White House officials are experiencing 'breakdown-level anxiety' ahead of the Mueller report


White House officials are bracing for the fallout of Special Counsel Robert Mueller's report, anxious they could be revealed as the source of damaging information, NBC News reports.
Attorney General William Barr previously released his summary of the report's main conclusions, saying Mueller did not establish that President Trump's campaign conspired with Russia and did not make a determination about whether the president obstructed justice. But the redacted report, which the Department of Justice says will be released on Thursday, may contain information that could be politically damaging, some of which would have come from current and former White House officials who cooperated.
Some of these officials are experiencing "breakdown-level anxiety" ahead of the report's release, a person close to the White House told NBC, while a former White House official added, "they got asked questions and told the truth and now they're worried the wrath will follow."
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

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.
It's not clear whether these names would be redacted; Barr has said he would redact information to protect the privacy of "peripheral third parties." But even if they were, a former White House official explained that there are instances where it would be easy to identify the source of information that "applies to just one person." Some of these officials have had their lawyers ask the Justice Department to explain whether they'll be identifiable in the report, but they haven't gotten an answer.
One of those officials who cooperated with Mueller is Don McGahn, the former White House counsel, and ABC's Jonathan Karl reports that what McGahn may have said is "what worries [the White House] most."
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Brendan worked as a culture writer at The Week from 2018 to 2023, covering the entertainment industry, including film reviews, television recaps, awards season, the box office, major movie franchises and Hollywood gossip. He has written about film and television for outlets including Bloody Disgusting, Showbiz Cheat Sheet, Heavy and The Celebrity Cafe.
-
Judge bars Trump’s National Guard moves in Oregon
Speed Read In an emergency hearing, a federal judge blocked President Donald Trump from sending National Guard troops into Portland
-
Museum head ousted after Trump sword gift denial
Speed Read Todd Arrington, who led the Dwight D. Eisenhower Presidential Library and Museum, denied the Trump administration a sword from the collection as a gift for King Charles
-
Trump declares ‘armed conflict’ with drug cartels
speed read This provides a legal justification for recent lethal military strikes on three alleged drug trafficking boats
-
Supreme Court rules for Fed’s Cook in Trump feud
Speed Read Federal Reserve Governor Lisa Cook can remain in her role following Trump’s attempts to oust her
-
Judge rules Trump illegally targeted Gaza protesters
Speed Read The Trump administration’s push to arrest and deport international students for supporting Palestine is deemed illegal
-
Trump: US cities should be military ‘training grounds’
Speed Read In a hastily assembled summit, Trump said he wants the military to fight the ‘enemy within’ the US
-
US government shuts down amid health care standoff
Speed Read Democrats said they won’t vote for a deal that doesn’t renew Affordable Care Act health care subsidies
-
YouTube to pay Trump $22M over Jan. 6 expulsion
Speed Read The president accused the company of censorship following the suspension of accounts post-Capitol riot