Justice Department Preparing To Announce End Of Mueller's Russia Probe: Report

An announcement that special counsel Robert Mueller is wrapping up the Russia probe may come in a matter of days, CNN reported Wednesday.

According to sources familiar with the situation, Attorney General William Barr is preparing to reveal as early as next week that Mueller has finished his nearly two-year investigation into possible collusion between President Donald Trump’s 2016 campaign and Russian agents.

After receiving Mueller’s confidential report on the investigation, Barr is set to submit a summary to Congress ― though there are no laws that require Barr to do so or oblige lawmakers to make the summary public.

Barr previously said he believes the Justice Department should be “sensitive to the privacy and reputational interests of uncharged third parties” and not “criticize individuals for conduct that does not warrant prosecution” ― statements that suggest he may keep the report private if, for example, the Justice Department determines prosecutors can’t charge a sitting president or that Trump hasn’t broken the law.

CNN’s report tracks with others in recent months. In December, NBC News reported that Mueller was expected to submit his report to the attorney general in mid-February. In late January, then–acting Attorney General Matthew Whitaker gave some rare insight into the investigation’s timeline when he said he believed the investigation was “close to being completed.”

The end of the Mueller investigation ― which has resulted in a half-dozen indictments for men in the president’s orbit ― doesn’t mean the Trump campaign is off the hook. One of the biggest threats to the Trump team could come from prosecutors in the Southern District of New York, where Trump fixer Michael Cohen was first indicted.

This story has been updated to include previous comments from William Barr.

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