Robert Mueller, the special counsel, discussed his investigation of Russian election interference for the first time on Wednesday. He did not absolve President Trump of obstruction of justice, saying: “If we had enough confidence that the president clearly did not commit a crime, we would have said so.” Guest: Michael S. Schmidt, who has been covering the special counsel investigation for The New York Times. For more information on today’s episode, visit nytimes.com/thedaily.

Background reading:

• The news conference presented an extraordinary spectacle of a top law enforcement official publicly stating that the president’s conduct warranted a criminal investigation, even though it was impossible to indict him for any crimes.
• Here’s the full transcript of Mr. Mueller’s statement.

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