"The other thing that we know that's really important that I want to point out is that the special counsel is not recommending any additional indictments. There have been lots of speculation about other people who might be in trouble or scrutinized, members of the president's family, all sorts of different speculation, and apparently the special counsel says none of that is happening. He's not recommending any additional charges from his office."

POOL

Palm Beach, Florida - 22 March 2019

10. Donald Trump walks off Air Force One after landing in Palm Beach

ASSOCIATED PRESS

Washington, DC - 22 March 2019

11. SOUNDBITE (English) Eric Tucker, Associated Press:

"We're not clear what's in the report so it's hard to say how this bodes for the central mandate of the Special Counsel in terms of whether he's found allegations of potential collusion between the Trump campaign and Russia. But again, it's important to note this investigation is concluding without any criminal charges along those lines. So there are no criminal charges against the president or anybody else from his campaign alleging a criminal conspiracy with the Russian government."

POOL

Fletcher, North Carolina, US - 21 October 2016

12. Donald Trump walks into rally during 2016 presidential campaign

ASSOCIATED PRESS

Washington, DC - 22 March 2019

13. SOUNDBITE (English) Eric Tucker, Associated Press:

"We'll have to see what the actual findings are. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi has been reluctant to sort of talk about impeachment proceedings. She said the president's not worth it. So it strikes me that it would require something that's really damning and incriminating for the president that's in the report for Democrats to take any sort of organized impeachment action."

ASSOCIATED PRESS

Washington, DC - 22 March 2019

14. US President Donald Trump walks on White House South Lawn to talk to press before departing to Florida

Special counsel Robert Mueller on Friday turned over his long-awaited final report on the contentious Russia investigation that has cast a dark shadow over Donald Trump's presidency, entangled Trump's family and resulted in criminal charges against some of the president's closest associates.

The comprehensive report, still confidential, marks the end of Mueller's probe but sets the stage for big public fights to come.

Associated Press reporter Eric Tucker says the next steps are up to Attorney General William Barr, to Congress and, in all likelihood, federal courts.

Barr is "going to review this report and will decide how much of it to make public. He says he will release something as soon as this weekend that functions as a summary of the central findings of the special counsel."

With no details released at this point, it's not known whether Mueller's report answers the core questions of his investigation: Did Trump's campaign collude with the Kremlin to sway the 2016 presidential election in favor of the celebrity businessman? Also, did Trump take steps later, including by firing his FBI director, to obstruct the probe?

But Tucker says the delivery of the report does mean the investigation has concluded without any public charges of a criminal conspiracy between the campaign and Russia, or of obstruction by the president.

Mueller is not recommending any further indictments in the Russia probe, a Justice Department official confirmed Friday.

ASSOCIATED PRESS

Washington, DC - 22 March 2019

1. Wide shot of the White House as the sun sets

ASSOCIATED PRESS

Washington, DC - June 2013

2. STILL photo of Robert Mueller at FBI headquarters

ASSOCIATED PRESS

Washington, DC - 22 March 2019

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

"Special Counsel Robert Mueller today concluded his nearly two year long investigation into potential collusion between the Trump campaign and Russia. He delivered a confidential report to the Justice Department this afternoon and Attorney General William Barr says he will report back to Congress as soon as this weekend about a summary of the findings of that report."

ASSOCIATED PRESS

McLean, Virginia - 19 March 2019

4. Attorney General William Barr leaving his house for work

ASSOCIATED PRESS

Washington, DC - 22 March 2019

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

"The attorney general is going to review this report and we know from Justice Department officials it's a comprehensive report. He's going to review this report and will decide how much of it to make public. He says he will release something as soon as this weekend that functions as a summary of the central findings of the special counsel."

ASSOCIATED PRESS

Washington, DC - 19 March 2019

6. Exterior shots of the Justice Department

ASSOCIATED PRESS

Washington, DC - 22 March 2019

7. SOUNDBITE (English) Eric Tucker, Associated Press:

"Attorney General Barr has committed to releasing information as well to the public so the information he delivers to congressional officials we expect to also be released to the public."

8. Letter from Attorney General William Barr to members of Congress

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

"The other thing that we know that's really important that I want to point out is that the special counsel is not recommending any additional indictments. There have been lots of speculation about other people who might be in trouble or scrutinized, members of the president's family, all sorts of different speculation, and apparently the special counsel says none of that is happening. He's not recommending any additional charges from his office."

POOL

Palm Beach, Florida - 22 March 2019

10. Donald Trump walks off Air Force One after landing in Palm Beach

ASSOCIATED PRESS

Washington, DC - 22 March 2019

11. SOUNDBITE (English) Eric Tucker, Associated Press:

"We're not clear what's in the report so it's hard to say how this bodes for the central mandate of the Special Counsel in terms of whether he's found allegations of potential collusion between the Trump campaign and Russia. But again, it's important to note this investigation is concluding without any criminal charges along those lines. So there are no criminal charges against the president or anybody else from his campaign alleging a criminal conspiracy with the Russian government."

POOL

Fletcher, North Carolina, US - 21 October 2016

12. Donald Trump walks into rally during 2016 presidential campaign

ASSOCIATED PRESS

Washington, DC - 22 March 2019

13. SOUNDBITE (English) Eric Tucker, Associated Press:

"We'll have to see what the actual findings are. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi has been reluctant to sort of talk about impeachment proceedings. She said the president's not worth it. So it strikes me that it would require something that's really damning and incriminating for the president that's in the report for Democrats to take any sort of organized impeachment action."

ASSOCIATED PRESS

Washington, DC - 22 March 2019

14. President Donald Trump walks on White House South Lawn to talk to press before departing to Florida

Special counsel Robert Mueller on Friday turned over his long-awaited final report on the contentious Russia investigation that has cast a dark shadow over Donald Trump's presidency, entangled Trump's family and resulted in criminal charges against some of the president's closest associates.

The comprehensive report, still confidential, marks the end of Mueller's probe but sets the stage for big public fights to come.

Associated Press reporter Eric Tucker says the next steps are up to Attorney General William Barr, to Congress and, in all likelihood, federal courts.

Barr is "going to review this report and will decide how much of it to make public. He says he will release something as soon as this weekend that functions as a summary of the central findings of the special counsel."

With no details released at this point, it's not known whether Mueller's report answers the core questions of his investigation: Did Trump's campaign collude with the Kremlin to sway the 2016 presidential election in favor of the celebrity businessman? Also, did Trump take steps later, including by firing his FBI director, to obstruct the probe?

But Tucker says the delivery of the report does mean the investigation has concluded without any public charges of a criminal conspiracy between the campaign and Russia, or of obstruction by the president.

Mueller is not recommending any further indictments in the Russia probe, a Justice Department official confirmed Friday.

ASSOCIATED PRESS

Washington, DC - 22 March 2019

1. Wide shot of the White House as the sun sets

ASSOCIATED PRESS

Washington, DC - June 2013

2. STILL photo of Robert Mueller at FBI headquarters

ASSOCIATED PRESS

Washington, DC - 22 March 2019

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

"Special Counsel Robert Mueller today concluded his nearly two year long investigation into potential collusion between the Trump campaign and Russia. He delivered a confidential report to the Justice Department this afternoon and Attorney General William Barr says he will report back to Congress as soon as this weekend about a summary of the findings of that report."

ASSOCIATED PRESS

McLean, Virginia - 19 March 2019

4. Attorney General William Barr leaving his house for work

ASSOCIATED PRESS

Washington, DC - 22 March 2019

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

"The attorney general is going to review this report and we know from Justice Department officials it's a comprehensive report. He's going to review this report and will decide how much of it to make public. He says he will release something as soon as this weekend that functions as a summary of the central findings of the special counsel."

ASSOCIATED PRESS

Washington, DC - 19 March 2019

6. Exterior shots of the Justice Department

ASSOCIATED PRESS

Washington, DC - 22 March 2019

7. SOUNDBITE (English) Eric Tucker, Associated Press:

"Attorney General Barr has committed to releasing information as well to the public so the information he delivers to congressional officials we expect to also be released to the public."

8. Letter from Attorney General William Barr to members of Congress

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

"The other thing that we know that's really important that I want to point out is that the special counsel is not recommending any additional indictments. There have been lots of speculation about other people who might be in trouble or scrutinized, members of the president's family, all sorts of different speculation, and apparently the special counsel says none of that is happening. He's not recommending any additional charges from his office."

POOL

Palm Beach, Florida - 22 March 2019

10. Donald Trump walks off Air Force One after landing in Palm Beach

ASSOCIATED PRESS

Washington, DC - 22 March 2019

11. SOUNDBITE (English) Eric Tucker, Associated Press:

"We're not clear what's in the report so it's hard to say how this bodes for the central mandate of the Special Counsel in terms of whether he's found allegations of potential collusion between the Trump campaign and Russia. But again, it's important to note this investigation is concluding without any criminal charges along those lines. So there are no criminal charges against the president or anybody else from his campaign alleging a criminal conspiracy with the Russian government."

POOL

Fletcher, North Carolina, US - 21 October 2016

12. Donald Trump walks into rally during 2016 presidential campaign

ASSOCIATED PRESS

Washington, DC - 22 March 2019

13. SOUNDBITE (English) Eric Tucker, Associated Press:

"We'll have to see what the actual findings are. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi has been reluctant to sort of talk about impeachment proceedings. She said the president's not worth it. So it strikes me that it would require something that's really damning and incriminating for the president that's in the report for Democrats to take any sort of organized impeachment action."

ASSOCIATED PRESS

Washington, DC - 22 March 2019

14. President Donald Trump walks on White House South Lawn to talk to press before departing to Florida

Robert Mueller on Wednesday bluntly dismissed President Donald Trump's claims of total exoneration in the federal probe of Russia's 2016 election interference, telling Congress he explicitly did not clear the president of obstructing his investigation.

Eric Tucker of the Associated Press said after viewing the testimony before the House Judiciary Committee, "Special Counsel Mueller was very clear today that he did not exonerate President Donald Trump on the question of whether he had committed obstruction of justice. He was adamant in response to questioning from Democrats that that is not what his report said."

