Live coverage: Frenzy in DC as Congress, White House brace for Mueller report

Special counsel Robert Mueller’s report is set to be released on Thursday by the Department of Justice (DOJ). 

Copies of the report will be delivered to Congress at 11 a.m. — following a press conference by Attorney General William Barr. 

Stay tuned to this page for developments throughout the day.{mosads}

Redacted Mueller report released

11:05 a.m.

Attorney General William Barr released a redacted version of Mueller’s long-awaited report, posting it on the Justice Department’s website shortly after answering questions from reporters.

Read the full report here.

— Avery Anapol

Nadler calls on Mueller to testify immediately on Russia probe

10:10 a.m.

House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jerrold Nadler (D-N.Y.) is demanding that Mueller testify immediately before his committee and “no later than May 23.”

Nadler issued a letter to Mueller shortly after Barr’s press conference about a redacted version of Mueller’s report concluded.

“As I have already communicated to the Department of Justice, I request your testimony before the Judiciary Committee as soon as possible — but, in any event, no later than May 23, 2019,” Nadler wrote to Mueller.

— Olivia Beavers

Trump declares ‘Game Over’ on Mueller investigation with ‘Game of Thrones’ image

10:07 a.m.

President Trump took a “Game of Thrones”-themed victory lap after Barr’s press conference on Mueller’s report on his Russia investigation.

Trump posted an image on Twitter inspired by the hit HBO series after Barr reiterated the investigation found there was no collusion with Russia’s election interference in 2016 and there was no decision to indict him on obstruction charges.

“No collusion. No obstruction. For the haters and the radical left Democrats—Game Over,” the text on the image reads.

pic.twitter.com/222atp7wuB

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) April 18, 2019

Trump has used “Game of Thrones”-inspired imagery in past tweets, including his warning in November that “Sanctions are coming” against Iran.

— Jordan Fabian

Barr denies ‘impropriety’ after reporter asks whether he’s spinning report in Trump’s favor

10:05 a.m.

Barr, when pressed by a reporter, said he didn’t believe it was inappropriate for him to make remarks on Mueller’s findings before their release Thursday.

Asked by Ryan Reilly of the Huffington Post if it was “an impropriety for you to come out and sort of spin the report before people are able to read it,” Barr succinctly replied, “No,” before ending the press conference shortly thereafter.

— Zack Budryk

Barr says he has ‘no objection’ to Mueller testimony

10 a.m.

Barr said during a Thursday morning press conference that he has no objection to Mueller testifying before Congress.

“I have no objection personally to Bob Mueller testifying,” Barr told reporters.

His remarks come hours after top Democratic leaders called on Mueller to testify about his investigation, stating that the attorney general had poorly handled the release of a redacted version of the report. His statement signals that he will yield to their demands for Mueller to testify about his findings from the 22 month probe.

— Olivia Beavers

Congress reportedly set to receive report on CDs

9 a.m.

The Justice Department is reportedly set to deliver Mueller’s report to Congress on compact discs. 

Congressional sources told NBC News that members of Congress have been told they will receive copies of the redacted report about 11 a.m. EDT and that it will be delivered in the form of a CD.

— Justin Wise

Cohen says he will be ready to address public ‘soon’ ahead of Mueller report’s release

8:21 a.m.

President Trump’s former longtime lawyer Michael Cohen said Thursday that he would “soon” be ready to address the American public and address special counsel Robert Mueller’s report. 

“Soon I will be ready to address the American people again…tell it all…and tell it myself!” Cohen wrote on Twitter alongside a tweet from his attorney, Lanny Davis, that said Cohen “can fill in the bulk of the redactions” in Mueller’s report.

Soon I will be ready to address the American people again…tell it all…and tell it myself! https://t.co/Ybk07AJBud

— Michael Cohen (@MichaelCohen212) April 18, 2019

Davis tweeted earlier Thursday that Cohen “has 7 days, 70 hours, + 100 pages of what” Mueller’s team knows and could fill in any redactions made by the Justice Department in its public release of Mueller’s report.

— Mary Tyler March

Attorney says Cohen can ‘fill in the bulk’ of Mueller report redactions

8:10 a.m.

Lanny Davis, Cohen’s attorney, said Thursday that Cohen “can fill in the bulk of the redactions” in Mueller’s report, which is set to be released on Thursday.

Davis added that Cohen, President Trump’s former longtime lawyer, “has 7 days, 70 hours, + 100 pages of what” Mueller’s team knows.

