The fact that Chairman Sen. Richard Burr (right) and Vice Chairman Sen. Mark Warner are discussing an interim report suggests their investigation could continue well into 2018 and maybe beyond. | Alex Wong/Getty Images Senate Russia investigators weigh issuing interim report

The leaders of the Senate panel investigating Russia’s election meddling are discussing whether to release an interim report that would focus on how to protect future U.S. elections ahead of the 2018 midterms.

Senate Intelligence Committee Chairman Richard Burr (R-N.C.) and top Democrat Mark Warner of Virginia have had at least one meeting on the matter and plan to continue discussing it, Burr told POLITICO.


“That’s one of the considerations that we have,” Burr said. “The vice chairman and I, we’ve had a preliminary meeting, but we haven’t firmed anything up.”

Warner said the interim report would address election security — meaning it likely would not provide a firm answer to the question of whether the Trump campaign coordinated with Moscow in its effort to use propaganda and hacked materials to sway the election toward President Donald Trump.

“I think it's very important that we put out something about the importance of protecting our electoral systems before 2018,” Warner said. “How we get out that information is something we're still working through.”

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Warner added that he was concerned that an interim report could slow down work on other aspects of the investigation being conducted by the intelligence panel, which has been interviewing high-profile members of the Trump campaign about their communication with people with ties to the Kremlin.

“I also want to make sure that we keep our progress,” Warner said, noting that an interim report could eat up significant energy because of the process of “getting it approved and declassified.”

The fact that Burr and Warner are discussing an interim report suggests their investigation could continue well into 2018 and maybe beyond. Burr has previously said his “aspirational” goal is to wrap up the entire investigation this year.

A parallel Justice Department investigation by special counsel Robert Mueller does not face any official deadlines, though it could present a political test if it continues during the campaign season.

If Mueller’s team goes public with findings or indictments before the entire probe is finished, they could risk being blamed for affecting the midterm elections, just as FBI Director James Comey faced criticism for his handling of the investigation into Hillary Clinton during last year’s presidential campaign.

But it also cuts the other way: Silence from the special counsel could be interpreted as exoneration for the Trump campaign.

Darren Samuelsohn contributed to this report.