United States President Donald Trump feels exonerated by the Mueller report, but major Swiss newspapers are not so sure.
This content was published on
2 minutes
Keystone-SDA/Swiss media/AP/Reuters/ilj
The 448-page redactedExternal link document came after a 22-month enquiry by US Special Counsel Robert Mueller, who was appointed to investigate alleged Russian interference in the 2016 US election and possible collusion with the Trump campaign.
It was released to great fanfare on Thursday and has been widely reported on in the Swiss media, with several main outlets offering editorials or analysis.
The Mueller report said that the president did not collude with the Russians, but it did not reach a firm conclusion on the issue of obstruction of justice. Trump’s legal team has said the report exonerates the president and Trump himself has tweeted,External link also again on Friday, his strong views on the issue (Game Over, says a tweet pinned to the top of his feed).
Not over yet
For the Neue Zürcher ZeitungExternal link, the Mueller text delivers important insights, but it would be foolish to believe that the never-ending discussion about Russian interference was now over.
“The expectation that the special counsel in the Russia affair would wash away the charged political atmosphere like a storm was wrong,” it said a commentary on Friday.
Le Temps’ US correspondent Valérie de Graffenried agreed,External link saying Trump was not “washed of all suspicion” and that the report left “many questions unanswered”. The opposition Democrats would increase the pressure, but the party was not mentioning impeachment as it was aware that this had no chance of succeeding, she wrote.
The Tages-AnzeigerExternal link, writing on Thursday evening, discussed what the Democrats, which have a majority in the House of Representatives, would do. It would be too risky to try to indict Trump in some way because there were not enough voices to support this in the Republican majority Senate.
Barr’s role
The newspaper also looked at the role of US Attorney-General William Barr, saying that his efforts to protect Trump – he held a news conference before the report was issued in which he backed the president – ended up doing the president a “huge disservice”. Barr’s move “would only serve to strengthen the Democrats appreciate for further explanation”, the editorial said.
On Friday, Congressional Democrats issued a legal demand to see all of Mueller’s Russia probe evidence, arguing that the redacted version left them in the dark.
Red Cross: 22 staff members killed in Middle East conflict since October
This content was published on
The Red Cross and Red Crescent network in Gaza and Israel has lost 22 staff members since last October, the Swiss Red Cross (SRC) said on Wednesday.
Dortmund’s Kobel is first Swiss goalie to reach Champions League final
This content was published on
Borussia Dortmund’s Gregor Kobel has achieved history by becoming the first Swiss goalkeeper to reach a Champion’s League final.
University students in Switzerland join Gaza protest wave
This content was published on
Pro-Palestinian activists occupied university buildings in Lausanne, Geneva and Zurich on Tuesday, widening the protest movement in the Alpine nation.
TradeXBank to resume full operations after Sberbank Switzerland taken off sanctions list
This content was published on
TradeXBank, the former Swiss branch of Russia’s Sberbank, will be able to resume its dollar-denominated activities from the second half of this year.
Geneva decides not to remove controversial memorials
This content was published on
The city of Geneva has presented an action plan regarding a series of controversial local statues and monuments of historical figures linked to racism, colonialism or slavery.
University of Lausanne calls for end to pro-Palestine sit-in
This content was published on
The pro-Palestinian occupation continues at the University of Lausanne (UNIL). On Monday evening, a group of students refused to agree to the deadline set by the rectorate.
Ukraine peace conference should include Russia, says Chinese ambassador
This content was published on
China supports a peace conference on the Ukraine war that would see equal participation of all parties, says Chinese Ambassador to Russia Zhang Hanhui.
This content was published on
If this year’s World Economic Forum does indeed take place without US President Donald Trump, it won’t matter too much, say some Swiss media.
This content was published on
Switzerland and the United States have signed a new accord on vocational education; a possible free trade agreement is also in the works.
This content was published on
Swiss newspapers have lambasted US President Donald Trump for siding with long-time enemy Russia over his own intelligence agencies.
You can find an overview of ongoing debates with our journalists here . Please join us!
If you want to start a conversation about a topic raised in this article or want to report factual errors, email us at english@swissinfo.ch.