In hours of sometimes halting and stilted testimony, reliant on terse one-word answers and a steely determination to remain outside the partisan fray, Mueller also declared Russian election interference as one of the greatest challenges to democracy he has encountered in his career.

The televised Capitol Hill appearances, Mueller's first since wrapping his two-year Russia probe last spring, unfolded at a moment of deep divisions in the country, with many Americans hardened in their opinions about the success of Donald Trump's presidency and whether impeachment proceedings are necessary.

Republicans and Democrats took divergent paths in questioning Mueller, with Trump's GOP allies trying to cast the former special counsel and his prosecutors as politically motivated.

Democrats, meanwhile, sought to emphasize the most incendiary findings of Mueller's 448-page report and weaken Trump's reelection prospects in ways that Mueller's book-length report did not.

They hoped that even if his testimony did not inspire impeachment demands — House Speaker Nancy Pelosi has made clear she will not pursue impeachment, for now — Mueller could nonetheless unambiguously spell out questionable, norm-shattering actions by the president.

Yet Mueller by midday appeared unwilling or unable to offer crisp sound bites that could reshape already-entrenched public opinions.

He frequently gave single-word answers to lawmakers' questions, even when given opportunities to crystallize allegations of obstruction of justice against the president. He referred time again to the wording in his report or asked for questions to be repeated. He declined to read aloud hard-hitting statements in the report when prodded by Democrats to do so.

US NETWORK POOL VIA ABC NEWS VIDEOSOURCE - STRICTLY NO ARCHIVE RESALE/AUTHORIZED RE-USE BY AP'S BROADCAST AND DIGITAL OUTPUT ONLY

Washington - 24 July 2019

1. Mueller swearing into House Judiciary committee

ASSOCIATED PRESS

Washington - 24 July 2019

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

"Special Counsel Mueller was very clear today that he did not exonerate President Donald Trump on the question of whether he had committed obstruction of justice. He was adamant in response to questioning from Democrats that that is not what his report said."

US NETWORK POOL VIA ABC NEWS VIDEOSOURCE - STRICTLY NO ARCHIVE RESALE/AUTHORIZED RE-USE BY AP'S BROADCAST AND DIGITAL OUTPUT ONLY

Washington - 24 July 2019

3. Mueller testifying to House Judiciary committee

ASSOCIATED PRESS

Washington - 24 July 2019

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

"There is no question that he did not elaborate for whatever reason on questions that Democrats had. Soundbites they were hoping he would deliver. He did not walk through doors that they had opened in hopes of really giving a crisp expansive answer that could bring home allegations of wrongdoing against President Trump. It is clear that Mueller was either unwilling or unable or just simply resistant to the idea that he was going to use this forum to answer questions in a way that was going to really shed light and new details on his report."

US NETWORK POOL VIA ABC NEWS VIDEOSOURCE - STRICTLY NO ARCHIVE RESALE/AUTHORIZED RE-USE BY AP'S BROADCAST AND DIGITAL OUTPUT ONLY

Washington - 24 July 2019

5. Medium of House Judiciary Committee

ASSOCIATED PRESS

Washington - 24 July 2019

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

"I think for Republicans what they were really trying to focus on was not so much what was in the report but what was not in the report namely how the FBI's Russian election interference began. And some of the concerns that the FBI began having about the Trump campaign. Some of that's detailed but I think Republicans really wanted to focus on allegations of partisanship on Mueller's team, allegations that a British spy who compiled a dossier of research had a political axe to pick and it was interesting to see there were certain questions from Republicans that really seemed to irritate Mueller. And then he responded in an animated way."

US NETWORK POOL VIA ABC NEWS VIDEOSOURCE - STRICTLY NO ARCHIVE RESALE/AUTHORIZED RE-USE BY AP'S BROADCAST AND DIGITAL OUTPUT ONLY

Washington - 24 July 2019

7. Wide cutaway of House Judiciary Committee hearing

ASSOCIATED PRESS

Washington - 24 July 2019

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

"Democrats repeatedly seized on the fact that there are a thousand prosecutors -- former prosecutors who signed onto this letter saying that was Trump anyone other than the president he would have been charged. Mueller didn't say 'oh yes' I would have definitely charged him. But I think it was important for Democrats to make that point regardless of the answer that Mueller gave. I think Democrats wanted to have the American public hear that from them. That position that he would have been charged were he not the president. And so that's why we heard that so often."

US NETWORK POOL VIA ABC NEWS VIDEOSOURCE - STRICTLY NO ARCHIVE RESALE/AUTHORIZED RE-USE BY AP'S BROADCAST AND DIGITAL OUTPUT ONLY

Washington - 24 July 2019

9. Wide cutaway of House Judiciary Committee

ASSOCIATED PRESS

Washington - 24 July 2019

10. SOUNDBITE (English) Eric Tucker, Associated Press:

"I'm not sure that there's going to be any lasting success from the testimony -- certainly not enough to propel any kind of impeachment drive. I'm not really sure what kind of soundbite you're left with that you could put on TV and repeat an air over and over and over again. He did have an exchange where he was asked about the OLC (Office of Legal Counsel) opinion and did you not indict because of the OLC opinion and Mueller said 'correct'. And I think that gave Democrats some cheer that Mueller seemed to be suggesting that were it not for the OLC opinion saying you can't indict a sitting president that he would have charged. That gave Democrats some hope. But no I think Mueller was very clear of I'm not going to be your mouthpiece. I'm not going to be the person who you hold up as you try to push towards impeachment or try to get the president out of there."

US NETWORK POOL VIA ABC NEWS VIDEOSOURCE - STRICTLY NO ARCHIVE RESALE/AUTHORIZED RE-USE BY AP'S BROADCAST AND DIGITAL OUTPUT ONLY

Washington - 24 July 2019

11. Medium  of House Judiciary Committee hearing

ASSOCIATED PRESS

Washington - 24 July 2019

12. SOUNDBITE (English) Eric Tucker, Associated Press:

"Mueller was very clear that if you ask me something that is in the report I will confirm that it's in the report and I will refer you back to it. But I'm not going to expound or give opinions which is frankly not uncommon for a prosecutor. Right? You do your talking in court or you do you're talking through a legal document. I think they didn't want it. He did not want to do it through Congress. And I think he wanted to make sure that I'm not saying anything that's outside the four corners of my report. And so what we frequently heard from Mueller is he would decline to answer a question say I'm not going into that. That's not my purview or that's in the report and I stand by the report and you'll find your answer there. And that was really his standard response, time and again."

US NETWORK POOL VIA ABC NEWS VIDEOSOURCE - STRICTLY NO ARCHIVE RESALE/AUTHORIZED RE-USE BY AP'S BROADCAST AND DIGITAL OUTPUT ONLY

Washington - 24 July 201

13. Wide of House Judiciary Committee hearing

ASSOCIATED PRESS

Washington - 24 July 2019

14. SOUNDBITE (English) Eric Tucker, Associated Press:

"Mueller is there basically saying I am not here to try to drive the president out of office for a political reason I'm here to just investigate. And so I am not part of this process that the Democrats are trying to have here of answering questions for the purpose of political gain, for the purpose of pushing towards impeachment. I'm just here to talk about what I found in my criminal and counter intelligence investigation period. And so I think for Republicans who say look how tainted this process is. Mueller didn't really do them any favors either because he did not come across as a partisan in any way."

US NETWORK POOL VIA ABC NEWS VIDEOSOURCE - STRICTLY NO ARCHIVE RESALE/AUTHORIZED RE-USE BY AP'S BROADCAST AND DIGITAL OUTPUT ONLY

Washington - 24 July 2019

15. Wide cutaway of House Judiciary Committee hearing

ASSOCIATED PRESS

Washington - 24 July 2019

16. SOUNDBITE (English) Eric Tucker, Associated Press:

"I think the American public is so hungry for more information to understand what Mueller found and did not find. The 448 page Mueller Report is a complicated legal document. It's not easy to get through. And I think the expectation is frankly most Americans have not picked it up let alone actually read it. So in many ways, Mueller appearing on TV is the first introduction that the American public has to what the investigation actually found."

US NETWORK POOL VIA ABC NEWS VIDEOSOURCE - STRICTLY NO ARCHIVE RESALE/AUTHORIZED RE-USE BY AP'S BROADCAST AND DIGITAL OUTPUT ONLY

Washington - 24 July 2019

17. Cutaway of Mueller testifying to House Judiciary committee

FOR CLEAN VERSION SEE STORY NUMBER: apus120898

Robert Mueller on Wednesday bluntly dismissed President Donald Trump's claims of total exoneration in the federal probe of Russia's 2016 election interference, telling Congress he explicitly did not clear the president of obstructing his investigation.

Eric Tucker of the Associated Press said after viewing the testimony before the House Judiciary Committee, "Special Counsel Mueller was very clear today that he did not exonerate President Donald Trump on the question of whether he had committed obstruction of justice. He was adamant in response to questioning from Democrats that that is not what his report said."

In hours of sometimes halting and stilted testimony, reliant on terse one-word answers and a steely determination to remain outside the partisan fray, Mueller also declared Russian election interference as one of the greatest challenges to democracy he has encountered in his career.

The televised Capitol Hill appearances, Mueller's first since wrapping his two-year Russia probe last spring, unfolded at a moment of deep divisions in the country, with many Americans hardened in their opinions about the success of Donald Trump's presidency and whether impeachment proceedings are necessary.

Republicans and Democrats took divergent paths in questioning Mueller, with Trump's GOP allies trying to cast the former special counsel and his prosecutors as politically motivated.

Democrats, meanwhile, sought to emphasize the most incendiary findings of Mueller's 448-page report and weaken Trump's reelection prospects in ways that Mueller's book-length report did not.

They hoped that even if his testimony did not inspire impeachment demands — House Speaker Nancy Pelosi has made clear she will not pursue impeachment, for now — Mueller could nonetheless unambiguously spell out questionable, norm-shattering actions by the president.

Yet Mueller by midday appeared unwilling or unable to offer crisp sound bites that could reshape already-entrenched public opinions.

He frequently gave single-word answers to lawmakers' questions, even when given opportunities to crystallize allegations of obstruction of justice against the president. He referred time again to the wording in his report or asked for questions to be repeated. He declined to read aloud hard-hitting statements in the report when prodded by Democrats to do so.

