U.S. releases 2019 memo that argued against charging Trump with obstruction

The U.S. Justice Department on Wednesday released a 2019 memo in which two top department officials advised then-Attorney General William Barr not to charge President Donald Trump for obstructing Special Counsel Robert Mueller's investigation into Trump's 2016 presidential campaign. Although parts of the memo previously had been made public, the Justice Department had redacted other portions.

The U.S. Justice Department on Wednesday released a 2019 memo in which two top department officials advised then-Attorney General William Barr not to charge President Donald Trump for obstructing Special Counsel Robert Mueller's investigation into Trump's 2016 presidential campaign.

Although parts of the memo previously had been made public, the Justice Department had redacted other portions. A federal appeals court in Washington last week ruled that the Justice Department had improperly redacted the memo, and ordered it released. The ruling came after the Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington, a government watchdog group, filed suit to challenge the redactions.

Special Counsel Robert Mueller in April 2019 released a 448-page report outlining the results of his inquiry into Russia's interference in the 2016 U.S. presidential election and whether Trump had tried to obstruct the probe. The report concluded there was not enough evidence to establish that Trump's campaign colluded with Russia.

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