William Barr, Rod Rosenstein to hold news conference Thursday morning on release of Mueller report
Washington braces for the release of special counsel Robert Mueller's report on the Russia investigation; reaction and analysis on 'The Five.'
Attorney General William Barr is set to hold a news conference Thursday morning where he will discuss the long-awaited release of Special Counsel Robert Mueller’s report -- and certain members of Congress will be able to see the report "without certain redactions" after its public release, the Justice Department announced Wednesday.
Barr will be joined by Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein at 9:30 a.m. where they are expected to discuss the release of the report, officials said.
The disclosure of a version of the report without "certain redactions" came in a filing late Wednesday in the Roger Stone prosecution. The DOJ said it would publicly redact sections related to Stone’s case which is ongoing. Stone, a longtime confidant of the president, is awaiting trial on charges including false statements and obstruction.
TRUMP LEGAL TEAM PREPARES MUELLER COUNTER-REPORT ON OBSTRUCTION ALLEGATIONS
A summary of the report released by Barr last month stated that the special counsel found no proof of collusion between the Trump campaign and the Russian government during the 2016 presidential election.
It remains unclear what the full report holds, including what Mueller may have found on allegations of obstruction of justice. Barr wrote in his summary that evidence was “not sufficient to establish” certainty that President Trump committed obstruction.
Anticipating further accusations, a source close to Trump’s legal team confirmed to Fox News on Wednesday that the president’s lawyers have been preparing a counter-report to object any obstruction of justice claims.
It is not likely that Trump will be subject to any prosecution as a result of the details of the report but it is likely to contain unflattering details about his efforts to influence the Russia probe, including the firing of former FBI Director James Comey.
Mueller’s investigation also included scrutiny of Trump’s alleged pressure on Comey to end an investigation into former national security adviser Michael Flynn, his public dismay over former Attorney General Jeff Sessions’ recusal from the Russia investigation and Trump’s alleged role in drafting an explanation about a meeting his oldest son took at Trump Tower with a Kremlin-connected lawyer.
Details of that meeting are also expected to emerge.
The report has been slated to be released to the public Thursday with redactions. Fox News confirmed that the report would be made available to all Congressional committees sometime around noon, after Barr’s press conference.
The DOJ did not say which members of Congress would receive the version of the report without certain redactions but remaining lawmakers would be provided the same redacted report as the public - likely prompting Democrats to issue a subpoena for the full report.
They are expected to point to any negative portrayal of the president as a reason to release the full report as it could signal that Barr was attempting to shield Trump and his family from prosecution.
Barr has said he is withholding grand jury and classified information as well as portions relating to ongoing investigations and the privacy or reputation of uncharged "peripheral" people. But, how liberally he interprets those categories is yet to be seen.
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Mueller brought charges against 34 people - including former Trump campaign chairman Paul Manafort, Flynn and his former personal lawyer, Michael Cohen.
He also found evidence to confirm a consolidated effort by the Russian government to influence the 2016 presidential election, according to Barr's findings.
Fox News’ Brooke Singman, Jake Gibson, William Mears and The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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