| What Mueller said. And how Trump and Dems responded. The week in politics. |  |
| FROM WASHINGTON AND BEYOND | Friday, May 31 | | | | | | | | | | | | Robert Mueller spoke: The special counsel made his first public comments this week after his years-long investigation into Russia and President Donald Trump. The takeaway? Mueller couldn't charge Trump with obstruction of justice even if he wanted to because he wasn't allowed . It simply "wasn't an option" under Justice Department policy, he said. But Mueller pointedly declined to clear Trump of criminal activity in a 10-minute speech Wednesday, rekindling a firestorm of impeachment talk in the process. Elizabeth Warren called Mueller's statement "an impeachment referral" while Kamala Harris and Cory Booker both called to " begin impeachment proceedings immediately," in the latter's words. Joe Biden's campaign said impeachment "may be unavoidable," while Pete Buttigieg summed up Mueller like this: "Over to you, Congress." | | But Nancy Pelosi, the House speaker, downplayed the impeachment talk: Most House Dems don't want it, she said, but "nothing is off the table." Pelosi, a Democrat, won't call for impeachment, but one Republican will: Rep. Justin Amash, the lone GOPer calling to remove Trump, accused Attorney General William Barr of propping up Trump's "false narrative" on the Mueller report. Trump, meanwhile, pitched Mueller's words as a victory: Citing " insufficient evidence," Trump proclaimed it "case closed!" Either way, we may not hear from Mueller again on this: He's galloping into the sunset and "returning to private life." | OnPolitics Hibachi Photo of The Week |  | | U.S. President Donald Trump is served a baked potato while sitting at a counter with US First Lady Melania Trump, Shinzo Abe, Japan's prime minister and Akie Abe, wife of Shinzo Abe, during a dinner at the Inakaya restaurant in the Roppongi district of Tokyo on May 26, 2019. | | Kiyoshi Ota / POOL, EPA-EFE | | | Yes, Trump tried to downplay North Korea's missile firings during his trip to Japan that ended this week, but he also went with Prime Minister Shinzo Abe to a hibachi restaurant. I love hibachi. | This week in Trump | | |  | | President Donald Trump, foreground right, participates in U.S. Air Force Academy graduation ceremonies. | | Andrew Harnik, AP | | This week in 2020 Dems | | | | Thanks so much, OnPolitics friends. Accentuate the positive this weekend. - Josh Hafner | | P.S. Not subscribed to OnPolitics yet? Click here. |  | | Democratic presidential candidate Kamala Harris is greeted by supporters following a town hall style meeting at Girls, Inc., in Nashua, New Hampshire, on Wednesday. | | CJ GUNTHER, EPA-EFE | | | | | MOST SHARED USA TODAY ARTICLES | | | | | | | |
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