Barr Makes Excuses for Trump On Obstruction: He Was ‘Frustrated and Angered’ By the Investigation

Attorney General William Barr defended President Donald Trump on the issue of obstruction of justice during his press conference on Thursday.

The special counsel did not make a determination if Trump had obstructed justice during the course of their investigation.

“After finding no underlying collusion with Russia, the special counsel’s report goes onto consider whether certain actions of the president could amount to obstruction of the special counsel’s investigation,” Barr said. “As I addressed in my March 24th letter, the special counsel did not make a traditional prosecutor judgment regarding this allegation. Instead, the report recounts ten episodes involving the president and discusses potential legal theories for connecting those activities to the elements of an obstruction offense.”

Barr explained why he and Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein determined Trump had not committed the offense, but there were ten instances of potential obstruction.

“After carefully reviewing the facts and legal theories outlined in the report, and in consultation with the office of legal counsel, and other department lawyers, the deputy attorney general and I concluded that the evidence developed by the special counsel is not sufficient to establish that the president committed an obstruction of justice offense,” he said.

“And as the special counsel’s report acknowledges, there is substantial evidence to show that the president was frustrated and angered by his sincere belief that the investigation was undermining his presidency, propelled by his political opponents, and fueled by illegal leaks,” Barr added. “Nonetheless, the White House fully cooperated with the special counsel’s investigation, providing unfettered access to campaign and White House documents, directing senior aides to testify freely and asserting no privilege claims.”

Watch above, via CNN.