US NETWORK POOL VIA ABC NEWS VIDEOSOURCE - STRICTLY NO ARCHIVE RESALE/AUTHORIZED RE-USE BY AP'S BROADCAST AND DIGITAL OUTPUT ONLY

Washington - 24 July 2019

1. Mueller swearing into House Judiciary committee (PARTIALLY COVERS UPCOMING SOUNDBITE)

ASSOCIATED PRESS

Washington - 24 July 2019

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

"Special Counsel Mueller was very clear today that he did not exonerate President Donald Trump on the question of whether he had committed obstruction of justice. He was adamant in response to questioning from Democrats that that is not what his report said."

US NETWORK POOL VIA ABC NEWS VIDEOSOURCE - STRICTLY NO ARCHIVE RESALE/AUTHORIZED RE-USE BY AP'S BROADCAST AND DIGITAL OUTPUT ONLY

Washington - 24 July 2019

3. Mueller testifying to House Judiciary committee (PARTIALLY COVERS UPCOMING SOUNDBITE)

ASSOCIATED PRESS

Washington - 24 July 2019

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

"There is no question that he did not elaborate for whatever reason on questions that Democrats had.  Soundbites they were hoping he would deliver. He did not walk through doors that they had opened in hopes of really giving a crisp expansive answer that could bring home allegations of wrongdoing against President Trump. It is clear that Mueller was either unwilling or unable or just simply resistant to the idea that he was going to use this forum to answer questions in a way that was going to really shed light and new details on his report."

US NETWORK POOL VIA ABC NEWS VIDEOSOURCE - STRICTLY NO ARCHIVE RESALE/AUTHORIZED RE-USE BY AP'S BROADCAST AND DIGITAL OUTPUT ONLY

Washington - 24 July 2019

5. Medium of House Judiciary Committee hearing during questioning (PARTIALLY COVERS PREVIOUS SOUNDBITE)

6. Cutaway of House Judiciary Committee hearing during questioning (PARTIALLY COVERS UPCOMING SOUNDBITE)

ASSOCIATED PRESS

Washington - 24 July 2019

7. SOUNDBITE (English) Eric Tucker, Associated Press:

"I think for Republicans what they were really trying to focus on was not so much what was in the report but what was not in the report namely how the FBI's Russian election interference began. And some of the concerns that the FBI began having about the Trump campaign. Some of that's detailed but I think Republicans really wanted to focus on allegations of partisanship on Mueller's team, allegations that a British spy who compiled a dossier of research had a political axe to pick and it was interesting to see there were certain questions from Republicans that really seemed to irritate Mueller. And then he responded in an animated way."

US NETWORK POOL VIA ABC NEWS VIDEOSOURCE - STRICTLY NO ARCHIVE RESALE/AUTHORIZED RE-USE BY AP'S BROADCAST AND DIGITAL OUTPUT ONLY

Washington - 24 July 2019

8. Medium of House Judiciary Committee hearing during questioning (PARTIALLY COVERS PREVIOUS SOUNDBITE)

9. Cutaway of Mueller testifying before Judiciary Committee (PARTIALLY COVERS PREVIOUS SOUNDBITE)

ASSOCIATED PRESS

Washington - 24 July 2019

10. SOUNDBITE (English) Eric Tucker, Associated Press:

"I'm not sure that there's going to be any lasting success from the testimony -- certainly not enough to propel any kind of impeachment drive. I'm not really sure what kind of soundbite you're left with that you could put on TV and repeat and air over and over and over again. He did have an exchange where he was asked about the OLC (Office of Legal Counsel) opinion and did you not indict because of the OLC opinion and Mueller said 'correct'."

US NETWORK POOL VIA ABC NEWS VIDEOSOURCE - STRICTLY NO ARCHIVE RESALE/AUTHORIZED RE-USE BY AP'S BROADCAST AND DIGITAL OUTPUT ONLY

Washington - 24 July 2019

11. Wide of House Judiciary Committee hearing (PARTIALLY COVERS UPCOMING SOUNDBITE)

ASSOCIATED PRESS

Washington - 24 July 2019

12. SOUNDBITE (English) Eric Tucker, Associated Press:

"Mueller was very clear that if you ask me something that is in the report I will confirm that it's in the report and I will refer you back to it. But I'm not going to expound or give opinions which is frankly not uncommon for a prosecutor. Right? You do your talking in court or you do you're talking through a legal document. I think they didn't want it. He did not want to do it through Congress. And I think he wanted to make sure that I'm not saying anything that's outside the four corners of my report. And so what we frequently heard from Mueller is he would decline to answer a question say I'm not going into that. That's not my purview or that's in the report and I stand by the report and you'll have to find your answer there. And that was really his standard response, time and again."

US NETWORK POOL VIA ABC NEWS VIDEOSOURCE - STRICTLY NO ARCHIVE RESALE/AUTHORIZED RE-USE BY AP'S BROADCAST AND DIGITAL OUTPUT ONLY

Washington - 24 July 2019

13. Cutaway of Mueller testifying to House Judiciary committee (PARTIALLY COVERS PREVIOUS SOUNDBITE)

Robert Mueller on Wednesday bluntly dismissed President Donald Trump's claims of total exoneration in the federal probe of Russia's 2016 election interference, telling Congress he explicitly did not clear the president of obstructing his investigation.

Eric Tucker of the Associated Press said after viewing the testimony before the House Judiciary Committee, "Special Counsel Mueller was very clear today that he did not exonerate President Donald Trump on the question of whether he had committed obstruction of justice. He was adamant in response to questioning from Democrats that that is not what his report said."

In hours of sometimes halting and stilted testimony, reliant on terse one-word answers and a steely determination to remain outside the partisan fray, Mueller also declared Russian election interference as one of the greatest challenges to democracy he has encountered in his career.

The televised Capitol Hill appearances, Mueller's first since wrapping his two-year Russia probe last spring, unfolded at a moment of deep divisions in the country, with many Americans hardened in their opinions about the success of Donald Trump's presidency and whether impeachment proceedings are necessary.

Republicans and Democrats took divergent paths in questioning Mueller, with Trump's GOP allies trying to cast the former special counsel and his prosecutors as politically motivated.

Democrats, meanwhile, sought to emphasize the most incendiary findings of Mueller's 448-page report and weaken Trump's reelection prospects in ways that Mueller's book-length report did not.

They hoped that even if his testimony did not inspire impeachment demands — House Speaker Nancy Pelosi has made clear she will not pursue impeachment, for now — Mueller could nonetheless unambiguously spell out questionable, norm-shattering actions by the president.

Yet Mueller by midday appeared unwilling or unable to offer crisp sound bites that could reshape already-entrenched public opinions.

He frequently gave single-word answers to lawmakers' questions, even when given opportunities to crystallize allegations of obstruction of justice against the president. He referred time again to the wording in his report or asked for questions to be repeated. He declined to read aloud hard-hitting statements in the report when prodded by Democrats to do so.

US NETWORK POOL VIA ABC NEWS VIDEOSOURCE - STRICTLY NO ARCHIVE RESALE/AUTHORIZED RE-USE BY AP'S BROADCAST AND DIGITAL OUTPUT ONLY

Washington - 24 July 2019

1. Mueller swearing into House Judiciary committee

ASSOCIATED PRESS

Washington - 24 July 2019

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

"Special Counsel Mueller was very clear today that he did not exonerate President Donald Trump on the question of whether he had committed obstruction of justice. He was adamant in response to questioning from Democrats that that is not what his report said."

US NETWORK POOL VIA ABC NEWS VIDEOSOURCE - STRICTLY NO ARCHIVE RESALE/AUTHORIZED RE-USE BY AP'S BROADCAST AND DIGITAL OUTPUT ONLY

Washington - 24 July 2019

3. Mueller testifying to House Judiciary committee

ASSOCIATED PRESS

Washington - 24 July 2019

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

"There is no question that he did not elaborate for whatever reason on questions that Democrats had. Soundbites they were hoping he would deliver. He did not walk through doors that they had opened in hopes of really giving a crisp expansive answer that could bring home allegations of wrongdoing against President Trump. It is clear that Mueller was either unwilling or unable or just simply resistant to the idea that he was going to use this forum to answer questions in a way that was going to really shed light and new details on his report."

US NETWORK POOL VIA ABC NEWS VIDEOSOURCE - STRICTLY NO ARCHIVE RESALE/AUTHORIZED RE-USE BY AP'S BROADCAST AND DIGITAL OUTPUT ONLY

Washington - 24 July 2019

5. Medium of House Judiciary Committee

ASSOCIATED PRESS

Washington - 24 July 2019

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

"I think for Republicans what they were really trying to focus on was not so much what was in the report but what was not in the report namely how the FBI's Russian election interference began. And some of the concerns that the FBI began having about the Trump campaign. Some of that's detailed but I think Republicans really wanted to focus on allegations of partisanship on Mueller's team, allegations that a British spy who compiled a dossier of research had a political axe to pick and it was interesting to see there were certain questions from Republicans that really seemed to irritate Mueller. And then he responded in an animated way."

US NETWORK POOL VIA ABC NEWS VIDEOSOURCE - STRICTLY NO ARCHIVE RESALE/AUTHORIZED RE-USE BY AP'S BROADCAST AND DIGITAL OUTPUT ONLY

Washington - 24 July 2019

7. Wide cutaway of House Judiciary Committee hearing

ASSOCIATED PRESS

Washington - 24 July 2019

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

"Democrats repeatedly seized on the fact that there are a thousand prosecutors -- former prosecutors who signed onto this letter saying that was Trump anyone other than the president he would have been charged. Mueller didn't say 'oh yes' I would have definitely charged him. But I think it was important for Democrats to make that point regardless of the answer that Mueller gave. I think Democrats wanted to have the American public hear that from them. That position that he would have been charged were he not the president. And so that's why we heard that so often."

US NETWORK POOL VIA ABC NEWS VIDEOSOURCE - STRICTLY NO ARCHIVE RESALE/AUTHORIZED RE-USE BY AP'S BROADCAST AND DIGITAL OUTPUT ONLY

Washington - 24 July 2019

9. Wide cutaway of House Judiciary Committee

ASSOCIATED PRESS

Washington - 24 July 2019

10. SOUNDBITE (English) Eric Tucker, Associated Press:

"I'm not sure that there's going to be any lasting success from the testimony -- certainly not enough to propel any kind of impeachment drive. I'm not really sure what kind of soundbite you're left with that you could put on TV and repeat an air over and over and over again. He did have an exchange where he was asked about the OLC (Office of Legal Counsel) opinion and did you not indict because of the OLC opinion and Mueller said 'correct'. And I think that gave Democrats some cheer that Mueller seemed to be suggesting that were it not for the OLC opinion saying you can't indict a sitting president that he would have charged. That gave Democrats some hope. But no I think Mueller was very clear of I'm not going to be your mouthpiece. I'm not going to be the person who you hold up as you try to push towards impeachment or try to get the president out of there."

US NETWORK POOL VIA ABC NEWS VIDEOSOURCE - STRICTLY NO ARCHIVE RESALE/AUTHORIZED RE-USE BY AP'S BROADCAST AND DIGITAL OUTPUT ONLY

Washington - 24 July 2019

11. Medium  of House Judiciary Committee hearing

ASSOCIATED PRESS

Washington - 24 July 2019

12. SOUNDBITE (English) Eric Tucker, Associated Press:

"Mueller was very clear that if you ask me something that is in the report I will confirm that it's in the report and I will refer you back to it. But I'm not going to expound or give opinions which is frankly not uncommon for a prosecutor. Right? You do your talking in court or you do you're talking through a legal document. I think they didn't want it. He did not want to do it through Congress. And I think he wanted to make sure that I'm not saying anything that's outside the four corners of my report. And so what we frequently heard from Mueller is he would decline to answer a question say I'm not going into that. That's not my purview or that's in the report and I stand by the report and you'll find your answer there. And that was really his standard response, time and again."

US NETWORK POOL VIA ABC NEWS VIDEOSOURCE - STRICTLY NO ARCHIVE RESALE/AUTHORIZED RE-USE BY AP'S BROADCAST AND DIGITAL OUTPUT ONLY

Washington - 24 July 201

13. Wide of House Judiciary Committee hearing

ASSOCIATED PRESS

Washington - 24 July 2019

14. SOUNDBITE (English) Eric Tucker, Associated Press:

"Mueller is there basically saying I am not here to try to drive the president out of office for a political reason I'm here to just investigate. And so I am not part of this process that the Democrats are trying to have here of answering questions for the purpose of political gain, for the purpose of pushing towards impeachment. I'm just here to talk about what I found in my criminal and counter intelligence investigation period. And so I think for Republicans who say look how tainted this process is. Mueller didn't really do them any favors either because he did not come across as a partisan in any way."

US NETWORK POOL VIA ABC NEWS VIDEOSOURCE - STRICTLY NO ARCHIVE RESALE/AUTHORIZED RE-USE BY AP'S BROADCAST AND DIGITAL OUTPUT ONLY

Washington - 24 July 2019

15. Wide cutaway of House Judiciary Committee hearing

ASSOCIATED PRESS

Washington - 24 July 2019

16. SOUNDBITE (English) Eric Tucker, Associated Press:

"I think the American public is so hungry for more information to understand what Mueller found and did not find. The 448 page Mueller Report is a complicated legal document. It's not easy to get through. And I think the expectation is frankly most Americans have not picked it up let alone actually read it. So in many ways, Mueller appearing on TV is the first introduction that the American public has to what the investigation actually found."

US NETWORK POOL VIA ABC NEWS VIDEOSOURCE - STRICTLY NO ARCHIVE RESALE/AUTHORIZED RE-USE BY AP'S BROADCAST AND DIGITAL OUTPUT ONLY

Washington - 24 July 2019

17. Cutaway of Mueller testifying to House Judiciary committee

Elaine Kamarck, of the Brookings Institution says "we're pretty much at the end of this process" as she discussed the next steps in the special prosecutors Russia probe.

Kamarack, Senior fellow in the Governance Studies program as well as the Director of the Center for Effective Public Management , said on Tuesday that "The only thing that really seems to remain is whether or not the president himself is guilty of some crimes and do those crimes constitute in the minds of the members of Congress, high crimes and misdemeanors."

In a related story The Associated Press reports that President Donald Trump has been calling the Russia probe a witch hunt for two years.

But now, Trump and his allies are starting to see it as something potentially very different: a political opportunity.

Trump has grown increasingly confident that special counsel Robert Mueller's report will produce no clear evidence of a conspiracy between Russia and his election campaign.

A change is also underway among congressional Democrats, who had believed the report would offer damning evidence

Kamarack says "We're at a point where this is about to move unless there's some you know smoking gun. This is this investigation is about to move from the legal to the political and there the Democrats are going to have to decide do we move forward with impeachment."

Washington - 19 March 2019

1.Wide shot of Donald Trump and Jair Bolsonaro walking out of White House into Rose Garden

2. SOUNDBITE (English) Elaine Kamarck, Senior Fellow Brookings Institution:

"It's not often that a president is subject to a special counsel and that means often that the findings of a special counsel could lead to something very dramatic like impeachment. Or it could just turn out to be a bunch of nothing. And so everybody was interested in this. Everybody was excited about it. The president himself was furious about it. But this is a big deal. We don't generally have investigations like this of sitting presidents."

3. Side shot of Trump speaking

4. SOUNDBITE (English) Elaine Kamarck, Senior Fellow Brookings Institution:

"The only thing that really seems to remain is whether or not the president himself is guilty of some crimes and do those crimes constitute in the minds of the members of Congress, high crimes and misdemeanors, which is the constitutional issue for impeachment, and so we're sort of down to the end game here. I mean it looks like there was a rapid string of indictments, trials, etc. It's possible that one or more of the president's children or in-laws could get indicted but it's, we're pretty much at the end of this process."

5. Trump speaking

6. SOUNDBITE (English) Elaine Kamarck, Senior Fellow Brookings Institution:

"The issue, though, is did the House and Senate, did the intelligence committees when they were controlled by Republicans ignore important pieces of evidence? The Democrats think they did. And so the Democrats will have to start their own investigation. They may find nothing as well."

Washington - 25 February 2019

7. STILL - The Capitol is seen in Washington as Congress returns to work following a week-long recess. A top House Democrat, Rep. Adam Schiff, chairman of the House Intelligence Committee, has threatened to call special counsel Robert Mueller to Capitol Hill, subpoena documents and sue the Trump administration if the full report on Mueller's Russia investigation is not made public.

Washington - 06 March 2019

8. STILL - House Intelligence Committee Chairman Adam Schiff, of California, left, and Rep. Eric Swalwell, D-Calif., return to hear Michael Cohen, President Donald Trump's former lawyer, testify before a closed-door session of the House Intelligence Committee, on Capitol Hill

Washington - 19 March 2019

9. SOUNDBITE (English) Elaine Kamarck, Senior Fellow Brookings Institution:

"We're at a point where this is about to move unless there's some you know smoking gun. This is this investigation is about to move from the legal to the political and there, the Democrats are going to have to decide do we move forward with impeachment? Now, Nancy Pelosi has said, wisely I think, that probably not that. There's just not unless there's some blockbuster finding in the Muller report or someplace else. Probably not because bet we're almost at 2020. Let, it's cleaner, easier for democracy to let the voters decide."

Washington - 06 March 2019

10. STILL - House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jerrold Nadler, D-N.Y., with Ranking Member Doug Collins

Washington - 19 March 2019

11. SOUNDBITE (English) Elaine Kamarck, Senior Fellow Brookings Institution:

"This investigation has taken place simultaneously with a very chaotic presidency and with a separate investigation into Donald Trump's business empire. Now it may not be impeachable to be a corrupt businessman. All you have to do is look at the Deutsche Bank story in today's (New York) Times and you can see that that's that's going to be a big story. But maybe it's not impeachable but it sure isn't desirable."

12. STILL - President Donald Trump walks along the Colonnade of the White House, towards the Rose Garden with visiting Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro

Elaine Kamarck, of the Brookings Institution says "we're pretty much at the end of this process" as she discussed the next steps in the special prosecutors Russia probe.

Kamarack, Senior fellow in the Governance Studies program as well as the Director of the Center for Effective Public Management , said on Tuesday that "The only thing that really seems to remain is whether or not the president himself is guilty of some crimes and do those crimes constitute in the minds of the members of Congress, high crimes and misdemeanors."

In a related story The Associated Press reports that President Donald Trump has been calling the Russia probe a witch hunt for two years.

But now, Trump and his allies are starting to see it as something potentially very different: a political opportunity.

Trump has grown increasingly confident that special counsel Robert Mueller's report will produce no clear evidence of a conspiracy between Russia and his election campaign.

A change is also underway among congressional Democrats, who had believed the report would offer damning evidence

Kamarack says "We're at a point where this is about to move unless there's some you know smoking gun. This is this investigation is about to move from the legal to the political and there the Democrats are going to have to decide do we move forward with impeachment."

Washington - 19 March 2019

1.Wide shot of Donald Trump and Jair Bolsonaro walking out of White House into Rose Garden

2. SOUNDBITE (English) Elaine Kamarck, Senior Fellow Brookings Institution:

"It's not often that a president is subject to a special counsel and that means often that the findings of a special counsel could lead to something very dramatic like impeachment. Or it could just turn out to be a bunch of nothing. And so everybody was interested in this. Everybody was excited about it. The president himself was furious about it. But this is a big deal. We don't generally have investigations like this of sitting presidents."

3. Side shot of Trump speaking

4. SOUNDBITE (English) Elaine Kamarck, Senior Fellow Brookings Institution:

"The only thing that really seems to remain is whether or not the president himself is guilty of some crimes and do those crimes constitute in the minds of the members of Congress, high crimes and misdemeanors, which is the constitutional issue for impeachment, and so we're sort of down to the end game here. I mean it looks like there was a rapid string of indictments, trials, etc. It's possible that one or more of the president's children or in-laws could get indicted but it's, we're pretty much at the end of this process."

