The Mueller Report Is Apparently On Its Way, So Gird Yourself & Get Ready
At the moment, President Trump probably has a lot on his mind. From declaring a national emergency to watching more Democrats declare their 2020 presidential run, a lot is going on. Well, it looks like Trump can add one more challenge to the list, because rumor has it a certain FBI special counsel plans to release a report concerning the investigation into the Trump 2016 campaign in the near future. We've all been waiting for this day to come, but the question on everyone's mind is: will the Mueller report be released publicly? It's possible, but I wouldn't hold my breath.
On Thursday, Feb. 21, CNN reported that newly confirmed U.S. Attorney General William Barr plans to announce next week that Special Counsel Robert Mueller has completed his report into whether the Trump campaign actively colluded with Russian operatives during the 2016 presidential election. The investigation has been a serious point of contention between Trump and Mueller, with Trump consistently claiming there was "no collusion." Though there hasn't been confirmation from the Department of Justice (DOJ) yet, this investigation has been going on for two years, so it's not impossible it's wrapping up. The special counsel's office declined to comment to Elite Daily on whether the investigation was wrapping up and whether a final report was in the works.
However, even if the report is about to be submitted, you might not get the chance to read it. It's up to the U.S. attorney general on whether or not to release the report, in full or in part, to the public, and there is no rule that requires the report to go public. For what it's worth, Attorney General William Barr has said that he plans to be as "transparent" with Congress and the public as possible, as long as it's "consistent with the rules and the law." So, if that proves to be true, there's a chance we could be getting some reading material in the very near future. However, there's also speculation that the Barr might not want to release the report publicly. Elite Daily reached out to the DOJ for comment on whether Barr will make this report public, but did not hear back in time for publication. The special counsel office's previously declined to comment to Elite Daily.
The news that this investigation could finally be coming to a close could either be good or bad news for Trump. On Wednesday, Feb. 19 Trump spoke to reporters in front of the White House about the investigation, and when asked about whether the report would go public while Trump was overseas, the president stated that the decision was entirely up to Barr.
"That'll be totally up to the new attorney general. He's a tremendous man, a tremendous person, who really respects this country and respects the Justice Department, so that'll be totally up to him," Trump told reporters.
Personally, the thought of this political thriller finally reaching its series finale is almost too much to take. It just feels like yesterday that Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein appointed Mueller in May 2017 to lead the investigation into whether the Trump campaign colluded with Russia. Since, it's been nothing but "no collusion" statements from the president and his team.
On Dec. 28, 2017, Trump spoke to The New York Times while visiting his Florida beach club Mar-a-Lago, and Trump denied collusion with Russia 16 times during that interview alone. If denials were an Olympic sport, Trump would definitely win gold.
On the plus side for Trump, at least he won't have to repeat the same phrase over and over again from now on. Even though this confidential report may only be given to Congress and the attorney general, let's hope Barr spills a little bit of tea. I'm feeling parched.
