WATCH & COMMENT LIVE: Mueller: 'If We Had Confidence That the President Clearly Did Not Commit a Crime, We Would Have Said So'

KEY QUOTES

• Mueller's final message:

"I will close by reiterating the central allegation of our indictments, that there were multiple, systematic efforts to interfere in our election. And that allegation deserves the attention of every American."

• Mueller said today's statement should be his final public one.

"Beyond what I’ve said here today and what is contained in our written work, I do not believe it is appropriate for me to speak further about the investigation or to comment on the actions of the Justice Department or Congress."

• Mueller reiterated the conclusion of his report, noting that if his office "had confidence that the president clearly did not commit a crime, we would have said so."

"We did not, however, make a determination as to whether the president did commit a crime," Mueller added.

• Mueller cited a Department of Justice policy, which states that a president "cannot be charged with a federal crime while he is in office. That is unconstitutional."
• "Even if the charge is kept under seal and hidden from public view, that, too, is prohibited," Mueller said, adding:

"Charging the president with a crime was therefore not an option we could consider."

• Russia "launched a concerted attack on our political system," Mueller said.
• Mueller said that he is "formally closing the special counsel's office and, as well, I'm resigning from the department of justice to return to private life." He added that the "written work speaks for itself."

What's the story?

• Special counsel Robert Mueller will make a statement on Wednesday morning regarding his investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 presidential election.
• These are the first public comments by Mueller, who began his probe two-years ago.
• The event, scheduled for 11 a.m. ET at the Department of Justice, will be streamed live. Mueller will not take questions.

• Earlier this month, President Donald Trump asserted executive privilege on the full, unredacted report from Mueller.
• During the first week of May, Senate Majority Mitch McConnell (R-KY) declared that it’s time for Congressional Democrats and America to move on from the Mueller investigation and “fanciful conspiracy theories” involving Russia and the Trump Campaign. “Case closed,” McConnell said.
• May opened with news that Mueller objected to Attorney General William Barr’s 4-page summary of the principal findings of his Russia investigation, telling the Justice Department (and Barr in a subsequent phone call) that the AG’s memo “did not fully capture the context, nature, and substance” of the investigation.

This is a breaking story and will be updated.

-Josh Herman