5. Trump speaking

6. SOUNDBITE (English) Elaine Kamarck, Senior Fellow Brookings Institution:

"The issue, though, is did the House and Senate, did the intelligence committees when they were controlled by Republicans ignore important pieces of evidence? The Democrats think they did. And so the Democrats will have to start their own investigation. They may find nothing as well."

Washington - 25 February 2019

7. STILL - The Capitol is seen in Washington as Congress returns to work following a week-long recess. A top House Democrat, Rep. Adam Schiff, chairman of the House Intelligence Committee, has threatened to call special counsel Robert Mueller to Capitol Hill, subpoena documents and sue the Trump administration if the full report on Mueller's Russia investigation is not made public.

Washington - 06 March 2019

8. STILL - House Intelligence Committee Chairman Adam Schiff, of California, left, and Rep. Eric Swalwell, D-Calif., return to hear Michael Cohen, President Donald Trump's former lawyer, testify before a closed-door session of the House Intelligence Committee, on Capitol Hill

Washington - 19 March 2019

9. SOUNDBITE (English) Elaine Kamarck, Senior Fellow Brookings Institution:

"We're at a point where this is about to move unless there's some you know smoking gun. This is this investigation is about to move from the legal to the political and there, the Democrats are going to have to decide do we move forward with impeachment? Now, Nancy Pelosi has said, wisely I think, that probably not that. There's just not unless there's some blockbuster finding in the Muller report or someplace else. Probably not because bet we're almost at 2020. Let, it's cleaner, easier for democracy to let the voters decide."

Washington - 06 March 2019

10. STILL - House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jerrold Nadler, D-N.Y., with Ranking Member Doug Collins

Washington - 19 March 2019

11. SOUNDBITE (English) Elaine Kamarck, Senior Fellow Brookings Institution:

"This investigation has taken place simultaneously with a very chaotic presidency and with a separate investigation into Donald Trump's business empire. Now it may not be impeachable to be a corrupt businessman. All you have to do is look at the Deutsche Bank story in today's (New York) Times and you can see that that's that's going to be a big story. But maybe it's not impeachable but it sure isn't desirable."

12. STILL - President Donald Trump walks along the Colonnade of the White House, towards the Rose Garden with visiting Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro

Elaine Kamarck, of the Brookings Institution says "we're pretty much at the end of this process" as she discussed the next steps in the special prosecutors Russia probe.

Kamarack, Senior fellow in the Governance Studies program as well as the Director of the Center for Effective Public Management , said on Tuesday that "The only thing that really seems to remain is whether or not the president himself is guilty of some crimes and do those crimes constitute in the minds of the members of Congress, high crimes and misdemeanors."

In a related story The Associated Press reports that President Donald Trump has been calling the Russia probe a witch hunt for two years.

But now, Trump and his allies are starting to see it as something potentially very different: a political opportunity.

Trump has grown increasingly confident that special counsel Robert Mueller's report will produce no clear evidence of a conspiracy between Russia and his election campaign.

A change is also underway among congressional Democrats, who had believed the report would offer damning evidence

Kamarack says "We're at a point where this is about to move unless there's some you know smoking gun. This is this investigation is about to move from the legal to the political and there the Democrats are going to have to decide do we move forward with impeachment."

Washington - 19 March 2019

1.Wide shot of Donald Trump and Jair Bolsonaro walking out of White House into Rose Garden

2. SOUNDBITE (English) Elaine Kamarck, Senior Fellow Brookings Institution:

"It's not often that a president is subject to a special counsel and that means often that the findings of a special counsel could lead to something very dramatic like impeachment. Or it could just turn out to be a bunch of nothing. And so everybody was interested in this. Everybody was excited about it. The president himself was furious about it. But this is a big deal. We don't generally have investigations like this of sitting presidents."

3. Side shot of Trump speaking

4. SOUNDBITE (English) Elaine Kamarck, Senior Fellow Brookings Institution:

"The only thing that really seems to remain is whether or not the president himself is guilty of some crimes and do those crimes constitute in the minds of the members of Congress, high crimes and misdemeanors, which is the constitutional issue for impeachment, and so we're sort of down to the end game here. I mean it looks like there was a rapid string of indictments, trials, etc. It's possible that one or more of the president's children or in-laws could get indicted but it's, we're pretty much at the end of this process."

5. Trump speaking

6. SOUNDBITE (English) Elaine Kamarck, Senior Fellow Brookings Institution:

"The issue, though, is did the House and Senate, did the intelligence committees when they were controlled by Republicans ignore important pieces of evidence? The Democrats think they did. And so the Democrats will have to start their own investigation. They may find nothing as well."

Washington - 25 February 2019

7. STILL - The Capitol is seen in Washington as Congress returns to work following a week-long recess. A top House Democrat, Rep. Adam Schiff, chairman of the House Intelligence Committee, has threatened to call special counsel Robert Mueller to Capitol Hill, subpoena documents and sue the Trump administration if the full report on Mueller's Russia investigation is not made public.

Washington - 06 March 2019

8. STILL - House Intelligence Committee Chairman Adam Schiff, of California, left, and Rep. Eric Swalwell, D-Calif., return to hear Michael Cohen, President Donald Trump's former lawyer, testify before a closed-door session of the House Intelligence Committee, on Capitol Hill

Washington - 19 March 2019

9. SOUNDBITE (English) Elaine Kamarck, Senior Fellow Brookings Institution:

"We're at a point where this is about to move unless there's some you know smoking gun. This is this investigation is about to move from the legal to the political and there, the Democrats are going to have to decide do we move forward with impeachment? Now, Nancy Pelosi has said, wisely I think, that probably not that. There's just not unless there's some blockbuster finding in the Muller report or someplace else. Probably not because bet we're almost at 2020. Let, it's cleaner, easier for democracy to let the voters decide."

ASSOCIATED PRESS - AP Clients Only

Washington - 06 March 2019

10. STILL - House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jerrold Nadler, D-N.Y., with Ranking Member Doug Collins

Washington - 19 March 2019

11. SOUNDBITE (English) Elaine Kamarck, Senior Fellow Brookings Institution:

"This investigation has taken place simultaneously with a very chaotic presidency and with a separate investigation into Donald Trump's business empire. Now it may not be impeachable to be a corrupt businessman. All you have to do is look at the Deutsche Bank story in today's (New York) Times and you can see that that's that's going to be a big story. But maybe it's not impeachable but it sure isn't desirable."

12. STILL - President Donald Trump walks along the Colonnade of the White House, towards the Rose Garden with visiting Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro

Attorney General William Barr was reviewing the special counsel's confidential report on the Russia investigation Saturday to determine what should be made public after a nearly two-year probe that cast a dark shadow over Donald Trump's presidency.

Associated Press reporter Eric Tucker says that Barr will provide lawmakers and the public with a summary of principal findings as soon as this weekend.

The Attorney General  Barr will not be providing Congress with special counsel Robert Mueller's findings on Saturday.

That's according to a senior Justice Department official. The official spoke on condition of anonymity because the person wasn't authorized to publicly discuss the review process.

Mueller has concluded his investigation of Russian election interference and possible coordination with Donald Trump's campaign.

Barr is reviewing Mueller's confidential report and has said he expects to provide Congress with the "principal conclusions" this weekend.

Washington - 21 June  2017

1. STILL -Special Counsel Robert Mueller departs the Capitol after a closed-door meeting with members of the Senate Judiciary Committee about Russian meddling in the election and possible connection to the Trump campaign

Washington - 23 March 2019

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

"Mueller's mandate was to investigate links between the Trump campaign and Russia and whether there was any coordination between those two entities. Trump associates and members of the Russian government or Russians in general and then to investigate any crimes that arise out of that in the course of that investigation."

ASSOCIATED PRESS - AP CLIENTS ONLY

McLean, Virginia - 23 March 2019

3. US Attorney General William Barr comes out of his house and gets in a vehicle out front

Washington - 23 March 2019

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

"So Barr has told congressional leaders that he has received the report from the special counsel that he will review it and that he will provide lawmakers and the public with a summary of principal findings as soon as this weekend. He is currently at the Justice Department reviewing the report he received from Mueller."

5. Barr's motorcade arrives at DOJ

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

"At some point. House Democrats who have the leadership in that chamber will decide what to do if anything with the findings. We've heard indications from House Speaker Nancy Pelosi that she's not interested at the moment in discussing impeachment. And we will have to see how damaging or incriminating if at all the findings are to the president and whether that will affect that calculus."

7. Various House Judiciary Committee offices

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

"Right now the big push that we're hearing from House Democrats is that they want the entire Mueller Report. They want to see everything that Mueller gathered and collected before they decide anything. And so instead of impeachment talk what we're hearing right now is discussion of possibly subpoenaing for the report or subpoenaing Mueller to get that."

9. White House exterior

10. SOUNDBITE (English) Eric Tucker, Associated Press:

"There is no question that White House aides and Trump confidants are taking a degree of satisfaction at least at this moment that there are no further indictments that have been delivered or that are expected from the special counsel. And so to the extent that, that that has occurred that's a degree of relief for them. But I think everybody still waiting to see exactly what the report indicates about the Trump campaign and in the Trump administration. And so it's a little bit of a holding pattern. But the president who has spent the last basically two years attempting to undermine or sow doubt in the credibility an investigation has been noticeably quiet over the last 24 hours with no tweets about it and no public statements about it."

Washington - 21 June  2017

11. STILL - Former FBI Director Robert Mueller, the special counsel probing Russian interference in the 2016 election, arrives on Capitol Hill for a closed door meeting before the Senate Judiciary Committee

Washington - 23 March 2019

12. SOUNDBITE (English) Eric Tucker, Associated Press:

"The special counsel has indicated that he has not recommended any additional charges or indictments. And so that would mean that he is effectively closed up shop and that no one else will be indicted by Robert Mueller. However, it's important to note that there are all sorts of other investigations going on that originated as referrals from the special counsel that he began investigating and recognized fell without outside of his mandate. And so he referred those back to the Justice Department which then sent them to individual offices of the Justice Department including in New York City and in Virginia."

13. Various DOJ exteriors

Attorney General William Barr was reviewing the special counsel's confidential report on the Russia investigation Saturday to determine what should be made public after a nearly two-year probe that cast a dark shadow over Donald Trump's presidency.

