Reaction to AG William Barr's summary of Mueller report

"While this report does not conclude that the President committed a crime, it also does not exonerate him," Special counsel Robert Mueller, quoted by Attorney General William Barr in a summary of the Russia investigation report.

"No Collusion, No Obstruction, Complete and Total EXONERATION. KEEP AMERICA GREAT!" President Donald Trump, in a tweet.

"The Special Counsel did not find any collusion and did not find any obstruction. AG Barr and DAG Rosenstein further determined there was no obstruction. The findings of the Department of Justice are a total and complete exoneration of the President of the United States," White House press secretary Sarah Sanders, in a tweet.

A copy of a letter from Attorney General William Barr advising Congress of the principal conclusions reached by Special Counsel Robert Mueller, is shown Sunday, March 24, 2019 in Washington. (AP PhotoJon Elswick)

"In light of the very concerning discrepancies and final decision-making at the Justice Department following the Special Counsel report, where Mueller did not exonerate the President, we will be calling Attorney General Barr in to testify before @HouseJudiciary in the near future," House Judiciary Chairman Jerry Nadler, D-N.Y., in a tweet.

"Good day for the rule of law. Great day for President Trump and his team. No collusion and no obstruction. The cloud hanging over President Trump has been removed by this report. Bad day for those hoping the Mueller investigation would take President Trump down. Great job by Mr. Mueller and his team to thoroughly examine all things Russia. Now it is time to move on, govern the country, and get ready to combat Russia and other foreign actors ahead of 2020," Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., in a statement.

"AG Barr's summary further confirms the need for Congress to see Mueller's underlying documents, so we can continue our investigations & uncover the truth for the American public," Rep. Sean Maloney, D-N.Y., in a tweet.

Attorney General William Barr leaves his home in McLean, Va., on Sunday morning, March 24, 2019. Barr is preparing a summary of the findings of the special counsel investigating Russian election interference. The release of Barr's summary of the report's main conclusions is expected sometime Sunday. (AP PhotoSait Serkan Gurbuz)

"Our country welcomes this long-overdue conclusion. After two years, two congressional investigations, and now the closure of a special counsel investigation with unfettered authority to investigate 'any links or coordination between the Russian government and individuals associated with the campaign of President Donald Trump,' it is abundantly clear, without a shadow of a doubt, there was no collusion," House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., in a statement.

"This letter leaves more questions than answers. A sanitized summary from Trump's hand-picked bodyguard is not acceptable. Barr has his finger on the scale to protect Trump. The full report should be released immediately," Rep. Bill Pascrell Jr., D-N.J., in a tweet.

"The special counsel's investigation was long, thorough & conclusive: There was no collusion. There is no constitutional crisis. As the report states, "the evidence does not establish that the President was involved in an underlying crime related to Russian election interference'," Rep. Doug Collins, R-Ga., ranking Republican, House Judiciary Committee, in a tweet.

"Sad to see that you are upset by the fact that #POTUS and the Trump Campaign did NOT collude with Russia, despite the hoax @CNN has exploited for two years. What part of 'No American conspired or worked with Russia to influence the 2016 campaign' is unclear? #CNNSucks," Eric Trump, son of President Donald Trump, in a tweet.

"The Mueller report must be made public. Not just a letter from someone appointed by Trump to protect himself_all of it. The President works for the people, and he is not above the law," Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand, D-N.Y., presidential candidate, in a tweet.

"Sadly, instead of apologizing for needlessly destabilizing the country in a transparent attempt to delegitimize the 2016 election, it's clear that the Collusion Truthers in the media and the Democratic Party are only going to double down on their sick and twisted conspiracy theories moving forward. It's my hope that honest journalists within the media, have the courage to hold these now fully debunked truthers accountable and treat them with the scorn and ridicule that they so deserve," Donald Trump Jr., in a statement.

"I am demanding the Mueller report be made immediately available for members of Congress and for the public. Anything short of full transparency will be detrimental to our country moving forward. The American people deserve the truth," Sen. Cory Booker, D-N.J., presidential candidate, in a tweet.

"We are not familiar with the report," Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov, quoted by Russian news agencies.

"The Mueller report needs to be made public, the underlying investigative materials should be handed over to Congress, and Barr must testify. That is what transparency looks like. A short letter from Trump's hand-picked Attorney General is not sufficient," Sen. Kamala Harris, D-Calif, presidential candidate, in a tweet.

"Today marks the day that President Trump has been completely and fully vindicated by Special Counsel Robert Mueller, exposing the Russia collusion conspiracy theory for the sham that it always was and catching Democrats in an elaborate web of lies and deceit," Brad Parscale, campaign manager, Donald J. Trump for President, Inc., in a statement.

