LA GRANGE, Ky. — U.S. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell said Thursday that President Donald Trump should "feel good" in the hours following the release of special counsel Robert Mueller's investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 presidential race.

"I think he has every right to feel good about what we've heard today," McConnell, a Republican, said after speaking to the Oldham Chamber of Commerce.

But Democratic Rep. John Yarmuth, also of Kentucky, said the special counsel's findings were alarming. He said the report, "paints a disturbing picture of our nation’s president, laying out 10 very compelling cases for Congress to pursue."

A redacted version of Mueller's report was released Thursday weeks after a summary submitted to Congress by Attorney General William Barr said it found no evidence of Trump or his campaign colluding with the Russian government.

What is a redaction?:Its definition and what it means for the Mueller report

The 488-page report says Trump's campaign did show interest in benefiting from Russia's efforts to sway the 2016 presidential election in his favor but that "the evidence was not sufficient to support criminal charges.”

"(T)he Russian government perceived it would benefit from a Trump presidency and worked to secure that outcome, and the campaign expected it would benefit electorally from information stolen and released through Russian efforts," the report says.

McConnell said he hadn't read the report, but he will be among a handful of lawmakers who will have access to the unredacted version.

The Republican leader used his remarks on Thursday mostly to defend Barr, who was heavily criticized by Yarmuth and other Democrats for holding a preemptive press conference hours ahead of the report's release.

"Attorney General Barr appears to have shown an unsettling willingness to undermine his own department in order to protect President Trump," House Judiciary Chairman Jerrold Nadler said at a press conference in Washington.

Mueller looked at 10 separate incidents for possible obstruction of justice against the president, but said he could not conclusively determine that Trump had committed criminal obstruction. Among those were Trump's stunning firing of FBI Director James Comey, calls to have Mueller fired and encouraging witnesses not to cooperate.

Read more:Trump thought Mueller would 'end' his presidency and other takeaways from the Mueller report

Barr, who defended the president on Thursday, told reporters he gave Trump's lawyers access to the Mueller’s report earlier this week ahead of its release.

Yarmuth said the attorney general made it clear that he serves Trump more than the American people. He said nothing in the report has exonerated Trump, and that lawmakers must dig deeper.

"It is the responsibility and indeed the constitutional obligation of this Congress to analyze this report and upcoming testimony from the attorney general and special counsel, and then take any necessary action to restore integrity to the executive branch," Yarmuth said.

McConnell said Barr, however, has an "outstanding reputation" in Washington circles. "There is no chance that at his age and at his status within the profession that he's going to go in there and be some sort of political hack for this administration. ... I trust Bill Barr," he said.

The Mueller report provides a riveting insight into Trump's mindset and decision-making during the two-year investigation. Trump, according to the special counsel's report, was deeply worried about Mueller and his team throughout its two-year inquiry.

“Oh my God. This is terrible. This is the end of my Presidency. I’m f-----,” Trump said, according to written notes from former Attorney General Jeff Sessions’ chief of staff.

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In June 2017, for instance, Trump ordered then-White House Counsel Don McGahn to call Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein, who oversaw the investigation, and boot Mueller because he had conflicts of interest, according to the report.

McGahn, who was a close McConnell ally in the administration, repeatedly refused.

McConnell bypassed the Courier Journal's questions and others about if he was troubled by certain findings, such as the president's alleged attempts to thwart Mueller's investigation and White House press secretary Sarah Sanders admitting to making false statements to the press surrounding Comey's firing.

"I haven't read the report yet," McConnell said. "I think it's too early to start talking about portions of it."

In his written answers to Mueller's questions, Trump said more than 30 times that he did not "recall" or "remember" or have an "independent recollection" of certain events. Other answers, Mueller said, were "incomplete or imprecise."

The report describes Trump's answers as "inadequate," but Mueller ultimately concluded that there was insufficient evidence to support a conspiracy charge, despite the vast number of interactions between Trump associates and Russia.

Nadler, the House Judiciary leader, has requested that Mueller testify before the committee no later than May 23. McConnell said he agrees with the attorney general in having no objections to the special counsel testifying.

McConnell said he will be keenly interested in what the attorney general has to say before the Senate Judiciary Committee, which is expected to take place early next month.

National headlines:Mueller report documents links between Trump campaign and Russia, steps to thwart probe; finds no conspiracy

USA Today contributed to this story. Reporter Phillip M. Bailey can be reached at 502-582-4475 or pbailey@courierjournal.com. Support strong local journalism by subscribing today: courier-journal.com/philb.