Release of Mueller's Trump-Russia report looms as fight brews over redactions

[webfact]

Release of Mueller's Trump-Russia report looms as fight brews over redactions

By David Morgan and Sarah N. Lynch

 

Special Counsel Robert Mueller arrives at his office in Washington, U.S., April 15, 2019. REUTERS/Joshua Roberts

 

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Congressional Democrats could move forward quickly - as early as Monday - with subpoenas to obtain Special Counsel Robert Mueller's full report on Russian interference in the U.S. 2016 election, after Attorney General William Barr releases a version on Thursday that may have significant portions blacked out.

 

The release of the report will represent a milestone in Donald Trump's tumultuous presidency. Barr said he would hold a news conference at 9:30 (1330 GMT) on Thursday to discuss the report, along with Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein, who appointed Mueller as special counsel in May 2017.

 

Trump, who went to Twitter to renew his attacks on the special counsel's investigation and the FBI, told a radio interviewer that he may hold a news conference following Barr's.

 

When the report is released, close attention will be given not only to potential new details on the Trump campaign's contacts with Russia and the question of whether the Republican president acted to impede the inquiry, but also on how much Barr elects to withhold.

 

The Democratic-led House of Representatives Judiciary Committee voted on April 3 to authorise its chairman, Jerrold Nadler, to issue subpoenas to the Justice Department to obtain Mueller's unredacted report and all underlying evidence, as well as documents and testimony from five former Trump aides.

 

A source familiar with the matter said Nadler could issue subpoenas as early as Monday. The source, speaking on condition of anonymity, said Friday would be too early for subpoenas unless the entire report were to be blacked out.

 

"Chairman Nadler has said that subpoenas could come very quickly if we do not receive the full, unredacted report with the underlying evidence from DOJ. We will have to see what comes out on Thursday," committee spokesman Daniel Schwarz said in a statement, using an acronym for the Justice Department.

 

The department this week said the report would be released on Thursday to both Congress and the public, a day before the major religious holidays of Good Friday and Passover.

 

Barr, who has broad authority to decide how much of the report to release, has promised to be as transparent as possible, but told lawmakers he would redact four categories of content: secret grand jury information, intelligence-gathering sources and methods, information relating to active cases and information could affect the privacy of "peripheral third parties" who were not charged.

 

CONGRESSIONAL TESTIMONY

Barr is expected to testify on the Mueller report before the Senate Judiciary Committee on May 1 and the House Judiciary Committee on May 2.

 

The redactions, to be colour coded to reflect the reason they were omitted from the final report, have Democrats seeing red. They have expressed concern that Barr, a Trump appointee named after the president fired former Attorney General Jeff Sessions, could black out material to protect the president.

 

Mueller on March 22 submitted to Barr a nearly 400-page report on his 22-month investigation into whether the Trump campaign worked with Moscow to sway the election in his favour, and whether Trump committed obstruction of justice with actions to impede the inquiry.

 

In a letter to lawmakers two days later, Barr said Mueller did not find that members of Trump's campaign engaged in a criminal conspiracy with Russia. Barr said he determined there was not enough evidence to establish that Trump committed the crime of obstruction of justice, though Mueller did not exonerate Trump on obstruction.

 

Since then, Trump has set his sights on the FBI, and accused the Justice Department of improperly targeting his campaign. Last week, Barr told a U.S. Senate panel he believed "spying" did occur on Trump's campaign, and he plans to investigate whether it was properly authorized.

 

A federal judge criticized Barr during a Tuesday hearing on a Freedom of Information Act lawsuit demanding access to the Mueller report, according to media reports.

 

"The attorney general has created an environment that has caused a significant part of the public to be concerned about whether or not there is full transparency," U.S. District Court Judge Reggie Walton was quoted as saying.

 

Walton said he could ask to review the full document after a redacted version is released, but denied a request by a media outlet, Buzzfeed News, to speed up the process.

 

(Reporting by David Morgan and Sarah N. Lynch; Writing by Doina Chiacu; Editing by Will Dunham)

 

-- © Copyright Reuters 2019-04-18

[Cryingdick]

Get ready for the outraged mob. Who already know that the law requires it to be redacted. 

[TopDeadSenter]

I have changed my mind about this Mueller report. It should not be released at all. Trump's opponents are simply not mature enough to handle the contents. Trump eliminates ISIS - moan, moan, moan. Trump puts more minorities and colored people in work since records began - moan, moan, moan, Trump stops Kim firing rockets over Japan - moan, moan ,moan. Seriously, why bother. Bury the report. Ignore the left. Keep on draining that swamp and Making America Great Again.

