Five days after giving Congress a summary of the major findings in the Special Counsel's report on Russian interference in the 2016 elections, U.S. Attorney General William Barr told lawmakers on Friday that he intends to turn over the findings of Robert Mueller in coming weeks, after officials redact certain materials in the report.
"Our progress is such that I anticipate we will be in a position to release the report by mid-April, if not sooner," Barr wrote in a letter to key lawmakers, as he noted a series of different items which would not be included in any submission to Congress.
"Specifically, we are well along in the process of identifying and redacting the following: (1) material subject to Federal Rule of Criminal Procedure 6(e) that by law cannot be made public; (2) material the intelligence community identifies as potentially compromising sensitive sources and methods; (3) material that could affect other ongoing matters, including those that the Special Counsel has referred to other Department offices; and (4) information that would unduly infringe on the personal privacy and reputational interests of peripheral third parties," Barr wrote in a two page letter.
"As we have discussed, I share your desire to ensure that Congress and the public have the opportunity to read the Special Counsel's report," Barr added.
"Everyone will soon be able to read it on their own," the Attorney General wrote.
Democrats urged Barr to tread lightly on redactions, arguing the more that remains secret, the more difficult it will be to assure Americans that all of the facts are being released to the public.
In his letter, Barr specifically said his four page letter delivered on Sunday was not intended to be 'an exhaustive recounting of the Special Counsel's investigation," as the Attorney General noted that the Mueller report is nearly 400 pages long, not including extra explanatory materials.
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