Associated Press reporter Eric Tucker says that Barr will provide lawmakers and the public with a summary of principal findings as soon as this weekend.

The Attorney General  Barr will not be providing Congress with special counsel Robert Mueller's findings on Saturday.

That's according to a senior Justice Department official. The official spoke on condition of anonymity because the person wasn't authorized to publicly discuss the review process.

Mueller has concluded his investigation of Russian election interference and possible coordination with Donald Trump's campaign.

Barr is reviewing Mueller's confidential report and has said he expects to provide Congress with the "principal conclusions" this weekend.

Washington - 21 June  2017

1. STILL -Special Counsel Robert Mueller departs the Capitol after a closed-door meeting with members of the Senate Judiciary Committee about Russian meddling in the election and possible connection to the Trump campaign

Washington - 23 March 2019

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

"Mueller's mandate was to investigate links between the Trump campaign and Russia and whether there was any coordination between those two entities. Trump associates and members of the Russian government or Russians in general and then to investigate any crimes that arise out of that in the course of that investigation."

McLean, Virginia - 23 March 2019

3. US Attorney General William Barr comes out of his house and gets in a vehicle out front

Washington - 23 March 2019

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

"So Barr has told congressional leaders that he has received the report from the special counsel that he will review it and that he will provide lawmakers and the public with a summary of principal findings as soon as this weekend. He is currently at the Justice Department reviewing the report he received from Mueller."

5. Barr's motorcade arrives at DOJ

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

"At some point. House Democrats who have the leadership in that chamber will decide what to do if anything with the findings. We've heard indications from House Speaker Nancy Pelosi that she's not interested at the moment in discussing impeachment. And we will have to see how damaging or incriminating if at all the findings are to the president and whether that will affect that calculus."

7. Various House Judiciary Committee offices

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

"Right now the big push that we're hearing from House Democrats is that they want the entire Mueller Report. They want to see everything that Mueller gathered and collected before they decide anything. And so instead of impeachment talk what we're hearing right now is discussion of possibly subpoenaing for the report or subpoenaing Mueller to get that."

9. White House exterior

10. SOUNDBITE (English) Eric Tucker, Associated Press:

"There is no question that White House aides and Trump confidants are taking a degree of satisfaction at least at this moment that there are no further indictments that have been delivered or that are expected from the special counsel. And so to the extent that, that that has occurred that's a degree of relief for them. But I think everybody still waiting to see exactly what the report indicates about the Trump campaign and in the Trump administration. And so it's a little bit of a holding pattern. But the president who has spent the last basically two years attempting to undermine or sow doubt in the credibility an investigation has been noticeably quiet over the last 24 hours with no tweets about it and no public statements about it."

Washington - 21 June  2017

11. STILL - Former FBI Director Robert Mueller, the special counsel probing Russian interference in the 2016 election, arrives on Capitol Hill for a closed door meeting before the Senate Judiciary Committee

Washington - 23 March 2019

12. SOUNDBITE (English) Eric Tucker, Associated Press:

"The special counsel has indicated that he has not recommended any additional charges or indictments. And so that would mean that he is effectively closed up shop and that no one else will be indicted by Robert Mueller. However, it's important to note that there are all sorts of other investigations going on that originated as referrals from the special counsel that he began investigating and recognized fell without outside of his mandate. And so he referred those back to the Justice Department which then sent them to individual offices of the Justice Department including in New York City and in Virginia."

13. Various DOJ exteriors

House Judiciary Chairman Jerrold Nadler said his committee is filing a court petition Friday in an effort to obtain secret grand jury material underlying former special counsel Robert Mueller's report.

The panel is also expected to file a lawsuit next week to try to enforce a subpoena against former White House counsel Donald McGahn, a key Mueller witness, if he doesn't comply before then.

That suit is expected to challenge the White House's claim that former White House employees have "absolute immunity" from testifying before Congress.

The move comes after Mueller's testimony Wednesday to Congress saying he had not "exculpated" President Donald Trump. Democrats are trying to focus public attention on Mueller's words and on his 448-page report's contents, including several episodes in which Trump sought to influence the special counsel's investigation into Russia election interference.

Mueller concluded that he could not exonerate Trump on obstruction of justice. He also concluded that there was no evidence of a criminal conspiracy between Trump's campaign and Russia.

The panel has struggled to bring in witnesses like McGahn who spoke extensively to Mueller because the White House has directed them to refuse to testify. Trump has said he will fight "all of the subpoenas."

Nadler said the committee is still negotiating with McGahn for documents and testimony, and the committee will file the lawsuit "in very short order" if he does not comply.

The court battles are beginning as the House leaves for a six-week recess and Democrats are debating whether to impeach the Republican president. More than 90 House Democrats have said they favor starting the impeachment process, but House Speaker Nancy Pelosi has said she wants to build the strongest case possible before making that decision, including by going to court to force witnesses to comply.

Nadler said the court filing will include a line saying that the materials are necessary "to determine whether the committee should recommend articles of impeachment."

Washington, DC - 26 July 2019

1. Wide, House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jerrold Nadler walks into briefing room, along with members of committee

2. SOUNDBITE (English) Jerrold Nadler, House Judiciary Committee Chairman:

"Before he (Robert Mueller) ever stepped into our hearing room, the director had rendered our country a great and necessary public service. He showed through his report and his indictments that the United States was attacked and remains under siege by a foreign adversary. He showed that the Trump campaign both welcomed and benefited from this attack on our country. And he showed that the president repeatedly lied to cover it up. And if that were not enough. Director Mueller's testimony removed all doubt. He told us that Donald Trump obstructed justice and abused his office by tampering with witnesses, attempting to block the investigation and attempting to fire the special counsel. He told us that Donald Trump lied to the public about the Trump Tower meeting in New York. Lied to the public about his plans for Trump Tower in Moscow and lied in his written responses to the special counsel. He told us in a remarkable exchange with Mr. (Ted) Lieu that but for the Department of Justice policy from prohibiting, prohibiting from doing so, he would have indicted President Trump."

3. Wide, news conference

4. SOUNDBITE (English) Rep. Jerrold Nadler, House Judiciary Committee Chairman:

"We will continue to seek testimony from key fact witnesses.  As many of you know the committee has authorized several additional subpoenas. Our work will continue into the August recess and we will use those subpoenas, if we must. We will also continue to seek important documents from the Department of Justice and the White House. We have made some progress on this front. There appears to be compelling evidence of the President's misconduct outside of the four corners of the redacted version of the Mueller Report. And we will work to uncover that evidence as well. Finally, today we are filing an application for the grand jury material underlying the Mueller report. That information is critically important for our ability to examine witnesses including former White House counsel Don McGahn and to investigate the president's misconduct. I will not comment on reports of our ongoing negotiations with Mr. McGahn but unless he complies with our accommodation efforts in very short order we expect to file an additional suit to enforce a subpoena for his testimony and that would be next week or earlier next week."

5. SOUNDBITE (English) Rep. Mary Gay Scanlon, Democrat - Pennsylvania:

"The court filings today are the next step and we'll continue down that road to see whether we have the strong case that is needed to put to the American people."

6. SOUNDBITE (English) Rep. Eric Swalwell, Democrat - California:

"Well if you shut up expecting a Broadway show sure you may have been disappointed but if you listened to what he said he said that the Russians attacked us they had a preference for Donald Trump. The Trump campaign welcomed it and planned around it and when the police investigated it they took great lengths to cover it up including the president and the president is the only person in America who would be shielded from being held accountable because of what they did. That is pretty cut and dry. And what you've seen is not members who have called for impeachment saying take me off of that call in light of what Mr. Mueller have said. Six members since have come forward and have said add me to that call for impeachment."

7. SOUNDBITE (English) Rep. Madeleine Dean, Democrat - Pennsylvania:

"And what I believe we really should be focused on is not the performance of Mr. Mueller but the performance or behaviors of this president, obstructing justice. That's the performance you need to be examining. The performance of the Trump administration welcoming, wallowing in interference by Russia. The performance of Russia interfering with our elections in massive and sweeping ways that will continue. And a Senate yesterday that did nothing, in fact blocked attempts, to take care of or protect our elections."

8. Wide

9. SOUNDBITE (English) Rep. Veronica Escobar, Democrat - Texas:

"We're crossing a threshold. Absolutely. When you think about the, the, the mode that we were operating under before it really was an oversight function. We're now crossing a threshold with the filing of this, of this, with this filing and we are now officially entering into an examination of whether or not to recommend the articles of impeachment. So it's we have crossed a threshold. I just wanted to make that real clear."

10. Pan as members walk away

House Judiciary Chairman Jerrold Nadler said his committee is filing a court petition Friday in an effort to obtain secret grand jury material underlying former special counsel Robert Mueller's report.

The panel is also expected to file a lawsuit next week to try to enforce a subpoena against former White House counsel Donald McGahn, a key Mueller witness, if he doesn't comply before then.

That suit is expected to challenge the White House's claim that former White House employees have "absolute immunity" from testifying before Congress.

The move comes after Mueller's testimony Wednesday to Congress saying he had not "exculpated" President Donald Trump. Democrats are trying to focus public attention on Mueller's words and on his 448-page report's contents, including several episodes in which Trump sought to influence the special counsel's investigation into Russia election interference.

Mueller concluded that he could not exonerate Trump on obstruction of justice. He also concluded that there was no evidence of a criminal conspiracy between Trump's campaign and Russia.

The panel has struggled to bring in witnesses like McGahn who spoke extensively to Mueller because the White House has directed them to refuse to testify. Trump has said he will fight "all of the subpoenas."

Nadler said the committee is still negotiating with McGahn for documents and testimony, and the committee will file the lawsuit "in very short order" if he does not comply.

The court battles are beginning as the House leaves for a six-week recess and Democrats are debating whether to impeach the Republican president. More than 90 House Democrats have said they favor starting the impeachment process, but House Speaker Nancy Pelosi has said she wants to build the strongest case possible before making that decision, including by going to court to force witnesses to comply.

Nadler said the court filing will include a line saying that the materials are necessary "to determine whether the committee should recommend articles of impeachment."

