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Attorney general's summary of Mueller report expected Sunday

25 March 2019 02:23 (UTC +04:00)

U.S. Attorney General William Barr was expected to release his summary of the long-awaited special counsel’s report on Russian meddling in the 2016 election on Sunday as lawmakers drew battle lines on how to respond to the investigation that has cast a pall over Donald Trump’s presidency, ONA reports citing Reuters.

Special Counsel Robert Mueller sent his report to Attorney General William Barr on Friday, leaving members of Congress, the media and Trump himself waiting to learn its findings after a 22-month investigation of possible Russian connections.

A Justice Department official said the report summary would be released by 4 p.m. EDT.

Trump, who decried the probe as a witch hunt and waste of time, was at his resort in Palm Beach, Florida. He went to his golf club on Saturday and Sunday but was uncharacteristically silent about Friday’s conclusion of the Mueller probe.

Barr, the top U.S. law enforcement official, spent nine hours studying the report on Saturday and was back at the Justice Department on Sunday. Rod Rosenstein, the deputy attorney general who appointed Mueller to lead the investigation, was also there.

Barr said he hoped to make public a summary of its “principal conclusions” over the weekend and a person familiar with the matter said it was expected to come out on Sunday. The White House has not received or been briefed on the report, spokesman Hogan Gidley said on Sunday.

Whatever the report concludes, Democrats vowed to pursue investigations on a wide range of issues involving Trump, from his business dealings to hush-money payments.

They called for the full release of the report, as well as documents backing up its findings, and have promised to subpoena any information they do not get. Many Republicans also want the report released and say it will vindicate Trump. Some cautioned portions of it might need to remain confidential.

There appeared to be initial good news for Trump and his inner circle, as Mueller did not bring any additional indictments when he handed the report over to Barr on Friday.

That signals there might be no more criminal charges against Trump associates on the issue of whether the Trump campaign conspired with Russia to help the real estate magnate beat Democrat Hillary Clinton in the 2016 presidential race.