MuellersenthisfullreporttotheJusticeDepartmentonFridaynight, andthatdepartmentsent a fourpagesummaryofittoCongressonSundayafternoon.
ItsaidthatwhileRussiadidtrytoinfluencethe 2016 electionsomethingRussiahasrepeatedlydenied, the U.
S Specialcounsel's investigationquotedidnotfindthattheTrumpcampaignoranyoneassociatedwithitconspiredorcoordinatedwithRussiainitseffortstoinfluencetheelection.
We'vetalkedaboutthis a lotsinceIsisswepttopowerin 2014.
Itsnameanditsmissionwerethesame.
IsisstandsforIslamicstateinIraqandSyria, somethingthegroupwanted, anditoncecontrolled a hugeareaoflandintheregionwith a populationofalmosteightmillionpeople.
Notanymore.
OnSaturday, theSyrianDemocraticForces, a militarygroupsupportedbytheUnitedStatessaidIsishadbeendefeatedinitslastphysicalstrongholdinSyriain a formalceremonytomarktheterroristgroupsdefeat, theSDFpaidtributetothethousandsofforcesandfightersitlostinthebattle.
In 2014 Isishad a presencefromtheoutskirtsofBaghdadtoAleppoinwesternSyriaat a timewhenitseemedthattheywereunstoppable, sendingthearmiesofIraqandotherinpartsofSyriamilitiasrunningbeforethem.
Nowtheyhavedisappearedas a territorialentity.
Theyarenomore.
Sothisis a massivesortofturnofeventswhenyouconsiderthesituationjust a fewyearsago.
But I thinkthatenthusiasm, eveninthispartoftheworldoftheregion, hasbeentemperedbytherealizationthattheystillremain a threatas a terroristinsurgency.
Iraqdon't do a betterjobatreconstructionatrevivingthelocaleconomies.
Youcouldhave a situationdevelopingwherebydiscontentfeedsintotheideologyofIsis, andyoucouldhaveIsiscomebackperhapsunder a differentnamein a differentform.
Butit's notjust a questionofdefeating a neworganizationlikethatmilitarily.