Mueller defends report against GOP attacks

(AP) – Robert Mueller is pushing back against Republican attacks with a forceful defense of his report on the Trump-Russia investigation.

Mueller testified Wednesday in Congress that he doesn’t think the lawmakers have reviewed “a report that is a thorough, as fair, as consistent as the report that we have in front of us.”

The former special counsel is making his first major public appearance on the findings of his office’s probe into Russian interference in the 2016 election and President Donald Trump’s response to the investigation.

The report says investigators could not exonerate Trump on obstruction of justice. It also said they did not find sufficient evidence to establish charges of criminal conspiracy between the Trump campaign and Russia.

Mueller has been a reluctant witness before the House Judiciary Committee, delivering single-word answers to many questions. But in response to Republican Rep. Tom McClintock of California, he gave a full-sentence defense of his 448-page report.

(This story was last updated at 12:28 p.m. Wednesday.)