Special counsel Robert Mueller on Wednesday emphasized that there were “multiple, systematic” attempts to interfere in the 2016 U.S. presidential election.
“I will close by reiterating the central allegation of our indictments, that there were multiple, systematic efforts to interfere in our election,” Mueller said during remarks at the Justice Department.
“And that allegation deserves the attention of every American,” he added.
The comments were part of Mueller’s first public remarks since last month’s release of a redacted version of his team’s 448-page report on Russia’s election interference.
Mueller also said that “the report is my testimony,” dealing a blow to Democrats who have been pushing for the special counsel to testify before Congress about his report and the underlying evidence.
{mosads}“I hope and expect this to be the only time that I will speak about this matter,” Mueller said. “I am making that decision myself — no one has told me whether I can or should testify or speak further about this matter.”
Mueller’s report, following his nearly 22-month investigation, found that Russia sought to help President Trump defeat Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton in 2016 but that the Trump campaign did not directly assist in that process.
“Although the investigation established that the Russian government perceived it would benefit from a Trump presidency and worked to secure that outcome, and that the Campaign expected it would benefit electorally from information stolen and released through Russian efforts, the investigation did not establish that members of the Trump Campaign conspired or coordinated with the Russian government in its election interference activities,” Mueller wrote in the report.
The special counsel outlined the steps taken by the Internet Research Agency (IRA), a Russian troll farm linked to the Kremlin, to sow discord on social media in the U.S. The report also detailed how Russian military officers hacked the Clinton campaign and the Democratic National Committee.