Justice Department preparing for Mueller report as early as next week

[MelissaB]

Source: CNN

Washington (CNN)Attorney General Bill Barr is preparing to announce as early as next week the completion of Robert Mueller's Russia investigation, with plans for Barr to submit to Congress soon after a summary of Mueller's confidential report, according to people familiar with the plans.

The preparations are the clearest indication yet that Mueller is nearly done with his almost two-year investigation.

The precise timing of the announcement is subject to change.

The scope and contours of what Barr will send to Congress remain unclear. Also unclear is how long it will take Justice officials to prepare what will be submitted to lawmakers.

Read more: https://www.cnn.com/2019/02/20/politics/special-counsel-conclusion-announcement/index.html

[ProudMNDemocrat]

1. Could Indictments be coming as well?

One can only hope so.

[Grasswire2]

26. THIS IS NOT TRUE -- FALSE REPORTING FROM CNN

The MUELLER REPORT is not coming soon. NOT.

The Manafort sentencing report will have a section on collusion.

THIS IS NOT THE MUELLER REPORT.

SHAME ON CNN

[Honeycombe8]

45. What's your source on that? nt

[Kablooie]

38. The indictments seem to have been primarily to get info from people flipping.

And many of them haven't been directly related to the Trump/Russia connections.
If the investigation is over there won't be any need to flip more people.
So I wonder if there will be any more indictments.
Could Mueller just pass off the report and leave future indictments for someone else to handle?

Of he could be leaving the big indictments of Trump's family to the SDNY because then Trump can't pardon them.

[Calista241]

40. SDNY is a federal prosecutors office and is most certainly subject

To the Presidential pardon power.

As an example, Dinesh D’Souza was convicted by the SDNY while Obama was President. Trump pardoned him last year.

[Kablooie]

42. So much for that theory. Pphhhhttt.

[MelissaB]

2. Another snip

Under the special counsel regulations, Mueller must submit a "confidential" report to the attorney general at the conclusion of his work, but the rules don't require it to be shared with Congress, or by extension, the public. And, as Barr has made clear, the Justice Department generally guards against publicizing "derogatory" information about uncharged individuals.

As a result, one of the most pressing questions Barr will face in the coming weeks is the extent to which Mueller's findings should be disclosed to Congress.

The regulations require Mueller to explain in his report all decisions to prosecute or not prosecute matters under scrutiny. Barr would also need to inform Congress if the Justice Department prevented the special counsel team from pursuing any investigative steps.

Speculation about the end of the probe has been running rampant in Washington. NBC News reported recently the probe would be done by mid-February.

[former9thward]

3. It was reported a few weeks ago the report would be done by the end of February.

Those reports were attacked saying Mueller "is not even close to being done". Ok, we will soon see who is right.

[Merlot]

10. Those "reports" were from republicans who knew we'd soon have an AG

who would kill the investigation.

[oldsoftie]

15. If it was being killed rather than completed, i'm sure someone would've squealed about it by now.

And if asked, i'd bet Mueller would say so.

[former9thward]

18. Not a bit of evidence of that.

[LanternWaste]

25. Conflating a difference of opinion with "attacking" again, eh?

I get it. Without the melodrama, you're left only with a slight substance or allegation.

Cool.

[RandySF]

4. That was fast

Right after Barr is sworn in.

[LastLiberal in PalmSprings]

31. +1,000

Barr's AG seat isn't even warm yet and Mueller's finished his work? What a coincidink!

As Rachel says, "Watch what they do, not what they say."

[stuffmatters]

33. My immediate take exactly

[marlakay]

34. My first thought Barr said end it

Or I will fire you.

[machoneman]

36. Odd timing, indeed! I don't believe this for one second. They are "working the refs".

Trying to bluff Mueller inot releasing same. Just watch when the report is still long delayed, Trump and his camp followers will claim bias, false flag, b.s......whatever!

[BumRushDaShow]

5. Was just about to post

with the comment that they have been predicting a "conclusion" for almost 2 years now.

And it's funny how CNN then includes the statement "the precise timing of the announcement is subject to change". So what's the point? (other than trying to deflect from their horrible selection of a Drumpf insider to run the 2020 coverage)

[pwb]

6. So Barr is pulling the plug for trump?

Seems like it. Where are all the indictments we thought were coming? Trumps kid? Others?

[bearsfootball516]

7. They could still happen, but a lot of the talk about those were just speculation.

I don't know if there was every any real, hard reporting that indicated they would happen.

[oldsoftie]

13. You can finish the report and still indict people i would think.

[cstanleytech]

29. Couldn't the House which is controlled by our guys simply appoint Mueller to do an investigation

for them which would largely defeat any attempt to impede and obstruct the investigation?

[HopeAgain]

8. So what if Barr

Redacts everything relating to the President as an "uncharged" individual?

