Special counsel Robert Mueller did not make a determination about whether President Donald Trump broke the law by obstructing justice because it wasnt Muellers call to make, he wrote in his 448-page report released Thursday.

But the special counsels explanation of why he couldnt state that Trump obstructed justice suggests he may believe the president did.

Mueller was theoretically allowed to clear Trump of obstruction of justice, he wrote. But he could not justify doing so: [I]f we had confidence after a thorough investigation of the facts that the President clearly did not commit obstruction of justice, we would so state, the report reads. Based on the facts and the applicable legal standards, however, we are unable to reach that judgment.