Two northern Illinois members of Congress issued statements in reaction to remarks made by Special Counsel Robert Mueller at a press conference this week. Mueller discussed the special investigation he led into Russian interference in U.S. elections, and the legal reasoning behind its conclusions on Wednesday. He said he was limited by Justice Dept. guidelines regarding the indictment of a sitting president, and the conclusions of his report reflected that.
Illinois 17th District Congresswoman Cheri Bustos said in her statement that Mueller "made abundantly clear" that Russia interfered in the 2016 election, which "should concern every American regardless of political party." Bustos expressed hope that the Republican-controlled Senate and President Trump would work with members of the Democratically-controlled House to protect U.S. elections from "foreign meddling."
With regard to the presidents's culpability as to Russian interference and efforts to obstruct the investigation, Bustos did not - as some of her colleagues have - mention impeachment. But she said it was "clear that in America, nobody is above the law - not even the President of the United States. Congress has important constitutional oversight responsibilities, and we must follow the truth." At the same time, she said, Congress must continue its "critical work" on health care costs, infrastructure, and "cleaning up the rampant corruption in Washington."
11th District Congressman Bill Foster echoed those thoughts in his statement:
“Special Counsel Mueller confirmed his report does not exonerate President Trump of obstruction of justice and he made it clear that Department of Justice policy does not allow for the indictment of the President. Congress has the constitutional authority and obligation to hold the President accountable for his actions and I am confident that we will do so.”
WNIJ News reached out to 16th District Rep. Adam Kinzinger. The Republican was not available to comment. His Communications Director gave WNIJ a statement that she says she "sent to others from late April/early May on the topic."
The Congressman has said that such impeachment talk by some is a purely political and divisive talking point. If there is a case to be made for any obstruction of justice, the Democrats are welcome to make the case to the American people with substantive support to back them up. But the bottom line is that there was no collusion, plain and simple.
