It's been a busy day in Washington.
Special counsel Robert Mueller spoke publicly for the first time ever about his 22-month-long investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 election. He also announced that he's returning to private life and the special counsel's office said today marked his last day in his position.
If you missed it all, here's how the day played out:
- Mueller's surprise statement: The special counsel made his statement with little warning (Nancy Pelosi's office got no heads up, and the White House only learned about it last night).
- What he said: Mueller said his investigation could not clear President Trump and that charging the President was not an option his office could consider. He emphasized that Justice Department guidelines did not allow him to charge a sitting President.
- A key takeaway: Mueller said that if Trump had not committed a crime, investigators would have said so. They never gave Trump that clean bill of health.
- What the White House is saying: Press secretary Sarah Sanders told reporters the White House was not surprised by Mueller’s statement today, saying there was “no real news in there.”
- Democrats' demands: After Mueller suggested the onus is on Congress to hold the President accountable, many Democrats ratcheted up their demands that Congress begin impeachment proceedings. And some new voices joined the calls: Sen. Cory Booker for the first time said Trump should be impeached.
- But remember: While Democratic leadership is facing more pressure to start the impeachment process, no one has formally taken those steps. Speaker Pelosi — while saying that nothing is off the table — has not indicated that she will start the process. House Judiciary chair Jerry Nadler today said that it "falls to Congress to respond to the crimes, lies and other wrongdoing of President Trump" — but did not announce any action.