The Eagle Has Landed: The Mueller Report Has Been Delivered
On Friday, special counsel Robert Mueller delivered his report on an almost two-year investigation centered around Russia’s interference in the 2016 presidential election and the possible involvement in that effort by anyone related to the Trump campaign. As reported by The New York Times, Mueller submitted the official document to Attorney General William Barr today, a handoff that was confirmed by the Justice Department.
Though no conclusions or findings from the report have come out publicly yet, Barr said in a letter to congressional leaders today that information could be released as soon as this weekend, though how much of it—and when—he shares is up to him. “I may be in a position to advise you of the special counsel’s principal conclusions as soon as this weekend,” he wrote in a letter to lawmakers on the House and Senate Judiciary committees.
President Trump has yet to comment on today’s release, though earlier this week he commented on the report (which he has called a “witch hunt” in the past), saying, “Let people see it. . . . There was no collusion. There was no obstruction. There was no nothing.” The administration as a whole seemed to cooperate with the report; two of the president’s lawyers, Rudolph Giuliani and Jay Sekulow, released a statement today saying, “We’re pleased that the Office of Special Counsel has delivered its report to the attorney general pursuant to the regulations. Attorney General Barr will determine the appropriate next steps.”
Since being appointed in 2017, Mueller has focused all his time on this probe, which takes a look at Russia’s possible involvement with the outcome of the 2016 presidential election and whether any Trump associates conspired with Russian operatives to interfere in the election. No public evidence of such an involvement has been proven as of yet, and the report will be the first deeply researched findings that can either support or deny the claim.
Still, the probe has already had a few eye-opening moments and findings: so far, 34 people and three companies have been criminally charged during the investigation, including Trump’s former national security adviser Michael Flynn, former campaign chairman Paul Manafort, former political adviser Roger Stone, and former personal lawyer Michael Cohen, to name a few.
While time will only tell the verdict, the Times reports that some aspects of the investigation may still continue on, even after the findings are released. For example, recent court documents suggest that an investigation around why Manafort turned over campaign polling data in 2016 to a Russian associate tied to Russian intelligence is still ongoing.