[Cryingdick]

18 minutes ago, TopDeadSenter said:

I have changed my mind about this Mueller report. It should not be released at all. Trump's opponents are simply not mature enough to handle the contents. Trump eliminates ISIS - moan, moan, moan. Trump puts more minorities and colored people in work since records began - moan, moan, moan, Trump stops Kim firing rockets over Japan - moan, moan ,moan. Seriously, why bother. Bury the report. Ignore the left. Keep on draining that swamp and Making America Great Again.

 

I also said in another thread why bother releasing it? They will kick scream and cry no matter what. The Mueller report is to the dems what an iPad is to a 12 year old. It's better not to give them one in the first place.

 

Edit: It actually is more like giving toddlers toys they can choke on.

[gamb00ler]

42 minutes ago, TopDeadSenter said:

 Keep on draining that swamp and Making America Great Again.

Here's where all that swamp water is going:

Mulvaney Swamp Critter

[Chomper Higgot]

36 minutes ago, Cryingdick said:

 

I also said in another thread why bother releasing it? They will kick scream and cry no matter what. The Mueller report is to the dems what an iPad is to a 12 year old. It's better not to give them one in the first place.

 

Edit: It actually is more like giving toddlers toys they can choke on.

Accusing others of being toddlers while accepting you need an adult to read to you is a bit odd.

[Kelsall]

[Cryingdick]

1 minute ago, Chomper Higgot said:

Accusing others of being toddlers while accepting you need an adult to read to you is a bit odd.

 

Prepare to be disappointed. One way of knowing this is nothing leaked that had an impact on the market. No insider has found a leak that moved anything in a major way and it would certainly have leaked if anything is there. Ken Fischer said this and he is an insider.

 

 

[Silurian]

Bengazi - Release everything! The public has a right to know!

Hillary emails - Release everything! The public has a right to know!

 

Mueller Report - Release Nothing! The public doesn't need to know. Move on.

 

Hmmm....

 

[Cryingdick]

Just now, Silurian said:

Bengazi - Release everything! The public has a right to know!

Hillary emails - Release everything! The public has a right to know!

 

Mueller Report - Release Nothing! The public doesn't need to know. Move on.

 

Hmmm....

 

 

I guess you are being ironic?

[Silurian]

2 minutes ago, Cryingdick said:

 

I guess you are being ironic?

 

Just repeating what I seen to show come clarity on how some people are hypocritical. 

 

 

[johnnybangkok]

7 minutes ago, Silurian said:

 

Just repeating what I seen to show come clarity on how some people are hypocritical. 

 

 

Trump fans hypocritical? Surely not. 

[Cryingdick]

9 minutes ago, johnnybangkok said:

Trump fans hypocritical? Surely not. 

 

Said the guy that thinks he is always right. lol Classic stuff.

[johnnybangkok]

29 minutes ago, Cryingdick said:

 

Said the guy that thinks he is always right. lol Classic stuff.

I don't think I'm always right.

Unless of course it's debating a Trump fan. Then of course I'm always right.

[Becker]

Strange to see how the base man-child supporters on this forum are getting as antsy as his aides are before the (partial) publication of the report. We all know that it will paint the clown in the WH in an unflattering light but why should you care?

I mean, you're already fervently supporting and defending a p***y grabbing, draft dodging traitor who mock disabled people, war veterans, dead war veterans' families, a dictator fanboy, a compulsive liar and moral failure and a mental midget to boot. He could shoot you in the nuts on 5th Ave and you'd still go "Thank you Sir, may I have another?"

In short; you've left reality behind and entered the alternative universe of the Trump disciples so why would you care what the report says? 

[lannarebirth]

This is what I hate about social media and the media in general. There hasn't been any real news here since the report's completion, and there won't be any real news until the report is released. Yet thousands of posts about things no one knows anything about have transpired in the interim. Why can't people just wait to see what actually happens?  I'll tell you why. Because the report is just the latest opportunity to tell people who they are, or who they wish you were. I'm sure there must be nicer ways to do that.

 

 

 

 

[Thingamabob]

Big win for Trump in 2020. Nothing to vote for coming from the Dems, only whining  and whingeing. 

[lannarebirth]

16 minutes ago, Thingamabob said:

Big win for Trump in 2020. Nothing to vote for coming from the Dems, only whining  and whingeing. 

 

It takes a lot of work to make a law but first you need to start with a Bill, which originates in the House of Representatives. Not much coming from that quarter lately except noise.

 

 

[Kasane]

Americans have become such drama queens. Maybe taking lessons from Big Joke, now that he is there. 

[Kasane]

2 hours ago, Becker said:

Strange to see how the base man-child supporters on this forum are getting as antsy as his aides are before the (partial) publication of the report. We all know that it will paint the clown in the WH in an unflattering light but why should you care?

I mean, you're already fervently supporting and defending a p***y grabbing, draft dodging traitor who mock disabled people, war veterans, dead war veterans' families, a dictator fanboy, a compulsive liar and moral failure and a mental midget to boot. He could shoot you in the nuts on 5th Ave and you'd still go "Thank you Sir, may I have another?"

