Ending months of suspense, Attorney General William Barr on Thursday released a redacted version of special counsel Robert Mueller’s report about Russian interference in the 2016 presidential election and related matters.
Barr told lawmakers last month Mueller had completed his investigation and released a four-page summary of Mueller’s findings.
According to Barr, Mueller concluded the Trump campaign did not collude with Russia to win the 2016 presidential election. Mueller did not establish whether or not Trump obstructed justice, but Barr said he and Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein concluded there was insufficient evidence to charge the president with obstruction.
Mueller’s nearly 400-page report describes the legal analysis and factual findings that support the conclusions previously shared by Barr. The redacted information includes grand jury material, foreign intelligence that could compromise sources and methods, information about ongoing investigations, and derogatory information about people who were not charged.
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The redacted report, however, is unlikely to ease tensions between Democrats and Republicans about what the findings mean for the Trump presidency. Democrats remain unconvinced that Barr is not protecting Trump from the release of damaging information. They’re now planning to subpoena the complete, unredacted document. The House Judiciary Committee has already authorized a subpoena for the unredacted Mueller report but has not sent it to the Justice Department. House Democrats are likely to send the subpoena quickly if they don’t like what they see in the report, which could tee up a lengthy court battle.
And early Thursday, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., said Mueller should testify before Congress about his investigation.
Upon the release of Barr’s memo last month, Trump and his allies argued the president had been vindicated by Mueller. Trump’s personal lawyer Rudy Giuliani said his team is preparing a counter report, which will focus on obstruction of justice.
