There was "no doubt" Russia interfered with the 2016 election to help President Donald Trump's campaign, and the campaign was interested in the assistance, but there was still not enough evidence to bring criminal charges or to believe there was a conspiracy going on, former FBI Deputy Director Andrew McCabe said Thursday.
"The one thing we lack is the keystone between the bridge — that agreement between the parties," McCabe told MSNBC's "Morning Joe." "What we have here is a clear lack of evidence to bring charges on those grounds . . . I believe there was a strong desire, a willingness on both parts, but I can't sit here and point to that evidence of an agreement."
His comments came after outgoing special counsel Robert Mueller on Wednesday said his probe into Russian interference in the 2016 election was never going to end with criminal charges against Trump and indicated it was up to Congress to decide if he should be impeached.
McCabe, who had as acting FBI director ordered obstruction of justice and counterintelligence investigations against Trump and Russia, said Thursday he still believes there was obstruction on the part of Trump and said it is important Congress "does its job" in continuing the probe.
McCabe said he also thinks Mueller's message was what Trump has called a "no collusion, no obstruction" result should be recast as "no witch hunt and no exoneration. I think that was the message that Bob Mueller was telling us [Wednesday]."
He said he also thinks Mueller is frustrated because politics has eclipsed Russia's attacks on the election system as the focus of the investigation.
Sandy Fitzgerald has more than three decades in journalism and serves as a general assignment writer for Newsmax covering news, media, and politics.
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