Trump campaign did not coordinate with Russia in 2016: Justice Department
Washington: The Justice Department said Sunday that special counsel Robert Mueller's investigation did not find evidence that President Donald Trump's campaign "conspired or coordinated" with Russia to influence the 2016 presidential election.
Mueller also investigated whether Trump obstructed justice but did not come to a definitive answer, Attorney General William Barr said in a letter to Congress summarising Mueller's report.
The special counsel "does not exonerate" Trump of obstructing justice, Barr said, and his report "sets out evidence on both sides of the question."
After consulting with other Justice Department officials, Barr said he and Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein determined the evidence "is not sufficient to establish that the president committed an obstruction of justice offense."
Barr released a four-page summary of Mueller's report Sunday afternoon.
Mueller wrapped up his investigation on Friday with no new indictments, bringing to a close a probe that has shadowed Trump for nearly two years.
Barr's chief of staff called White House counsel Emmet Flood to brief him on the report to Congress. Trump was at his Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida, about to return to Washington after spending the weekend there.
Mueller's investigation ensnared nearly three dozen people, senior Trump campaign operatives among them.
The probe illuminated Russia's assault on the American political system, painted the Trump campaign as eager to exploit the release of hacked Democratic emails to hurt Democrat Hillary Clinton and exposed lies by Trump aides aimed at covering up their Russia-related contacts.
Mueller submitted his report to Barr instead of directly to Congress and the public because, unlike independent counsels such as Ken Starr in the case of President Bill Clinton, his investigation operated under the close supervision of the Justice Department, which appointed him.
Mueller was assigned to the job in May 2017 by Rosenstein, who oversaw much of his work. Barr and Rosenstein analysed Mueller's report on Saturday, labouring to condense it into a summary letter of main conclusions.
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Counting for Bagalkot, Davanagere South bypolls on May 4 amid tight security
Bengaluru (PTI): Counting of votes for bypolls to two assembly constituencies in Karnataka -- Bagalkot and Davanagere South -- will be held on May 4, amid tight security, election officials said Sunday.
The by-elections were held on April 9.
The bypolls were necessitated by the deaths of senior Congress MLAs H Y Meti (Bagalkot) and Shamanur Shivashankarappa (Davanagere South).
Although the outcome of these by-elections is unlikely to have an immediate impact on state politics, the contest is seen as a matter of prestige for both the ruling Congress and the opposition BJP.
While the Congress faces the challenge of retaining both seats, the BJP aims to wrest them and deliver a setback to the ruling party, which is currently witnessing an "internal power struggle" over leadership.
There has been speculation that a decision on leadership change and the much-awaited cabinet reshuffle is likely after the May 4 results.
According to the Election Commission, the voter turnout in Bagalkot was 68.74 per cent, and it was 68.43 per cent in Davanagere South.
Poll officials said the counting of votes would begin at 8 am, and the clear picture may emerge by mid day.
Adequate security arrangements have been made for the smooth conduct of the counting and to ensure that no untoward incidents happen during or after the declaration of results, according to top police officials.
Preparations have been completed at the University of Horticultural Sciences in Bagalkot and DRR School at Davanagere for counting of votes.
According to election officials, 14 tables each have been set for vote counting on EVMs at counting centres both in Bagalkot and Davanagere South assembly segments, where nine and 25 candidates were in the fray respectively.
The BJP fielded former MLA and 2023 defeated candidate Veerabhadrayya Charantimath from Bagalkot, and a fresh face, Srinivas T Dasakariyappa, from Davanagere South.
The Congress gave tickets to family members of the late legislators in both constituencies. Bagalkot candidate Umesh Meti is the son of H Y Meti, while Samarth Mallikarjun from Davanagere South is the grandson of Shamanur Shivashankarappa.
Samarth's father, S S Mallikarjun, is a minister in the Siddaramaiah-led Cabinet and in charge of Davanagere district, while his mother, Prabha Mallikarjun, is a Member of Parliament from the region.
The BJP is looking to make gains in the bypolls and energise its cadre ahead of the 2028 Assembly elections. For the Congress, retaining both seats is crucial, as a loss could be seen as a negative verdict on the performance of the Siddaramaiah-led government.
Muslim disgruntlement appears to be a concern for the Congress in Davanagere South. With 14 of the 25 candidates in the fray belonging to the community, there are apprehensions within the party about a split in votes, which could benefit the BJP.
Given its significant presence in the constituency, the Muslim community strongly demanded the Congress ticket for Davanagere South. However, the party fielded late MLA Shivashankarappa's grandson Samarth. This is said to have caused disgruntlement among the community and Muslim leaders within Congress.
Although the Congress persuaded a rebel candidate Sadiq Pailwan to withdraw, he remained in the fray as the move came after the deadline for withdrawal of nominations.
The Congress, after the polls, even took action against some Muslim leaders of the party following allegations of "internal conspiracy" to defeat the candidate in Davanagere South. The action included MLC K Abdul Jabbar being suspended from primary membership and Chief Minister Siddaramaiah relieving another MLC, Naseer Ahmed, from the post of CM's political secretary.
Speculation are rife that Housing Minister B Z Zameer Ahmed Khan may also face disciplinary measures during the next cabinet reshuffle. So, the Davanagere South results are crucial for Khan as well.
Following these actions, some Muslim clerics and leaders had openly warned the grand old party.
In Bagalkot too, the Congress faced initial dissidence, with other members of Meti's family seeking the ticket. However, Siddaramaiah's intervention helped resolve differences to an extent, and they campaigned together.
The BJP, in contrast, saw little dissidence over candidate selection, with its leaders campaigning in unity.
Leaders of Congress and the BJP have expressed confidence about their parties winning both the seats.
In the 2023 Assembly elections, H Y Meti defeated BJP's Charantimath by a margin of 5,878 votes in Bagalkot, while Shivashankarappa defeated BJP's B G Ajay Kumar by 27,888 votes in Davanagere South.