"Congress voted 420-0 to release the full Mueller report. Not a "summary" from his handpicked Attorney General. AG Barr, make the full report public. Immediately," Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., presidential candidate, in a tweet.

TOKYO (AP) — The American envoy to the United Nations called Friday for countries armed with atomic weapons to pursue nuclear disarmament as she visited the atomic bomb museum in Nagasaki, Japan.

Linda Thomas-Greenfield, who became the first U.S. cabinet member to visit Nagasaki, stressed the importance of dialogue and diplomacy amid a growing nuclear threat in the region.

“We must continue to work together to create an environment for nuclear disarmament. We must continue to prevent the spread of nuclear weapons in every corner of the world,” she said after a tour of the atomic bomb museum.

“For those of us who already have those weapons, we must pursue arms control. We can and must work to ensure that Nagasaki is the last place to ever experience the horror of nuclear weapons,” she added, standing in front of colorful hanging origami cranes, a symbol of peace.

The United States dropped the world’s first atomic bomb on Hiroshima on Aug. 6, 1945, destroying the city and killing 140,000 people. A second attack three days later on Nagasaki killed 70,000 more people. Japan surrendered on Aug. 15, ending World War II and its nearly half-century of aggression in Asia.

Nagasaki Gov. Kengo Oishi said in a statement that he believed Thomas-Greenfield's visit and her first-person experience at the museum “will be a strong message in promoting momentum of nuclear disarmament for the international society at a time the world faces a severe environment surrounding atomic weapons.”

Oishi said he conveyed to the ambassador the increasingly important role of Nagasaki and Hiroshima in emphasizing the need of nuclear disarmament.

Thomas-Greenfield's visit to Japan comes on the heels of Prime Minister Fumio Kishida's official visit to the United States last week and is aimed at deepening Washington's trilateral ties with Tokyo and Seoul. During her visit to South Korea earlier this week, she held talks with South Korean officials, met with defectors from North Korea and visited the demilitarized zone.

The ambassador said the United States is looking into setting up a new mechanism for monitoring North Korea's nuclear weapons program. Russia and China have thwarted U.S.-led efforts to step up U.N. sanctions on North Korea over its ballistic missile testing since 2022, underscoring a deepening divide between permanent Security Council members over Russia’s war on Ukraine.

She said it would be “optimal” to launch the new system next month, though it is uncertain if that is possible.

The U.N. Security Council established a committee to monitor sanctions, and the mandate for its panel of experts to investigate violations had been renewed for 14 years until last month, when Russia vetoed another renewal.

In its most recent report, the panel of experts said it is investigating 58 suspected North Korean cyberattacks between 2017 and 2023 valued at approximately $3 billion, with the money reportedly being used to help fund its weapons development.

The United States, Japan and South Korea have been deepening security ties amid growing tension in the region from North Korea and China.

U.S. Ambassador to United Nations Linda Thomas-Greenfield, left, and Japan's Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, right, shake hands during a meeting Friday, April 19, 2024, at prime minister's office in Tokyo. (AP Photo/Eugene Hoshiko, Pool)

U.S. Ambassador to United Nations Linda Thomas-Greenfield, left, and Japan's Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, right, shake hands during a meeting Friday, April 19, 2024, at prime minister's office in Tokyo. (AP Photo/Eugene Hoshiko, Pool)

U.S. Ambassador to United Nations Linda Thomas-Greenfield, right, speaks to Rahm Emanuel, U.S. Ambassador to Japan, second right, as they wait for a meeting with Japan's Prime Minister Fumio Kishida Friday, April 19, 2024, at prime minister's office in Tokyo. (AP Photo/Eugene Hoshiko, Pool)

U.S. Ambassador to United Nations Linda Thomas-Greenfield, left, and Rahm Emanuel, U.S. Ambassador to Japan, right, walk to meet Japan's Prime Minister Fumio Kishida Friday, April 19, 2024, at prime minister's office in Tokyo. (AP Photo/Eugene Hoshiko, Pool)

U.S. Ambassador to United Nations Linda Thomas-Greenfield, left, and Japan's Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, right, talk prior to a meeting Friday, April 19, 2024, at prime minister's office in Tokyo. (AP Photo/Eugene Hoshiko, Pool)

U.S. Ambassador to United Nations Linda Thomas-Greenfield, left, and Japan's Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, right, prepare to talk during a meeting Friday, April 19, 2024, at prime minister's office in Tokyo. (AP Photo/Eugene Hoshiko, Pool)