Mueller's report could be finished 'as early as next week'

The Department of Justice is ready for Special Counsel Robert Mueller to drop his report, CNN reports.

Newly-confirmed Attorney General William Barr will announce "as early as next week" that Mueller has completed his probe into potential ties between the Trump campaign and Russian election interference, sources tell CNN. He'll reportedly only give Congress a summary of the confidential report and not the whole thing — a contrast to what many Democrats demanded of Barr during his confirmation proceedings.

Mueller has been investigating President Trump's 2016 campaign staff for nearly two years and has levied indictments against or negotiated plea deals with 37 people. Per CNN's reporting, this is the strongest sign that Mueller is finishing the probe. Still, "the precise timing of the announcement is subject to change," CNN says. If it comes next week, Trump will likely be in Vietnam meeting with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un.

The Week

Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

SUBSCRIBE & SAVE

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

Sign up

It's unclear what Barr will include in the summary to Congress, or how long it will take for him to prepare that summary after announcing the probe has wrapped. Both the Justice Department and the special counsel's office declined to comment, CNN reports.