[Merlot]

9. Mueller done or being stopped?

The preparations are the clearest indication yet that Mueller is nearly done with his almost two-year investigation.

Sounds like that's why we got all those "the investigation is coming to an end in the next few months" a couple months ago. The repubs figured out that's when they'd have their new AG who would kill the investigation.

[Stonepounder]

11. I'll believe it when I see it.

Just Google "Mueller to submit report". You will get LOTS of headlines from ABC, NBC, CBS, MSNBC, CNN, WaPo, NYT, and on and on. Then check the dateline. We've been seeing this for months. And it is always 'next week' or 'soon'.

If Mueller is 'wrapping up soon' who is going to prosecute Stone and the rest of the people Mueller has indicted but are still awaiting trial? Just take a deep breath and wait and see what actually happens.

[oldsoftie]

12. Good. I'm ready to see whatever there is to see. or hear.

[BlueIdaho]

14. The House needs to subpoena all of Meuller's documents.

That way the work can continue.

[Rizen]

16. Time to take Republican criminals down!

Thank goodness we took the house. Republicans don't care about the law.

[noneof_theabove]

17. one step at a time

Mueller needs to wrap up so that the SDNY wrecking ball can swing in.

The report will firm up that Trump & mob is a POS getting close to the fan.

SDNY will cut no slack and no pardons you.

[former9thward]

19. Why do you think the SDNY has no pardons?

You do know, don't you, the SDNY is part of the federal Justice Department and yes, federal pardons do apply there.

[Bernardo de La Paz]

20. Didn't the Grand Jury get a 6 month extension, ... last month?

[fountainofyouth]

21. I believe it

The reporting on Rosenstein was that he wanted to stay through the completion of Mueller's investigation. He's leaving in a couple of weeks.

[SpankMe]

22. I just hope someone has saved an unredacted pdf and put it in the cloud somewhere

We'll need something to compare to what is ultimately released. I don't trust that the Justice Department would release all of the data even in response to a congressional subpoena. I'd bet a million bucks that some data will mysteriously disappear before anyone can read it.

[lancelyons]

27. The justice department has been compromised and is in the hands of the GOP

The GOP tactics to hammer the DOJ have done what they wanted. the DOJ is now doing what trump wants him to do.

[djacq]

23. Should have Watergate level hearings on top of the Mueller Report

[angrychair]

24. Trump's sycophants are shutting it down

Please, no coincidence at all that Barr announcement of the end of the investigation just days after being sworn in...it would no more surprise me if Lindsey Graham announces the day after the report is completed that the report will never be released to congress or the public and that Emperor trump will be crowned and named ruler for life.

[Progressive Jones]

37. Barr, and Graham, would be making targets of themselves by doing this. They aren't THAT stupid. nt

[Bernardo de La Paz]

28. Mueller will issue a Sentencing Report in the Manafort case next week. . . . nt

[SylviaD]

30. We need to organize the marches, the protests, the demonstrations NOW!

We need to be in the streets when this bombshell hits.

It will be explosive.

The chant should be ONE thing: resign, resign, resign.

Not impeach. Too long, and they control the senate.

RESIGN. NOW.

That needs to be the DEMAND when this hits. Not the request.

Fuck him

[Izzy Blue]

32. Seth already has a thread about CNN's claims

Pinned Tweet
Seth Abramson
?Verified account @SethAbramson
48m48 minutes ago

(THREAD) BREAKING: CNN says "AG Barr is preparing to announce as early as next week the completion of Mueller's Russia probe—with plans for Barr to submit to Congress soon after a summary of Mueller's confidential report." I unpack the news in this thread.


https://twitter.com/SethAbramson

[onenote]

35. In which he says, in various and sundry ways, he doesn't know what is going to happen

[lindysalsagal]

46. Read the whole S.A. thread: "End of the beginning."

If Abramson is at all correct, this is just pointing to the box full of corruption and treachery, and explaining where the lid unlatches.....Trump's very own Pandora's Box Of Living Hell.

[Kablooie]

39. What I wonder is if there will be hard evidence that Trump was instigating the crimes.

So far there has been little actual evidence of Trump committing a crime.
Tons of circumstantial evidence but no document has been released proving that Trump himself had knowledge and control over the traitorous acts.
Otherwise they can always say his underlings went rogue and Trump didn't know anything about it, as unlikely as that is.

[Calista241]

41. I doubt it'll be next week. Trump is scheduled to be in Vietnam

I just don’t think they’ll do it while he’s out of the country.

[duforsure]

44. Is this just another trump ploy?

By using Barr to shut this investigation down now by claiming its done? If so I predict Barr will be indicted eventually too for obstruction of justice, and they may just have the proof to back it up against him also. Mueller is no fool to what is happening from trump and others, and probably planned for this also. Unless Mueller says he's done without being obstructed, I don't buy this coming out he'll be done very soon, and suspect this is a cover up going on.