Justice Department officials are preparing for the end of special counsel Robert Mueller’s nearly two-year investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 election and believe a confidential report could be issued in coming days.
The special counsel’s investigation has consumed Washington since it began in May 2017, and it increasingly appears to be nearing its end, which would send fresh shock waves through the political system.
Mueller could deliver his report to Attorney General William Barr next week, according to various sources and several media organizations.
Regulations call for Mueller to submit to the attorney general a confidential explanation as to why he decided to charge certain individuals, as well as who else he investigated and why he decided not to charge those people. The regulations then call for the attorney general to report to Congress about the investigation.
An adviser to President Trump said there is palpable concern among the president’s inner circle that the report might contain information about Trump and his team that is politically damaging, but not criminal conduct.
Even before he was confirmed by the Senate, Barr had preliminary discussions about the logistics surrounding the conclusion of Mueller’s inquiry, a second person said. At that time, though, Barr had not been briefed on the substance of Mueller’s investigation, so the conversations were limited.
How detailed either Mueller’s report and the attorney general’s summary of the findings will be is unclear.
Lawmakers have demanded that Mueller’s report be made public, but Barr has been noncommittal on that point, saying that he intends to be as forthcoming as the regulations and department practice allow.
He has pointed, however, to Justice Department practices that insist on saying little or nothing about conduct that does not lead to criminal charges.
The special counsel’s office, which used to have 17 lawyers, is down to 12 now, and some of those attorneys have recently been in touch with their old bosses about returning to work, according to people familiar with the discussions.
All but four of the remaining 12 lawyers are detailed from other Justice Department offices.
The end of the special counsel’s probe would not mean the end of criminal investigations connected to the president.
Federal prosecutors in New York, for instance, are exploring whether corrupt payments were made in connection with Trump’s inaugural committee funding.
Trump has publicly criticized dozens of people and groups related to federal inquiries into contacts between his campaign and Russia, according to a New York Times analysis of nearly every public statement or Twitter post that he has made while in office.
The attacks, which number nearly 1,200, are part of a strategy to beat back the investigations.
They have also opened him to possible obstruction of justice charges.
They include statements made on Twitter, in official speeches, at rallies and during news media interviews and other press events.
While it is highly unusual for anyone — let alone the president of the United States — to comment on continuing criminal investigations, Trump has done so at least once on 330 days, or more than 43 percent of his time in office as of Feb. 14.
According to Trump, the inquiry by Mueller into Russian interference in the 2016 election is the “single greatest witch hunt in political history.”
But whom or what does he defend the most on Twitter?
President Vladimir Putin and Russia.