Collusion or Not? Trump Said No, and Mueller Agrees

A big question clouding American politics for more than two years was whether anybody from President Donald Trump’s winning campaign assisted in Russia’s interference in the 2016 U.S. presidential election. Special Counsel Robert Mueller’s criminal investigation, in producing indictments against Russian nationals and former Trump advisers, dropped hints that some people in the Trump campaign had at least wanted to play ball with Russia. In the end, though, Mueller’s team concluded there was no conspiracy or coordination, just as Trump has long said.

Mueller’s final report says the investigation “did not establish that members of the Trump campaign conspired or coordinated with the Russian government in its election interference activities,” according to the four-page letter Attorney General William Barr delivered to Congress. This was despite “multiple offers from Russian-affiliated individuals to assist the Trump campaign,” Barr wrote.