On Friday night, just hours after special counsel Robert S. Mueller III delivered his report to Attorney General William P. Barr, President Trump got up to give a speech. Addressing guests at his Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida, during a Republican fundraiser that was closed to the media, Trump thanked Sen. Lindsey O. Graham (R-S.C.), former Florida attorney general Pam Bondi and first lady Melania Trump. Notably absent from Trump’s brief remarks: any mention of Mueller or collusion. Trump’s silence on the end of the Russia investigation is striking, considering how frequently he has repeated his claim of “no collusion” in the past. According to the Factba.se database of Trump’s comments, speeches and interviews, the president has claimed “no collusion” at least 231 times since he first said it in May 2017.

Source: Washington Post March 23, 2019 21:02 UTC