You're right, they could be trying to get people to ignore. I think it's more likely they're in an awkward political/diplomatic holding pattern. They definitel

You're right, they could be trying to get people to ignore. I think it's more likely they're in an awkward political/diplomatic holding pattern. They definitely can't say that they are continuing to investigate unless they've been cleared to do so, since investigating starts implying patterns of responsibility. It's definitely a gong-show.