ASSOCIATED PRESS

Washington - 26 July 2019

1. Wide, House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jerrold Nadler walks into briefing room, along with members of committee

2. SOUNDBITE (English) Jerrold Nadler, House Judiciary Committee Chairman:

"Before he (Robert Mueller) ever stepped into our hearing room, the director had rendered our country a great and necessary public service. He showed through his report and his indictments that the United States was attacked and remains under siege by a foreign adversary. He showed that the Trump campaign both welcomed and benefited from this attack on our country. And he showed that the president repeatedly lied to cover it up. And if that were not enough. Director Mueller's testimony removed all doubt. He told us that Donald Trump obstructed justice and abused his office by tampering with witnesses, attempting to block the investigation and attempting to fire the special counsel. He told us that Donald Trump lied to the public about the Trump Tower meeting in New York. Lied to the public about his plans for Trump Tower in Moscow and lied in his written responses to the special counsel. He told us in a remarkable exchange with Mr. (Ted) Lieu that but for the Department of Justice policy from prohibiting, prohibiting from doing so, he would have indicted President Trump."

3. Wide, news conference

4. SOUNDBITE (English) Rep. Jerrold Nadler, House Judiciary Committee Chairman:

"We will continue to seek testimony from key fact witnesses.  As many of you know the committee has authorized several additional subpoenas. Our work will continue into the August recess and we will use those subpoenas, if we must. We will also continue to seek important documents from the Department of Justice and the White House. We have made some progress on this front. There appears to be compelling evidence of the President's misconduct outside of the four corners of the redacted version of the Mueller Report. And we will work to uncover that evidence as well. Finally, today we are filing an application for the grand jury material underlying the Mueller report. That information is critically important for our ability to examine witnesses including former White House counsel Don McGahn and to investigate the president's misconduct. I will not comment on reports of our ongoing negotiations with Mr. McGahn but unless he complies with our accommodation efforts in very short order we expect to file an additional suit to enforce a subpoena for his testimony and that would be next week or earlier next week."

5. SOUNDBITE (English) Rep. Mary Gay Scanlon, Democrat - Pennsylvania:

"The court filings today are the next step and we'll continue down that road to see whether we have the strong case that is needed to put to the American people."

6. SOUNDBITE (English) Rep. Eric Swalwell, Democrat - California:

"Well if you shut up expecting a Broadway show sure you may have been disappointed but if you listened to what he said he said that the Russians attacked us they had a preference for Donald Trump. The Trump campaign welcomed it and planned around it and when the police investigated it they took great lengths to cover it up including the president and the president is the only person in America who would be shielded from being held accountable because of what they did. That is pretty cut and dry. And what you've seen is not members who have called for impeachment saying take me off of that call in light of what Mr. Mueller have said. Six members since have come forward and have said add me to that call for impeachment."

7. SOUNDBITE (English) Rep. Madeleine Dean, Democrat - Pennsylvania:

"And what I believe we really should be focused on is not the performance of Mr. Mueller but the performance or behaviors of this president, obstructing justice. That's the performance you need to be examining. The performance of the Trump administration welcoming, wallowing in interference by Russia. The performance of Russia interfering with our elections in massive and sweeping ways that will continue. And a Senate yesterday that did nothing, in fact blocked attempts, to take care of or protect our elections."

8. Wide

9. SOUNDBITE (English) Rep. Veronica Escobar, Democrat - Texas:

"We're crossing a threshold. Absolutely. When you think about the, the, the mode that we were operating under before it really was an oversight function. We're now crossing a threshold with the filing of this, of this, with this filing and we are now officially entering into an examination of whether or not to recommend the articles of impeachment. So it's we have crossed a threshold. I just wanted to make that real clear."

10. Pan as members walk away

FOR CLEAN VERSION SEE STORY NUMBER: apus121022

House Judiciary Chairman Jerrold Nadler said his committee is filing a court petition Friday in an effort to obtain secret grand jury material underlying former special counsel Robert Mueller's report.

The panel is also expected to file a lawsuit next week to try to enforce a subpoena against former White House counsel Donald McGahn, a key Mueller witness, if he doesn't comply before then.

That suit is expected to challenge the White House's claim that former White House employees have "absolute immunity" from testifying before Congress.

The move comes after Mueller's testimony Wednesday to Congress saying he had not "exculpated" President Donald Trump. Democrats are trying to focus public attention on Mueller's words and on his 448-page report's contents, including several episodes in which Trump sought to influence the special counsel's investigation into Russia election interference.

Mueller concluded that he could not exonerate Trump on obstruction of justice. He also concluded that there was no evidence of a criminal conspiracy between Trump's campaign and Russia.

The panel has struggled to bring in witnesses like McGahn who spoke extensively to Mueller because the White House has directed them to refuse to testify. Trump has said he will fight "all of the subpoenas."

Nadler said the committee is still negotiating with McGahn for documents and testimony, and the committee will file the lawsuit "in very short order" if he does not comply.

The court battles are beginning as the House leaves for a six-week recess and Democrats are debating whether to impeach the Republican president. More than 90 House Democrats have said they favor starting the impeachment process, but House Speaker Nancy Pelosi has said she wants to build the strongest case possible before making that decision, including by going to court to force witnesses to comply.

Nadler said the court filing will include a line saying that the materials are necessary "to determine whether the committee should recommend articles of impeachment."

ASSOCIATED PRESS

Washington - 26 July 2019

1. SOUNDBITE (English) Jerrold Nadler, House Judiciary Committee Chairman: ++SOUNDBITE PARTIALLY OVERLAID++

"Before he (Robert Mueller) ever stepped into our hearing room, the director had rendered our country a great and necessary public service. He showed through his report and his indictments that the United States was attacked and remains under siege by a foreign adversary. He showed that the Trump campaign both welcomed and benefited from this attack on our country. And he showed that the president repeatedly lied to cover it up."

++SOUNDBITES SEPARATED BY WHITE FLASHES++

POOL

Washington - 24 July 2019

2. Various Robert Mueller testifying

ASSOCIATED PRESS

Washington - 26 July 2019

3. SOUNDBITE (English) Rep. Jerrold Nadler, House Judiciary Committee Chairman:

"We will continue to seek testimony from key fact witnesses.  As many of you know the committee has authorized several additional subpoenas. Our work will continue into the August recess and we will use those subpoenas, if we must. We will also continue to seek important documents from the Department of Justice and the White House. We have made some progress on this front. There appears to be compelling evidence of the President's misconduct outside of the four corners of the redacted version of the Mueller Report. And we will work to uncover that evidence as well. Finally, today we are filing an application for the grand jury material underlying the Mueller report. That information is critically important for our ability to examine witnesses including former White House counsel Don McGahn and to investigate the president's misconduct. I will not comment on reports of our ongoing negotiations with Mr. McGahn but unless he complies with our accommodation efforts in very short order we expect to file an additional suit to enforce a subpoena for his testimony and that would be next week or earlier next week."

RESTRICTION SUMMARY: MANDATORY ON-SCREEN AND ON-AIR CREDIT TO NBC NEWS/NBC'S TODAY, THE ONSCREEN "TODAY" LOGO MUST BE CLEARLY VISIBLE AND UNOBSTRUCTED AT ALL TIMES IN ANY IMAGE, VIDEO CLIP, OR OTHER FORM OF MEDIA, NO ONLINE

SHOTLIST:

NBC NEWS/NBC'S TODAY - MANDATORY ON-SCREEN AND ON-AIR CREDIT TO NBC NEWS/NBC'S TODAY, THE ONSCREEN "TODAY" LOGO MUST BE CLEARLY VISIBLE AND UNOBSTRUCTED AT ALL TIMES IN ANY IMAGE, VIDEO CLIP, OR OTHER FORM OF MEDIA, NO ONLINE

Washington, DC - 2 January 2018

1. House Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi

2. SOUNDBITE (English) Savannah Guthrie, NBC Today Show Host:

"You've said it would be sad and divisive for the country to pursue impeachment. Are you willing to rule it out?"

3. SOUNDBITE (English) Rep. Nancy Pelosi, House Democratic Leader:

"Well we have to wait and see what happens with the Mueller Report. We shouldn't be impeaching for a political reason and we shouldn't avoid impeachment for a political reason. So we just have to see how it comes."

++BLACK BETWEEN SOUNDBITES++

4. UPSOUND (English) Savannah Guthrie, NBC Today Show Host:

"... States a sitting president cannot be indicted..."

5. SOUNDBITE (English) Rep. Nancy Pelosi, House Democratic Leader:

"I do not think that that is conclusive. No I do not."

6. SOUNDBITE (English) Savannah Guthrie, NBC Today Show Host:

"So you think it's possible that Special Counsel Mueller could legally indict a sitting president."

7. SOUNDBITE (English) Rep. Nancy Pelosi, House Democratic Leader:

"Let's just see what Mueller does. Let's spend our time or make getting results for the American people."

8. SOUNDBITE (English) Savannah Guthrie, NBC Today Show Host:

"As you well know there is longstanding Department of Justice guidance that states a sitting president should not be indicted. But it is not the law."

9. SOUNDBITE (English) Rep. Nancy Pelosi, House Democratic Leader:

"It is not the law. Everything indicates that a president can be indicted after he is no longer president of the United States."

10. UPSOUND (English) Savannah Guthrie, NBC Today Show Host:

"What about a sitting president.?"

11. SOUNDBITE (English) Rep. Nancy Pelosi, House Democratic Leader:

"Well the sitting president when he's no longer president of the United States..."

12. UPSOUND (English) Savannah Guthrie, NBC Today Show Host:

"A president who is in office. Can Robert Mueller come back and say, ' I am seeking an indictment?'"

13. SOUNDBITE (English) Rep. Nancy Pelosi, House Democratic Leader:

"I think that that is an open discussion. I think that is an open discussion in terms of the law."

++BLACK BETWEEN SOUNDBITES++

14. SOUNDBITE (English) Rep. Nancy Pelosi, House Democratic Leader:

"But I hope he recognizes that a new day is dawning in America."

15. SOUNDBITE (English) Savannah Guthrie, NBC Today Show Host:

"You said in August you thought he might be afraid of you and afraid of the women that are coming to Congress."

