A former US Attorney for Minnesota who was twice appointed by Republican presidents says Special Counsel Robert Mueller's message Wednesday was fairly clear. Tom Heffelfinger, now in private practice, says he believes Mueller had evidence of obstruction of justice by President Trump.
"When I read Mueller's comments, both in his report and in his statement today, I walked away with a conclusion that but for that policy of the Department of Justice (which prevents a sitting US President of being indicted with a crime), the Special Prosecutor thought there was enough evidence for the President to face an obstruction charge."
In resigning as Special Counsel Wednesday, Mueller spoke publicly for the first time since he was appointed two years ago to lead the investigation into Russian interference with the 2016 election.
Heffelfinger served twice as US Attorney for Minnesota. He was appointed by President George H.W. Bush in 1991 and served until 1993. He was again appointed US Attorney for Minnesota in 2001 by President George W. Bush, and served until 2006. He's known Robert Mueller for 30 years.
Heffelfinger believes Congress must move forward with investigating Mueller's report, but he stopped short of calling for impeachment proceedings against President Trump.