The explosive, and much-anticipated, release of the Mueller report has come.Just after attorney general William Barr stood behind a podium and largely seemed to defend Donald Trump, the damaging report was released, showing that Mr Trump attempted to fire Robert Mueller multiple times and that he said he thought his presidency was “f****d” after the special counsel was appointed.Mr Barr has declined to prosecute Mr Trump for obstruction, a decision he announced last year. But, the special counsel investigation highlights an incredible amount of damaging nuance to that decision.And, Democrats were quick to challenge the assumption that Mr Trump did not commit a crime, or that there was no collusion between the Trump campaign and Russia.Instead, the 400 page document detailed dozens of interactions between the Trump campaign and Russian officials seeking to flip members of the Trump team. In addition, the report detailed a shocking propensity for White House officials to disregard the president when it comes to the Russia investigation — and that willingness to ignore the president could be a saving grace for Mr Trump.According to the report, Mr Trump attempted repeatedly to get his staff to force Mr Mueller’s firing. Those staff members just ignored him, though.There’s a lot to unpack — and we’ve done most of that work for you below.Please read along for the updates we posted throughout the day — from Mr Barr’s press conference, to the shocking revelations of the report, to the reaction as Washington transitioned into its next phase of the Trump presidency:Please allow the blog a moment to load.
