He was tasked with investigating three topics: Russian efforts to interfere in the 2016 election; any co-ordination between Russia and individuals linked to the Trump campaign; and any other matters that arose during the investigation. Mueller has been probing possible collusion in regard to Russia's interference and the Trump campaign, and whether Trump sought to obstruct justice. Credit:AP On Friday afternoon, Washington time, Attorney-General William Barr announced that Mueller had sent him a report outlining his findings. This propels the process into a new, high-stakes phase. We do not know how lengthy Mueller's report is or what it says. It has been reported that Mueller will not issue any indictments on top of those he has already delivered.

If true, this looks to be a significant victory for Trump and his family. There had been speculation that Robert Mueller could charge US President Donald Trump. Credit:AP Mueller's probe has ended without issuing any indictments related to the central question: Did the Trump campaign conspire with Russia to influence the 2016 election? There had also been speculation that Mueller could charge Donald Trump junior and Trump's son-in-law Jared Kushner. They will be relieved this is off the table. No one should expect Mueller's report to be like independent counsel Kenneth Starr's sweeping 445-page report of 1998. Full of lewd details about Bill Clinton's sex life, the Starr report was eventually released as a book and led to Clinton's impeachment.

Starr was operating under very different rules to Mueller. Under the special counsel regulations, Mueller was only required to explain his decisions about who has chosen to prosecute and who he hasn't. He wasn't required to write a definitive, all-encompassing tome about Russia's role in the 2016 election. Anyone expecting that will probably be disappointed. Loading Another difference to 1998 is that Starr delivered his report directly to Congress. The entire thing was promptly released to the public. That isn't how the process works now. Barr will prepare his own summary of Mueller's report, which will then be released to Congress and to the public.

In a letter to congressional leaders, Barr said he was committed to "as much transparency as possible". But he has previously said his report may omit damaging information about Trump, given Justice Department guidelines state that sitting presidents should not be indicted. But it would be a hugely risky move for Barr to try to run a protection racket for Trump, and could easily backfire. Mueller's probe has resulted in 34 indictments or guilty pleas and contributed to the imprisonment of several former top Trump advisers. These include Trump's former campaign chair Paul Manafort and personal lawyer Michael Cohen. But these indictments related to crimes such as lying to the FBI, bank and tax fraud and campaign finance violations.