“As the #Country waits for the #MuellerReport, know this … it does not matter how #Barr #RedactedMuellerReport. @MichaelCohen212 has 7 days, 70 hours, + 100 pages of what #TeamMueller knows and can fill in the bulk of the redactions. Nice try Mr. @POTUS. #Truth We will tell it all,” Davis wrote in a tweet.

The Washington Post reported Wednesday evening that Mueller’s report will be “lightly redacted.”

— Michael Burke

Trump blasts ‘Greatest Political Hoax of all time’ ahead of report’s release

8 a.m.

President Trump labeled Mueller’s investigation as “The Greatest Political Hoax of all time!” while lashing out at Hillary Clinton, “dirty cops,”, and Democrats ahead of the report’s public release. 

“The Greatest Political Hoax of all time! Crimes were committed by Crooked, Dirty Cops and DNC/The Democrats,” Trump tweeted early Thursday morning.

— Tal Axelrod

Pelosi, Schumer call on Mueller to testify after ‘Barr’s regrettably partisan handling’ of report

6:30 a.m.

Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) and Senate Minority Leader Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.) are calling on Mueller to testify on Capitol Hill as soon as possible following what they describe as Barr’s “partisan” handling of the release of the report.

The Democratic leaders released a joint statement early Thursday laying out a series of actions they say show Barr as being loyal to the president.

“Attorney General Barr’s regrettably partisan handling of the Mueller report, including his slanted March 24th summary letter, his irresponsible testimony before Congress last week, and his indefensible plan to spin the report in a press conference later this morning — hours before he allows the public or Congress to see it — have resulted in a crisis of confidence in his independence and impartiality,” Pelosi and Schumer wrote in a statement.

“We believe the only way to begin restoring public trust in the handling of the Special Counsel’s investigation is for Special Counsel Mueller himself to provide public testimony in the House and Senate as soon as possible,” they continued.

— Olivia Beavers

House Dems demand Barr cancel ‘inappropriate’ conference

6 a.m.

A group of House Democrats on Wednesday called for Barr to cancel his planned Thursday conference.

“The Department of Justice announced today that the Attorney General will hold a press conference tomorrow morning before Congress has even seen Special Counsel Mueller’s report,” they said in a statement.

“This press conference, which apparently will not include Special Counsel Mueller, is unnecessary and inappropriate, and appears designed to shape public perceptions of the report before anyone can read it,” they continued.

The statement was signed by House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jerrold Nadler (N.Y.), Intelligence Committee Chairman Adam Schiff (Calif.), Oversight and Reform Committee Chairman Elijah Cummings (Md.), Financial Services Committee Chairwoman Maxine Waters (Calif.) and Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Eliot Engel (N.Y.).

Democratic lawmakers have slammed the news conference as a way to spin the findings of Mueller’s investigation before the public has seen the full report, which is reportedly 400 pages long.

The House Democrats also expressed concerns over a report in The New York Times on Wednesday that said Justice Department officials have already briefed the White House on Mueller’s report.

The newspaper reported Wednesday night that DOJ officials have had “numerous conversations” with the Trump administration and that the discussions have allowed for the president’s legal team to prepare a rebuttal to Mueller’s report.

“There is no legitimate reason for the Department to brief the White House prior to providing Congress a copy of the report,” the Democrats said.

— Brett Samuels

DOJ plans to let some lawmakers view report ‘without certain redactions’

6 a.m.

The DOJ will allow some members of Congress to view a copy of Mueller’s report “without certain redactions,” federal prosecutors said in a court filing Wednesday.

“Once the redacted version of the report has been released to the public, the Justice Department plans to make available for review by a limited number of Members of Congress and their staff a copy of the Special Counsel’s report without certain redactions, including removing the redaction of information related to the charges set forth in the indictment in this case,” prosecutors wrote in the filing.

The court document is part of longtime GOP operative Roger Stone’s criminal case, which emerged from Mueller’s probe.

The federal prosecutors wrote in the filing that the Justice Department will not distribute the version of the report without the redactions to those lawmakers but that the agency “intends to secure this version of the report in an appropriate setting that will be accessible to a limited number of Members of Congress and their staff.”

The filing, signed by U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia Jessie Liu, states that the DOJ will ask the court for guidance if lawmakers ask for a copy of the full report or section of it “such that there exists a reasonable likelihood that the information related to the charges set forth in the indictment in this case may be available to the media, or accessible in a public setting, or ‘disseminated by means of public communication.’ “

— Jacqueline Thomsen