16. SOUNDBITE (English) Rep. Nancy Pelosi, House Democratic Leader:

"Well I don't know if he knows how to deal with women in power and women with strength, but we'll see. Let's hope for the best in that regard because again, it is a new day for many people in Congress and in Washington D.C. and in the country."

17. SOUNDBITE (English) Savannah Guthrie, NBC Today Show Host:

"You yourself are quite the lightning rod. You actually have approval ratings that are lower than President Trump."

18. SOUNDBITE (English) Rep. Nancy Pelosi, House Democratic Leader:

"Well, he's not so good. The Republicans have spent over one hundred million dollars, 137-thousand ads had my name in it in the last election and they're against me because I'm effective. I'm effective as a legislator. I'm excellent at that. I'm effective politically as a fundraiser, the best. And they have to take me down. And that's what they tried to do. But they don't. They just light my fire."

STORYLINE:

Rep. Nancy Pelosi isn't ruling out impeachment proceedings against President Donald Trump, depending on findings by the special counsel investigating Russia's meddling in the 2016 election.

Pelosi is set to become House speaker Thursday and told NBC's Today Show, "We shouldn't be impeaching for a political reason, and we shouldn't avoid impeachment for a political reason."

Pelosi added that she would wait for the findings of special counsel Robert Mueller's investigation into Russia meddling in the 2016 election.

Only the House can begin impeachment proceedings. And while Justice Department guidelines suggest a sitting president can't be indicted, Pelosi called that "an open discussion."

"Everything indicates that a president can be indicted after he is no longer president," she said.

Trump has denied any wrongdoing in the campaign or with his former lawyer who pleaded guilty to campaign finance violations.

Pelosi herself remains a highly polarizing figure, vilified by Republicans as a San Francisco liberal and a caricature of big government.

She told NBC Republicans have spent over 100-million-dollars to portray her in that light because she's "effective."  And she said they don't bring her down. They just "light my fire."

===========================================================

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RESTRICTION SUMMARY: MUST ON-SCREEN AND ON-AIR CREDIT NBC NEWS/NBC'S TODAY; ONSCREEN "TODAY" LOGO MUST BE CLEARLY VISIBLE AND UNOBSTRUCTED AT ALL TIMES IN ANY IMAGE, VIDEO CLIP, OR OTHER FORM OF MEDIA; NO ONLINE

SHOTLIST:

NBC NEWS/NBC'S TODAY - MUST ON-SCREEN AND ON-AIR CREDIT NBC NEWS/NBC'S TODAY; THE ONSCREEN "TODAY" LOGO MUST BE CLEARLY VISIBLE AND UNOBSTRUCTED AT ALL TIMES IN ANY IMAGE, VIDEO CLIP, OR OTHER FORM OF MEDIA; NO ONLINE

Washington DC - 2 January 2018

1. House Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi

2. SOUNDBITE (English) Savannah Guthrie, NBC Today Show Host:

"You've said it would be sad and divisive for the country to pursue impeachment. Are you willing to rule it out?"

3. SOUNDBITE (English) Nancy Pelosi, House Democratic Leader:

"Well, we have to wait and see what happens with the Mueller Report. We shouldn't be impeaching for a political reason and we shouldn't avoid impeachment for a political reason, so we just have to see how it comes."

++BLACK BETWEEN SOUNDBITES++

4. UPSOUND (English) Savannah Guthrie, NBC Today Show Host:

"... States a sitting president cannot be indicted..."

5. SOUNDBITE (English) Nancy Pelosi, House Democratic Leader:

"I do not think that that is conclusive. No, I do not."

6. SOUNDBITE (English) Savannah Guthrie, NBC Today Show Host:

"So you think it's possible that Special Counsel Mueller could legally indict a sitting president?"

7. SOUNDBITE (English) Nancy Pelosi, House Democratic Leader:

"Let's just see what Mueller does. Let's spend our time on getting results for the American people."

8. SOUNDBITE (English) Savannah Guthrie, NBC Today Show Host:

"As you well know, there is longstanding Department of Justice guidance that states a sitting president should not be indicted, but it is not the law."

9. SOUNDBITE (English) Nancy Pelosi, House Democratic Leader:

"It is not the law. Everything indicates that a president can be indicted after he is no longer president of the United States."

10. UPSOUND (English) Savannah Guthrie, NBC Today Show Host:

"What about a sitting president?"

11. SOUNDBITE (English) Nancy Pelosi, House Democratic Leader:

"Well, the sitting president when he's no longer president of the United States..."

12. UPSOUND (English) Savannah Guthrie, NBC Today Show Host:

"A president who is in office. Can Robert Mueller come back and say, 'I am seeking an indictment'?"

13. SOUNDBITE (English) Nancy Pelosi, House Democratic Leader:

"I think that that is an open discussion. I think that is an open discussion in terms of the law."

++BLACK BETWEEN SOUNDBITES++

14. SOUNDBITE (English) Nancy Pelosi, House Democratic Leader:

"But I hope he recognizes that a new day is dawning in America."

15. SOUNDBITE (English) Savannah Guthrie, NBC Today Show Host:

"You said in August you thought he might be afraid of you and afraid of the women that are coming to Congress."

16. SOUNDBITE (English) Nancy Pelosi, House Democratic Leader:

"Well, I don't know if he knows how to deal with women in power and women with strength, but we'll see. Let's hope for the best in that regard because again, it is a new day for many people in Congress and in Washington DC and in the country."

17. SOUNDBITE (English) Savannah Guthrie, NBC Today Show Host:

"You yourself are quite the lightning rod. You actually have approval ratings that are lower than President Trump."

18. SOUNDBITE (English) Nancy Pelosi, House Democratic Leader:

"Well, he's not so good. The Republicans have spent over one hundred million dollars, 137-thousand ads had my name in it in the last election and they're against me because I'm effective. I'm effective as a legislator. I'm excellent at that. I'm effective politically as a fundraiser, the best, and they have to take me down. And that's what they tried to do. But they don't. They just light my fire."

STORYLINE:

House Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi isn't ruling out impeachment proceedings against US President Donald Trump, depending on findings by the special counsel investigating Russia's meddling in the 2016 election.

Pelosi is set to become House speaker on Thursday and told NBC's Today Show, "We shouldn't be impeaching for a political reason, and we shouldn't avoid impeachment for a political reason."

She added that she would wait for the findings of special counsel Robert Mueller's investigation into Russia meddling in the 2016 election.

Only the House can begin impeachment proceedings, and while US Justice Department guidelines suggest a sitting president can't be indicted, Pelosi called that "an open discussion".

Trump has denied any wrongdoing in the campaign or with his former lawyer, who pleaded guilty to campaign finance violations.

Pelosi herself remains a highly polarizing figure, vilified by Republicans as a San Francisco liberal and a caricature of big government.

She told NBC Republicans had spent over 100-million-dollars to portray her in that light because she's "effective".

===========================================================

Clients are reminded:

(i) to check the terms of their licence agreements for use of content outside news programming and that further advice and assistance can be obtained from the AP Archive on: Tel +44 (0) 20 7482 7482 Email: info@aparchive.com

(ii) they should check with the applicable collecting society in their Territory regarding the clearance of any sound recording or performance included within the AP Television News service

(iii) they have editorial responsibility for the use of all and any content included within the AP Television News service and for libel, privacy, compliance and third party rights applicable to their Territory.

FOR CLEAN VERSION SEE STORY NUMBER: apus120930

House Republicans say Robert Mueller's testimony Wednesday uncovered no meaningful new information and that it's time to move on.

Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy told press on Wednesday that "this should be the end of the chapter that we put America through."

US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, following Mueller's testimony, is making some of her strongest comments yet about the House possibly proceeding with impeachment proceedings against President Donald Trump.

Pelosi says a "cone of silence" from the White House that's not providing documents and witness testimony "will not prevent us from going forward." She adds, "In fact, it's even more grounds to go forward."

Pelosi tells reporters she wants "the strongest possible hand" by continuing the House's court actions aimed at forcing White House cooperation.

Washington - 24 July 2019

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

"We want to have the strongest possible case to make a decision as to what path we will go down and that does, is not endless in terms of time or endless in terms of the information that we want. But if it comes to a point where the cone of silence and the obstruction of justice and the cover-up in the White House prevents us from getting that information, that will not prevent us from going forward. In fact, it's even more grounds to go forward."

2. SOUNDBITE (English) Rep. Kevin McCarthy, Republican Minority Leader:

"It was a historical day because today is the day that we close the book on this investigation. It is time that America turns the page. It is time for America to move forward. The Democrats have to stop wasting time in trying to have a do-over of the 2016 Presidential election."

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

"Today was a watershed day in telling the facts to the American people. With those facts we can proceed and we face a time of great danger. Richard Nixon said he thought that the president was a dictator. He said if the president does it, that means it's not illegal. President Trump echoed that yesterday. He said under Article 2 'I' that is he can do anything I want. That is a totalitarian picture, not a democratic picture. The United States must be saved from this."

4. SOUNDBITE (English) Rep. Doug Collins, (R) Georgia:

"I challenge the Democratic colleagues, get over the election of 2016. Run in 2020 if you want. This President has put forward a great economy. This President has put forward great ideas. Run on this, quit trying to dredge up a picture that today got painted, that said your investigation is over. Mr Mueller has done his job. He presented a report. Someone asked did you find out anything new? The answer is no."

5. SOUNDBITE (English) Rep. Adam Schiff, (D) California:

" But there are two juries in an impeachment there is the jury which is the Senate which decides removal from office. And then there is the jury that is the American people and I'm most concerned about the jury that is the American people. And before we embark on a course as significant to the country as the impeachment of a president I want to make sure that we can make that case to the jury of the American people."

6. SOUNDBITE (English) Rep. Devin Nunes, (R) California:

"I think what you see today is collusion between the Republican Party and the Trump campaign is over. There was no evidence. There was a dossier that was built and paid for by the Clinton campaign. That was the real collusion. You've had collusion through a British former MI6 agent who was working supposedly with Russian sources. We didn't get any new information on that today. But the Democrats have refused to accept reality, they live in an alternative universe."