TEHRAN, Feb 23 - Special Counsel Robert Mueller will not deliver his long-awaited report next week on Russian interference in the 2016 U.S. elections, a senior U.S. Justice Department official said on Friday, amid expectations that the report was imminent.
TEHRAN, Young Journalists Club (YJC) -“Any reports that the Special Counsel’s report will be delivered to the DOJ (Department of Justice) during the week of Feb. 28 are incorrect,” the official said, speaking on condition of anonymity.
The 21-month Mueller investigation, also focused on possible obstruction of justice, has been a dark cloud over Donald Trump’s presidency, with reports of its conclusion being imminent appearing frequently in recent weeks.
CNN reported on Wednesday that the Justice Department may announce as early as next week that Mueller had given his report to Attorney General William Barr and that Barr would review the findings and submit a summary to Congress.
Trump, a Republican, has repeatedly said there was no collusion between his 2016 campaign and Russia, and he has called the investigation a witch hunt. Russia has denied interfering in the election.
So far, 34 individuals and three companies have pleaded guilty, been indicted or otherwise been swept up in the inquiry.
Congress has authorized funding for Mueller’s team to continue its inquiry until the end of the current federal fiscal year on Sept. 30, although that does not necessarily mean the investigation will go on that long.
Source: Reuters