Lawmakers and the public are clamoring to see special counsel Robert Mueller’s report on his investigation into Russian collusion, but they may never be able to feast their eyes on the entire product.
Here’s why:
1. Attorney General William Barr has already indicated to lawmakers in a letter Sunday that information related to grand jury proceedings has to remain out of the public’s view.
Federal law places restrictions on the disclosure of information relating to matters occurring before a grand jury, and Barr told lawmakers the speed with which Mueller’s report is processed depends on how quickly the Justice Department can identify and scrub grand jury material.
2. Barr also warned that he has to identify in Mueller’s report “any information that could impact other ongoing matters, including those that the special counsel has referred to other offices.”
3. In addition to removing grand jury information, Barr will erase from the report classified information as well as details that could reveal intelligence sources and methods.
4. The Justice Department also adheres to a policy of withholding negative information about people who were not charged with a crime as part of the investigation, which in Mueller’s case could include the president and his adult children.
5. Trump may assert executive privilege to shield aspects of the report, such as his communications with others, before it’s seen by Congress.
[Related: Bob Woodward: No leaks on Mueller report length]
The process for releasing the report to the public will likely span weeks, leaving lawmakers and the public in suspense over Mueller’s findings, the conclusions of which were summarized by Barr and made public in his letter.
Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., told CNN on Wednesday he believes the report will be turned over to the Senate and House Judiciary Committees sometime in April.
“You’ll get everything that doesn’t compromise national security or violate the law,” Graham said.
While it’s not clear whether the mercurial president will hold to his word, Trump told reporters it “wouldn’t bother” him if the report were fully released, and Graham said Tuesday that the president “decided that the White House is OK with releasing it without looking at it.”
“I talked to him just a few minutes ago, the president, and he said let it out,” Graham said.
Mueller’s delivery of his confidential report to Barr marked the end of the 22-month investigation into whether members of the Trump campaign colluded with Russia.
Barr told lawmakers in a letter he is “mindful of the public interest in this matter” and said his “goal and intent is to release as much of the special counsel’s report as I can consistent with applicable law, regulations, and departmental policies.”
But Democrats have said they are dissatisfied with depending solely on Barr’s letter and instead want Mueller’s report “in complete and unredacted form.”