In short; you've left reality behind and entered the alternative universe of the Trump disciples so why would you care what the report says? 

Morality and ethics are dumped in the same swamp which they pretend they want to clean.

[thaibeachlovers]

3 hours ago, Becker said:

Strange to see how the base man-child supporters on this forum are getting as antsy as his aides are before the (partial) publication of the report. We all know that it will paint the clown in the WH in an unflattering light but why should you care?

I mean, you're already fervently supporting and defending a p***y grabbing, draft dodging traitor who mock disabled people, war veterans, dead war veterans' families, a dictator fanboy, a compulsive liar and moral failure and a mental midget to boot. He could shoot you in the nuts on 5th Ave and you'd still go "Thank you Sir, may I have another?"

In short; you've left reality behind and entered the alternative universe of the Trump disciples so why would you care what the report says? 

We all know

At this stage none of us on here know anything about the full report.

 

[cbtstorm]

My guess therre will be no Russian Collusion but Mueller found crimes by the Obama admin during his investigation(s). Those crimes/info will be redacted because they are still relevant to ongoing grand juries and Mueller handed off that intel to other prosecutors see Flynn Sentencing Memo.

Madness will continue, stages of grief, denial and all that.

Dems gonna pay their Barr tab for Mueller time.

[Ulic]

Possibly time for a whistleblower to release the full unredacted report a week after the redacted report has been released. The Whitehouse should understand this is a real possibility and over redacting the report will paint the administration in an even worse light. 

[Becker]

36 minutes ago, cbtstorm said:

My guess therre will be no Russian Collusion but Mueller found crimes by the Obama admin during his investigation(s). Those crimes/info will be redacted because they are still relevant to ongoing grand juries and Mueller handed off that intel to other prosecutors see Flynn Sentencing Memo.

Madness will continue, stages of grief, denial and all that.

Dems gonna pay their Barr tab for Mueller time.

And in other "news" from the alternative universe the base Trump supporters live in.....

[thaibeachlovers]

17 minutes ago, farcanell said:

Ie.... everything Donald trumpish will be redacted.... this 400 page report shouldn’t take up but a few minutes of the Easter holiday then

I wasn't aware that some posters on here were so privy to Barr's intentions. Thanks for enlightening me.

[candide]

6 hours ago, TopDeadSenter said:

I have changed my mind about this Mueller report. It should not be released at all. Trump's opponents are simply not mature enough to handle the contents. Trump eliminates ISIS - moan, moan, moan. Trump puts more minorities and colored people in work since records began - moan, moan, moan, Trump stops Kim firing rockets over Japan - moan, moan ,moan. Seriously, why bother. Bury the report. Ignore the left. Keep on draining that swamp and Making America Great Again.

Wow! First time I see you disagree with the current POTUS! ????

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump said he believes special counsel Robert Mueller’s report should be released to the public, even as he disparaged its very existence as “ridiculous.”

“Let it come out, let people see it,” Trump told reporters Wednesday. “Let’s see whether or not it’s legit.”

https://www.apnews.com/093727be24b649f7adad971e0b48878d

[Baerboxer]

5 hours ago, Silurian said:

Bengazi - Release everything! The public has a right to know!

Hillary emails - Release everything! The public has a right to know!

 

Mueller Report - Release Nothing! The public doesn't need to know. Move on.

 

Hmmm....

 

 

If there is an actual law that requires Trump to release his tax records, or the IRS to then it should be complied with. If not, then there is no reason to release them. What others chose to do is their business only.

 

If there is a law that says Muellers report must be released in full without redactions, then it must be complied with. If not, then it can be issued how the AG sees fit.

 

Amercians died in Bhengazi. The American people have the right to know why American lives were lost. They also have the right to know if anyone was responsible through negligence or whatever in contributing to those deaths. The conversation between Bill Clinton and the then AG on an airport runway, the comments from the FBI, etc etc all seem rather unusual.

 

 

[Baerboxer]

31 minutes ago, Ulic said:

Possibly time for a whistleblower to release the full unredacted report a week after the redacted report has been released. The Whitehouse should understand this is a real possibility and over redacting the report will paint the administration in an even worse light. 

 

But a "whistleblower" never released all Hilary's emails, or sensitive documents about what really happened in Benghazi.

 

So should we presume that whistleblowing is only something democrat supporters do?

[cbtstorm]

31 minutes ago, Becker said:

And in other "news" from the alternative universe the base Trump supporters live in.....

It's over. the coup has died. only thing left is the stages of grief. 

might take a lifetime for the perpetrators.

 

[farcanell]

53 minutes ago, thaibeachlovers said:

I wasn't aware that some posters on here were so privy to Barr's intentions. Thanks for enlightening me.

Always happy to bring light to the shade trump throws across your mushroom like existence..... kept in the dark and fed on Bs