Attorney General William Barr told the Senate Judiciary Committee that, after he receives special counsel Robert Mueller’s report, he make his own version of the report available to Congress and the public. mueller investigation Trump leaves timing of Mueller report release up to new attorney general

Even if special counsel Robert Mueller releases his report on the 2016 election as soon as next week, while President Donald Trump is over 8,000 miles away in Vietnam, the president doesn’t seem too concerned.

Speaking to reporters in the Oval Office, Trump said Wednesday it would be at the discretion of his new attorney general, William Barr, to release the report whenever it is ready.


“That’ll be totally up to the new attorney general,” Trump said when asked whether the report should be released while he is away from the country. “He’s a tremendous man and tremendous person who really respects this country and respects the justice system. So that’ll be totally up to him.”

Speculation over when Mueller will finish his report into Russian interference in the 2016 election has increased as hints of an upcoming conclusion have surfaced recently. Late last month, the acting attorney general at the time, Matthew Whitaker, told reporters that the investigation would come to a close soon. CNN reported Wednesday that the finished report could be announced as early as next week.

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But once Mueller concludes his investigation, there’s no guarantee a final report will be made public. During his confirmation hearing, Barr told the Senate Judiciary Committee he would receive the report as attorney general and make his own version of the report available to Congress and the public. He said he would make his version as thorough as possible under the law, but would not commit to sharing Mueller’s report in its entirety.

Trump’s deferential comments toward Barr on Wednesday stand in stark contrast to his torrent of disdain toward Mueller and his investigation, which he portrays as partisan character assassination.

Trump will be in Vietnam next week for a second summit with North Korea’s leader, Kim Jong Un.