Vladimir Putin Praises Mueller’s “Objective” Investigation, Claims It Found “No Traces” Of Collusion

On Tuesday, Russian President Vladimir Putin spoke highly of Special Counsel Robert Mueller‘s investigation into Russian meddling in the United States’ 2016 presidential election. He described Mueller’s conduct as “objective.”

Speaking with Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, Putin seemed pleased with Mueller’s report, claiming how it discovered no collusion between his country and his United States counterpart Donald Trump. “On the whole he had a very objective investigation and he confirmed that there are no traces whatsoever of collusion between Russia and the incumbent administration, which we said was absolutely fake,” Putin said.

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Attorney General William Barr released a redacted version of the Mueller Report last month, which determined there was not enough evidence to conclusively establish if Trump’s campaign colluded with Russia. Nevertheless, Mueller’s probe did confirm Russian interference in the election, citing the hostile power’s “sweeping and systematic” measures to help elect Trump.

On May 3, Trump and Putin had a lengthy phone conversation together. It was their first time speaking following the special counsel’s completion of its investigation. The two leaders briefly discussed the conclusion of Mueller’s probe and agreed it is “over and there was no collusion,” according to White House Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders.