President Trump said Wednesday that Attorney General William Barr will hold a press conference Thursday to discuss special counsel Robert Mueller’s report on Russian interference in the 2016 election. A redacted version of Mueller’s report is set to be released Thursday morning.
“You’ll see a lot of very strong things come out tomorrow. Attorney General Barr is going to be giving a press conference,” Mr. Trump said in an interview with the “Larry O’Connor Show” on WMAL.
The Justice Department confirmed Barr will hold a press conference at 9:30 a.m. at department headquarters Thursday morning. Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein will attend the press conference as well.
Mr. Trump also said in the interview that he might do a press conference after Barr. He called Barr a “fantastic attorney general” who has “grabbed it by the horn.”
As CBS News’ Paula Reid reports, the White House is ready to take the offensive as soon as the report comes out. The president’s personal attorneys have prepared a counter-report to emphasize there were no charges of collusion or obstruction against the president or anyone else.
Justice Department spokesperson Kerri Kupec said that the decision to hold a press conference was made by the Justice Department, and not by the president.
After nearly two years of investigating, 500 search warrants and dozens of indictments, the public will get its first real look at the special counsel’s report.
The key findings from the Justice Department summary of Mueller’s report
At most, the document could shed light on Russia’s 2016 election interference and President Trump’s efforts to blunt the investigation. But a heavily redacted version could fuel a bitter partisan feud over the public’s right to see the results of Mueller’s work.
Attorney General Barr has promised transparency, but said he will redact grand jury material, classified material, information that could impact ongoing investigations and evidence against people not criminally charged. But Democrats will demand the full report be given to them.
