‘No evidence’ Trump campaign colluded with Russia, says Republican-led House committee
‘Wow! A total Witch Hunt! MUST END NOW!’ was the US president’s response to the release of the committee’s findings
The Republican-led House intelligence committee on Friday released a lengthy report concluding it found no evidence that Donald Trump’s campaign colluded with Russia in the 2016 presidential campaign, drawing praise from the president and rebuttals from Democrats.
President Donald Trump wasted no time celebrating the news.
“Just Out: House Intelligence Committee Report released,” he tweeted. “‘No evidence’ that the Trump Campaign ‘colluded, coordinated or conspired with Russia.’ Clinton Campaign paid for Opposition Research obtained from Russia- Wow! A total Witch Hunt! MUST END NOW!”
The report caps an investigation that began with the promise of bipartisanship but quickly transformed into an acrimonious battle between Democrats and Republicans over Russia’s alleged meddling in the 2016 election and whether there were any links to the Trump campaign.
But the committee’s Republicans did not let the Trump campaign completely off the hook. They specifically cited the Trump campaign for “poor judgment” in taking a June 2016 meeting in Trump Tower that was described in emails to Trump’s eldest son, Donald Trump Jnr, as part of a Russian government effort to aide his father’s presidential bid. The report also dubbed the campaign’s praise of WikiLeaks “objectionable”.
“While the committee found no evidence that the Trump campaign colluded, coordinated, or conspired with the Russian government, the investigation did find poor judgment and ill-considered actions by the Trump and Clinton campaigns,” the House intelligence committee wrote.
The House report’s conclusion was fiercely opposed by Democrats on the committee, who accused the Republicans of playing “defence counsel” for the White House throughout the investigation.