WASHINGTON (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 12th February, 2022) Unredacted copies of Special Counsel Robert Mueller's report into his probe of alleged collusion between former US President Donald Trump and Russia show that there was insufficient evidence to charge campaign member Roger Stone and son Donald Trump Jr. with computer offenses, Buzzfeed reported.
"The evidence was not sufficient to charge that former Trump Campaign member Roger Stone joined or participated in the hacking conspiracy. Applying the Principles of Federal Prosecution, the Office also determined not to charge Donald Trump Jr. with a misdemeanor computer-intrusion offense for accessing a third-part website using a password sent to him by WikiLeaks," the unredacted report said.
The investigation into allegations of collusion between the Trump campaign and Russia was opened by the FBI in July 2016, ahead of the presidential election in November 2016. In May 2017, Trump dismissed FBI Director James Comey, under whose leadership the probe was initiated, and Special Counsel Robert Mueller was appointed to lead the investigation. Mueller released a redacted report in April 2019, showing no evidence of the alleged collusion.
Buzzfeed filed a Freedom of Information Act request that resulted in the US Justice Department being ordered by a court to disclose the previously-redacted Mueller report material requested by the organization.
While Trump has characterized the Mueller probe as a political witch hunt to reverse the result of the 2016 election, Russian officials have said the allegations were made up to excuse the defeat of presidential candidate Hillary Clinton, as well as deflect public opinion away from actual instances of election fraud and corruption.
