Why didn't Mueller charge people other than Trump with Obstruction Of Justice for deleting data?

[uponit7771]

From Mueller's report page 18

https://www.kunc.org/post/highlights-mueller-report-annotated#stream/0

Further, the Office learned that some of the individuals we interviewed or whose conduct we investigated — including some associated with the Trump Campaign — deleted relevant communications or communicated during the relevant period using applications that feature encryption or that do not provide for long-term retention of data or communications records. In such cases, the Office was not able to corroborate witness statements through comparison to contemporaneous communications or fully question witnesses about statements that appeared inconsistent with other known facts.

Accordingly, while this report embodies factual and legal determinations that the Office believes to be accurate and complete to the greatest extent possible, given these identified gaps, the Office cannot rule out the possibility that the unavailable information would shed additional light on (or cast in a new light) the events described in the report.

Thx in advance

[Leghorn21]

1. Great question.

I, too, send thanks in advance

[pnwmom]

2. How would we prove it?

In some cases, at least, the reason we would know it is because another country's intelligence service gave us data that they could collect but we were legally barred from collecting ourselves. Such as if one of our citizens traveled abroad and another country spied on him.

Having that spy data we would know that the target withheld it from us. But we can't take the other intelligence services' data to court without betraying sources and methods. So to keep the lines of communication open between our country and others, we don't bring it to court, even if it means we can't always bring a case. Having the intelligence is more important in most cases.

With regard to apps with encryption or make conversations disappear, if it is legal we can't charge someone for using it. And if it works we don't have the data.