The Department of Justice revealed in a court filing Wednesday that it will give “a limited number” of congressional leaders and staff access to a copy of special counsel Robert Mueller’s report with fewer redactions than contained in the version set to be released to Congress and the public today.
The filing was made in federal court in connection with the case against Roger Stone, a longtime confidant of President Trump who was charged in January with witness tampering, obstruction, and making false statements. It says that information related to the charges against Stone won’t be redacted in the more private version of the report, which details the Mueller team’s investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 election and possible collusion by Trump campaign officials.
“[The] Justice Department plans to make available for review by a limited number of Members of Congress and their staff a copy of the Special Counsel’s report without certain redactions, including removing the redaction of information related to the charges set forth in the indictment in this case. This version of the report will not be made available ‘to the media’ or ‘in public settings,’ consistent with the Court’s February 15 order,” the government’s notice reads.
“In addition, this version of the report will not be “disseminated by means of public communication” pursuant to Local Criminal Rule 57.7(b)(1). Nor will copies of the less redacted report be disseminated to Members of Congress or their staff in the first instance. Rather, the Justice Department intends to secure this version of the report in an appropriate setting that will be accessible to a limited number of Members of Congress and their staff.”
Attorney General William Barr is holding a press conference on the report’s release today at 9:30 a.m. EDT, and the Justice Department will deliver copies of the redacted report to Congress starting at 11 a.m.
[Read more: William Barr’s reputation in peril with Mueller report rollout]
