What time will the Mueller report be released? What to know about the document dump

Both lawmakers on Capitol Hill and members of the general public are on pins and needles as they wait for Attorney General William Barr to dump a redacted version of special counsel Robert Mueller’s nearly 400-page report on the Russia investigation Thursday.

Google searches for “Mueller report” spiked early Thursday — just before Barr was expected to take to a podium at a scheduled 9:30 a.m. ET news conference to present his interpretation of the report’s findings before releasing the full document to Congress.

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Here’s what you need to know about the expected document dump.

What time will the Mueller report be released?

Barr took the stage to discuss his views on the materials at a 9:30 a.m. ET news conference, which is available to view via live stream.

After the news conference, the report will be delivered to Congress on CDs between 11 a.m. and noon and then posted on the special counsel’s website to the wider public.

Which portions will be redacted?

It’s currently unclear what documentation will be produced, but it’s up to Barr to determine how much information Congress will see.

It’s likely Barr will redact any information he deems inappropriate or harmful to a person’s character if he or she has not been charged with a crime. Classified information, grand jury items and closed-door testimony will also be protected.

At a later date, the Justice Department also plans to provide a “limited number” of members of Congress and their staff access to a copy of the Mueller report with fewer redactions than the public version, according to a court filing Wednesday.

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During his confirmation hearing, Barr stressed that he would be as transparent as possible while following federal laws.

“I also believe it is very important that the public and Congress be informed of the results of the special counsel’s work,” he told the Senate Judiciary Committee in January, adding that he doesn’t believe Mueller would be involved in a “witch hunt.”

Why did Barr get to view the documents first?

When the investigation — which began in May 2017 — concluded, Mueller first released his final report to Barr, who was overseeing the special counsel since he took office in February.

“At the conclusion of the Special Counsel’s work, he or she shall provide the Attorney General with a confidential report explaining the prosecution or declination decisions reached by the Special Counsel,” Cornell Law School explains in a blog post detailing the federal regulations.

Throughout the two-year probe, Mueller has also been required to flag any documents that detail any impending prosecutions or witness interviews, among other actions.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Source: Fox News Politics