Trump defers to Barr on Mueller report

WASHINGTON—Amid speculation that Attorney General William Barr may announce the conclusion of special counsel Robert Mueller’s Russia investigation as early as next week, President Donald Trump told reporters Wednesday at the White House that the timing of the release of any information about the probe depends on Barr.

So far, the investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 U.S. presidential election has racked up more than 500 pages of court filings, 37 indictments of people and entities, and four prison sentences. What began as a probe into Russian malfeasance has expanded to include whether the Trump administration obstructed justice by attempting to interfere with the inquiry. Mueller has referred some matters outside the scope of the investigation to other U.S. attorneys, including accusations against Trump’s former personal lawyer, Michael Cohen, who pleaded guilty last year to campaign finance violations.

Department of Justice guidelines stipulate that once the investigation is complete, Mueller must submit a confidential report to the attorney general explaining his decisions about which individuals or entities to prosecute. In his Senate confirmation hearing, Barr said he would release to Congress as much information as legally possible, but he did not promise to share the entire report. Barr will likely submit a summary to Congress, and it is unclear how much of the investigation will ultimately become public.