AP/Cliff Owen
- The special counsel Robert Mueller’s final report in the Russia investigation is longer than 300 pages, The New York Times reported.
- The news suggests that Mueller’s report includes details that go far beyond those included in the cursory summary Attorney General William Barr sent to Congress.
- Intelligence veterans say the information Barr did not include from Mueller’s report could go a long way in answering many of the lingering questions the public has about the myriad contacts, meetings, and interactions between Trump associates and those associated with the Russian government.
The special counsel Robert Mueller’s final report in the sprawling Russia investigation is longer than 300 pages, The New York Times reported on Thursday.
Lawmakers are currently clamoring for the release of the full report, with minimal redactions, as well as the underlying evidence Mueller used to support his findings. South Carolina Sen. Lindsey Graham, who spoke with Attorney General William Barr this week, said Barr plans to release more details from the report in the coming weeks.
In the summary, Barr said Mueller did not find sufficient evidence to charge President Donald Trump or anyone on his campaign with conspiring or coordinating with the Russian government to tilt the 2016 US election in his favor.
Barr also said prosecutors did not come to a conclusion one way or another on whether Trump obstructed justice, and that while they did not charge him with a crime, their findings did not "exonerate" him.
Barr and Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein, however, ultimately determined that Trump did not commit an obstruction crime.
Legal experts agree it is significant that Mueller’s investigation did not establish that the Trump campaign conspired with Russia to tilt the race in his favor, given that the question made up the crux of the FBI’s focus.
Read more: William Barr’s summary of the Mueller report is a 2-edged sword that could both help and hurt Trump
But they also emphasized that the prosecutorial standard for proving conspiracy is higher than the counterintelligence standard used by agencies like the CIA.
The Times’ story suggests, moreover, that Mueller’s final report includes details that go far beyond those included in the cursory summary Barr sent to Congress.
Intelligence veterans say, in fact, that the information Barr did not include from Mueller’s report could go a long way in answering many of the lingering questions the public has about the myriad contacts, meetings, and interactions between Trump associates and those associated with the Russian government.
Barr has said he will provide Congress and the public with more information from Mueller’s report in the coming weeks. But Democratic lawmakers in the House of Representatives are pushing for a near-complete release of the report by April 2 and have threatened to send out subpoenas if Barr does not comply with their request.
Barr, meanwhile, refused to commit to a full release of the report, citing Justice Department policy. But the attorney general agreed to brief Congress on Mueller’s findings "reasonably soon," according to House Judiciary Chairman Jerry Nadler.
See Also:
- ‘There’s nothing routine about this’: Barr’s move to send Mueller’s report to the White House before the public sets off alarm bells
- The Trump campaign is trying to force hostile pundits off the air in revenge for their Mueller report commentary
- William Barr’s summary of the Mueller report is a 2-edged sword that could both help and hurt Trump
Source: Business Insider – ssheth@businessinsider.com (Sonam Sheth)