"I imagine one cannot exonerate such a man from blame, though he is your brother," said Alexey Alexandrovitch severely.

He explained that his partner was then absent on an enterprise of importance, and that it particularly behoved himself publicly to accept the blame of what he had rashly done, and publicly to exonerate his partner from all participation in the responsibility of it, lest the successful conduct of that enterprise should be endangered by the slightest suspicion wrongly attaching to his partner's honour and credit in another country.

But it accomplished nothing other than to convince me that there were several officers upon it who were in full sympathy with Johnson, for, though no charges had been preferred against him, the board went out of its way specifically to exonerate him in its findings.

'No, certainly; I exonerate my sister from such degraded tastes, and my mother too, if you included her in your animadversions.'

Inchbare's description (vague as you will presently find it to be) completely exonerates that man," said Sir Patrick, pointing to Geoffrey still asleep in his chair.

Chairman Jerold Nadler said: "In fact, your report expressly states it does not exonerate the president."

Mueller's 448-page report, released in redacted form on 18 April, did not reach a conclusion on whether Trump committed the crime of obstruction of justice in a series of actions aimed at impeding the inquiry, but did not exonerate him.

Opening yesterday's hearing, chairman Jerold Nadler said: "In fact, your report expressly states it does not exonerate the president."

Curiously he added that he could not exonerate the president either.

"There must be full transparency in what Special Counsel Mueller uncovered to not exonerate the President from wrongdoing.