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The Mueller report was just delivered. What happens now?

NBCNews.com
2 mins ago


The Mueller report was just delivered. What happens now?

Analysis: It means the special counsel's nearly two-year investigation is over.

March 22, 2019, 2:06 PM PDT
By Ken Dilanian

WASHINGTON — The Mueller report has landed. Here's what that means.

The special counsel's 22-month investigation into possible coordination between the Trump campaign and Russia … is over.

According to the rules, Robert Mueller had to submit a confidential report to the attorney general "at the conclusion of the special counsel's work."

A senior law enforcement official told NBC News that once the report has been submitted, it means Mueller has finished his investigation.

That doesn't necessarily spell the end of criminal jeopardy for some of the people around Donald Trump who have not been charged. It's been well-documented that Mueller farmed out investigative leads to other parts of the Justice Department, and that New York prosecutors are investigating individuals in the Trump Organization.

What will happen when Mueller submits his report?

But the report's transmission does appear to indicate that Mueller decided not to charge any member of the Trump campaign with conspiracy — or "collusion" — with the Russian election interference effort.

That's a big deal.

President Trump could claim victory, arguing that his "no collusion" mantra was right, all along.

But whether Trump can fairly claim a measure of vindication will depend a lot on what Mueller's report says about his conduct, something we won't know for some time.

The unknowns are huge:

How detailed will Mueller's confidential report be? The rules say he has to explain his decisions not to prosecute, but they don't place any limits on content or detail.

What, if anything, will the report say about whether the president tried to obstruct justice, a question Mueller examined in depth?

Will the report disclose previously unknown interactions between Trump associates and Russians?

Will it make any assessment about the president's motives and judgments regarding his praise of Vladimir Putin and WikiLeaks, the entity that received and published Democratic emails hacked by Russian intelligence officers?

What were the results of the FBI's counterintelligence investigation into whether the president was under the sway — or compromised in any way — by Putin?

Is WH's 'cautious optimism' on the Mueller report warranted?
1912:24
Another complication: To the extent that Mueller has answered these questions, some of the answers may be based on classified intelligence.

Others will be based on grand jury testimony that is subject to secrecy rules. Barr will have to decide how to handle that.

But whatever he decides, Congressional Democrats will not be satisfied.

They have already said they will push for the release of the full Mueller report, and subpoena it, if necessary.

House Intelligence Committee Chairman Adam Schiff has also made clear the FBI has a separate legal obligation to report to the intelligence committees its findings about counterintelligence issues regarding the president and those around him. In other words, any evidence that Trump or his associates were or ate in thrall to Russia, a notion the White House calls ridiculous.
Meanwhile, other investigations continue.

Federal prosecutors in New York are continuing to investigate the Trump inaugural committee and individuals in the Trump Organization.

Former National Security Adviser Mike Flynn has provided information relevant to an undisclosed, separate federal investigation, according to court records.

A law enforcement official with direct knowledge told NBC News that both counterintelligence and political corruption cases have been spun off by Mueller's office.

How Trump plans to weaponize the Mueller report

The Washington Post reported that the Justice Department's public integrity section is investigating whether a Trump fundraiser tried to sell access to foreign governments.

The Senate Intelligence Committee is conducting a bipartisan investigation that will result in a number of public reports about what happened in the 2016 election.

And House Democrats are pursing the broader question of possible Trump financial ties to Russia — a question they are not sure Mueller fully investigated.

This much is clear: The story of Donald Trump, Russia and the 2016 election has not yet been fully told. And the investigations that bedevil his presidency are not over.

But for now, at least one legal cloud over President Trump has dissipated. The special counsel has apparently finished his work without charging a criminal conspiracy between Trump's campaign and a foreign intelligence effort to help him win.

The Mueller report was just delivered. What happens now?

Sarah Sanders

✔@PressSec

The next steps are up to Attorney General Barr, and we look forward to the process taking its course.

The White House has not received or been briefed on the Special Counsel’s report.

4,019
2:16 PM - Mar 22, 2019
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Who’s who in the Trump-Russia affair: Names to watch for in Mueller’s report

• BREAKING NEWS
  
• 
  Mueller report details
  
  
• Attorney General William Barr is pushing to reveal the principal conclusions of Special Counsel Robert Mueller's report as early as Saturday evening, an administration official familiar with the process tells Fox News.
  https://www.foxnews.com/politics/ag-barr-aims-to-release-mueller-report-top-line-conclusions-saturday-night-wont-parse-words-play-games
• For more news, please go to FoxNews.comand watch Fox News Channel.

"Mueller's 22-month investigation led to charges against 37 defendants, seven guilty pleas and one conviction at trial, which included charges against Trump's former campaign chairman, national security adviser and personal attorney."

https://www.cnn.com/2019/03/23/polit...day/index.html

These Are All of the Other Investigations Donald Trump Faces

5 min ago
Capitol Hill has been alerted to expect a letter from the attorney general in 30 to 45 minutes

From CNN's Laura Jarrett
Capitol Hill has been alerted that it can expect to receive a letter from Attorney General William Barr in 30 to 45 minutes, according to a Department of Justice official.

1 min ago
Rep. Jerry Nadler says Congress received a "very brief" letter about Mueller report



Mark Wilson/Getty Images
Rep. Jerry Nadler, chairman of the House Judiciary Committee, just tweeted that lawmakers had received a "very brief letter" about special counsel Robert Mueller's report.
He said they would share the letter shortly.

(((Rep. Nadler)))

✔@RepJerryNadler

DOJ has just sent us a very brief letter about the Mueller report, which we will share shortly.

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12:33 PM - Mar 24, 2019
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3 min ago

JUST IN: Attorney General sends summary of Mueller report to Congress

From CNN's By Laura Jarrett and Jeremy Herb




Attorney General William Barr has submitted to Congress his summary of the main conclusions from special counsel Robert Mueller’s investigation.

Less than 1 min ago

Special counsel did not find Trump campaign or associates conspired with Russia

A letter about special counsel Robert Mueller's report was sent to Congress today and concluded that Mueller did not find the Trump campaign or his associates conspired with Russia.

Here's what the letter said:

“The Special Counsel’s investigation did not find that the Trump campaign or anyone associated with it conspired or coordinated with Russia in its efforts to influence the 2016 US Presidential Election.”

Special counsel did not have sufficient evidence to prosecute obstruction, but does not exonerate Trump