1/30/2019

2016 ELECTION/JUSTICE DEPARTMENT/ROBERT MUELLER/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT: “President Trump said on Wednesday [1-30-19] that he would not intervene with the Justice Department’s decision-making process about whether to release the report by the special counsel investigating possible collusion with Russian officials in the 2016 campaign…He insisted that he had not spoken with Matthew G. Whitaker, the acting attorney general, about the closing days of the inquiry by the special counsel, Robert S. Mueller III..Since the special counsel was appointed in May 2017, it has been rare for senior Justice Department officials to comment publicly about the Russia inquiry. Under Justice Department rules, Mr. Mueller must explain his prosecutorial decisions in a ‘confidential report’ to the attorney general once his investigation has ended. The attorney general must in turn send a report to Congress indicating why the work has been completed, though that can consist of only a brief summary.”

Maggie HabermanOn Mueller Report, Trump Says He’ll Let Justice Dept. Decide Whether to Release It,” The New York Times online, January 30, 2019