Will We Get to Read Mueller's Final Report? Maybe

Special Counsel Robert Mueller’s investigation into the Trump campaign’s relationship with Russia could soon be coming to a close. CNN reports that, as early as next week, Attorney General William Barr is preparing to announce the probe has ended. Soon after the announcement, Barr will submit to Congress a summary of the special counsel’s report, which will cap a wide-ranging investigation that has spanned nearly two years and resulted in dozens of indictments. The news comes less than a week after Barr was sworn in as attorney general.

For months, there has been speculation that Mueller is on the brink of concluding his investigation, but CNN’s report is the strongest signal yet that the special counsel’s work may be all but done. The report also noted that employees of the special counsel’s office have been carrying boxes and pushing carts full of files out of their offices, and that four prosecutors working with the office have returned to their previous roles in the Justice Department. Though it does indeed appear that an announcement may be imminent, its timing is subject to change, as is the scope of what Barr will present to Congress.

Also unclear is whether Mueller’s report will be made public. Though Mueller must submit a confidential report to Barr, the attorney general is not required to submit the report to the public, or even to Congress. When Trump was asked Wednesday whether the report should be released, he said it would be “totally up to” his new attorney general. During his confirmation hearing last month, Barr refused to commit to releasing the report. Some Democratic lawmakers have demanded he do so.

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Many have speculated about the investigation ending so soon after Barr assumed control of the Justice Department, with loose ends seemingly still to be tied up regarding Roger Stone and Jerome Corsi, among others. Protecting the integrity of the investigation was a central issue of Barr’s confirmation hearing, and though he refused to commit to releasing the probe’s results, he promised to allow Mueller to complete the investigation on his own accord, free of interference. “I believe it is in the best interest of everyone — the president, Congress and, most importantly, the American people — that this matter be resolved by allowing the special counsel to complete his work,” Barr said. “The country needs a credible resolution of these issues. If confirmed, I will not permit partisan politics, personal interests or any other improper consideration to interfere with this or any other investigation.”

https://www.rollingstone.com/politics/politics-news/when-is-mueller-investigation-over-796805/