Robert Mueller: Trump not exonerated by my report

Washington: Special Counsel Robert Mueller, who is testifying in front of the US Congress, has stressed on the fact that his report on Russian interference in the 2016 Presidential election and subsequent obstruction of justice did not 'totally exonerate’ US President Donald Trump.

Since the report was released, Trump has repeatedly claimed that he was "totally exonerated" by Mueller’s report but this notion was expressly rejected by Mueller in a hearing on Wednesday.

Mueller stressed on the fact that he had not exonerated Trump of obstruction of justice.

However Trump criticised Mueller's performance and said: "This was a great day for me."

Mueller spent two years probing alleged collusion between the 2016 Trump campaign and Russia, but did not establish collusion in a crime.

However he concluded that Russia interfered in the election on Trump's behalf.

In all, 35 people and three companies were charged by the special counsel on matters relating both directly and indirectly to alleged Russian interference in the 2016 election. No members of the Trump family were charged.

Mueller - a former FBI director - and his team concluded that they were unable to charge the president with a crime, but could not exonerate him either.

However Mueller claimed that Trump can be charged when he is no longer the president.

According to an OLC rule, no sitting US president can be indicted with any crime.