DISINFO: Robert Mueller’s investigation proved there was no collusion between Trump and Russia
SUMMARY
It cannot be excluded that scandal around the phone call between the Presidents of the US and Ukraine is the consequence of the failure of Robert Mueller’s Special Counsel investigation to prove Moscow intervened in the US elections.
RESPONSE
A recurring pro-Kremlin narrative on the Robert Mueller report connected also with the recurring pro-Kremlin disinformation narrative on Russian interference in the 2016 US presidential election. Robert Mueller's investigation did conclude that Russia interfered in the 2016 election. Mueller's report determined that there were "two main Russian efforts to influence the 2016 election". It led to US senators' proposals to extend sanctions on Russia to deter it from further election meddling. The claim that the report provides no evidence of Trump-Russia collusion is spurious. Gathering evidence of "collusion" - which is not a legal concept - fell outside the scope of the investigation. The aim of the probe was not merely to ascertain contacts between the Trump Campaign and Russia-linked individuals during the election period, but to establish whether these interactions were deliberate enough on the part of Trump Campaign officials to sustain charges of conspiracy (p. 2). The report explicitly identifies "numerous links between individuals with ties to the Russian government and individuals associated with the Trump Campaign" (p. 9).