U.S. Attorney General to Testify Before Congress Regarding Robert Mueller's Report

William Barr, the Attorney General of the United States, is set to testify before Congress for the first time since he released a summary of Robert Mueller's report on the investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 presidential election. Mr. Barr is expected to attend a meeting of lawmakers in a House subcommittee, where questions regarding the Mueller report, parts of which have not yet been made public, are anticipated. The Attorney General, who is considered the country's Justice Minister, sent a brief letter to Congress on April 5 regarding Mueller's investigation into the potential collusion between Donald Trump and Russia in the 2016 election. The letter stated, 'There is no evidence to support the collusion of Trump's campaign with the Russian government.' It also mentioned, 'The report (by Mueller) did not conclude that the President committed a crime, nor did it exonerate him.' William Barr did not provide a detailed explanation of Mueller's findings regarding a group of Trump's advisors and aides who had contacts with Russia during and after the election. The letter also does not clarify why some individuals during the investigation lied to federal investigators or members of Congress. Recently, some U.S. media outlets reported, citing members of Mueller's investigative team, that Barr's letter is an 'unfair summary' of Mueller's report. Heads of several House committees in the U.S. have called for the full, unedited text of Mueller's report following the release of the four-page summary. The Attorney General is currently facing concerns from Democratic members of Congress that his letter has been summarized in a way that favors Donald Trump, including regarding questions related to 'obstruction of justice.' On April 12, it was reported that the House of Representatives would decide on issuing subpoenas for several former Trump advisors, including Steve Bannon, policy chief, Hope Hicks, communications director, Reince Priebus, chief of staff, or Don McGahn, White House counsel. The Attorney General emphasized that he intends to release a public version of Mueller's report in the coming weeks. However, Mr. Barr stated that he needs more time to determine how much of the report can be made available to the public. Part of the confidential report by Robert Mueller includes matters revealed during secret grand jury sessions. U.S. federal laws generally do not allow the government to release such information. Mueller's investigative report also contains information regarding ongoing criminal investigations that have been referred by the special counsel to other judicial authorities.