Special counsel Robert Mueller’s report is expected to arrive this week. Whether it wafts in like a feather or falls to Earth like an asteroid, here&
Special counsel Robert Mueller’s report is expected to arrive this week. Whether it wafts in like a feather or falls to Earth like an asteroid, here’s what you need to know.
What is it?
Mueller was appointed in the spring of 2017 to investigate whether President Trump’s campaign conspired with the Russian interference in the 2016 election.
The fact of the interference itself had been long established, and last month Attorney General William Barr told Congress that Mueller did not find that Trump’s campaign was involved with it.
Barr also told Congress that Mueller didn’t establish that Trump broke the law in trying to frustrate the investigation — but neither did Mueller’s office « exonerate » the president.
Barr and Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein concluded for themselves, based on the special counsel’s findings, that Trump would not face obstruction-of-justice charges.
With that established, what’s the point of the report?
What the document is expected to reveal are the factual findings and legal analysis that underpinned the conclusions already shared by Barr.
Trump and Republicans have welcomed Barr’s summary, which they say vindicates the president and gave them a surge of momentum into the burgeoning 2020 election season.
Democrats say they can’t be sure Barr isn’t providing political cover for Trump, pointing to skepticism he voiced about Mueller’s inquiry before he was nominated to be attorney general. Trump’s opponents say they can’t be sure what to make of Mueller’s findings until they see the findings firsthand.
So when could the report be released?
Any day now. Barr told members of Congress that it would appear this week.
How long is it?
Nearly 400 pages, « exclusive of tables and appendices, » Barr told Congress.
Will it be Mueller’s complete report?
No. Barr told members of Congress that he has been working with the special counsel’s office to redact four kinds of information.
First, grand jury material, which is secret under the law. Second, foreign intelligence that could compromise the sources and methods from which it originated, which American spies want to protect.
Third, Barr said he would redact information about ongoing cases or investigations — those taking place elsewhere in the Justice Department now that the special counsel’s work is complete.
Charges unsealed last week against Julian Assange, the founder of WikiLeaks, and Greg Craig, a former White House counsel, made clear that legal aftershocks will continue even though the big political quake in Washington apparently has passed.
