Mueller’s report to Attorney General Bill Barr is confidential, at least for now. Barr is expected to advise Congress soon on the "principal conclusions" of Mueller's report.

Alex Wong / Getty Images Special counsel Robert Mueller

WASHINGTON — Special counsel Robert Mueller has finished his investigation and submitted his report to Attorney General Bill Barr, according to a letter that Barr sent to congressional lawmakers on Friday, ending the most politically significant criminal investigation in decades. "I write to notify you pursuant to 28 C.F.R. 600.9(a)(3) that Special Counsel Robert S. Mueller III has concluded his investigation of Russian interference in the 2016 election and related matters," Barr wrote, according to a copy of the letter obtained by BuzzFeed News. Mueller is not recommending any further indictments, according to a senior Justice Department official. The official would not comment on whether there are any sealed indictments pending related to Mueller's investigation. What exactly Mueller said in his report isn’t public — yet. Barr will have the power to release Mueller’s findings in the future, but for now the document is secret, as required by federal regulations. Barr wrote that he is reviewing Mueller's report and "may be in a position" to advise Congress on Mueller's "principal conclusions as soon as this weekend." Barr's submission on those key conclusions is expected to be public, according to Justice Department spokesperson Kerri Kupec. Barr also wrote that he planned to consult with Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein and Mueller to decide what other information from the special counsel's report can be made public. "I remain committed to as much transparency as possible, and I will keep you informed as to the status of my review," Barr wrote.

US Department of Justice March 22, 2019 letter from Attorney General Bill Barr to Congress

Barr was required by federal regulations to tell lawmakers if there was ever a time when the Justice Department official overseeing Mueller blocked the special counsel from taking action that was "so inappropriate or unwarranted ... that it should not be pursued." Barr wrote that "there were not such instances during the Special Counsel's investigation." Kupec told reporters that Mueller's report is "comprehensive," but declined to comment on the length. She said that few people have seen it, but declined to say who exactly, besides Barr and Rosenstein. Kupec said that Rosenstein would be calling Mueller, if he hadn't already, to thank him for his service.

A security officer from Mueller's office delivered a hard copy of Mueller's report to Rosenstein early this afternoon, and Rosenstein then gave it to Barr, Kupec said. Emmet Flood, a senior attorney in the White House counsel's office, was notified by phone by Barr's chief of staff Brian Rabbitt that the report had been submitted at around 4:35 or 4:40 p.m., shortly before Barr's letter was hand-delivered to the House and Senate Judiciary committees by Stephen Boyd, who heads the Office of Legislative Affairs at the Justice Department. An electronic copy of Barr's letter was also sent to House and Senate leadership. The White House has not received a copy of Mueller's report, Kupec said. White House Press Secretary Sarah Sanders said in a tweet that the White House "has not received or been briefed on the Special Counsel’s report."

The next steps are up to Attorney General Barr, and we look forward to the process taking its course. The White House has not received or been briefed on the Special Counsel’s report. @PressSec via Twitter / Via Twitter: @PressSec

Although Mueller's investigation is over, Mueller is still special counsel — he and a small contingent of staff are working to wind down the office, Kupec said. He'll remain special counsel until a time to be determined by Barr, she said. Peter Carr, a spokesperson for the special counsel's office, said in an email to BuzzFeed News: "The Special Counsel will be concluding his service in the coming days. A small number of staff will remain to assist in closing the operations of the office for a period of time." On Capitol Hill, lawmakers responded to news that Mueller was done with renewed calls for transparency. "I will work with Ranking Member Feinstein and our House Judiciary Committee colleagues to ensure as much transparency as possible, consistent with the law," Senate Judiciary Committe Chair Lindsey Graham said in a statement. "I have always believed it was important that Mr. Mueller be allowed to do his job without interference, and that has been accomplished." House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer released a joint statement: "The Special Counsel’s investigation focused on questions that go to the integrity of our democracy itself: whether foreign powers corruptly interfered in our elections, and whether unlawful means were used to hinder that investigation. The American people have a right to the truth. The watchword is transparency." Mueller completed his investigation over a nearly two-year period that featured regular attacks on his work from President Donald Trump. From the start, Trump blasted the investigation into whether his campaign colluded with the Russian government as a “witch hunt,” and questioned the lawfulness of Mueller’s appointment, the objectivity of the special counsel team, and the scope of the probe. But in the end, fears that Trump would try to get rid of Mueller — left-wing groups pledged to take to the streets in protest if that happened — went unrealized.

Trump submitted written answers in response to questions from Mueller's office, but did not sit for an in-person interview, according to Trump's legal team. The conclusion of Mueller’s investigation ends weeks of fervent speculation. Predictions that Mueller was almost done have been cropping up for more than a year — in November 2017, the Washington Post reported that Ty Cobb, who was serving in the White House’s counsel’s office at the time, was optimistic that Mueller’s investigation would be over by the end of the year. Under federal regulations, Mueller’s report to Barr is “confidential," but Barr will have discretion to make all or parts of it public. In a rare show of bipartisanship concerning the special counsel investigation, the House of Representatives voted 420–0 on March 14 to urge Barr to make Mueller’s report public. It was a resolution, which isn’t binding on the Justice Department but reflects the intense public pressure on Barr. At his confirmation hearing in January, Barr told the Senate Judiciary Committee that his goal was to provide “as much transparency as I can consistent with the law.” “I also believe it is very important that the public and Congress be informed of the results of the special counsel’s work. For that reason, my goal will be to provide as much transparency as I can consistent with the law,” Barr said. “I can assure you that, where judgments are to be made by me, I will make those judgments based solely on the law and will let no personal, political, or other improper interests influence my decision.” The regulations required Barr to tell the chair and ranking members of the House and Senate Judiciary Committees when Mueller was done, and disclose if there was a time when the Justice Department official overseeing Mueller’s work — before Barr, Mueller reported to former acting attorney general Matthew Whitaker and Rosenstein — blocked Mueller from doing something “inappropriate or unwarranted.” Barr could make his notice to Congress public if it “would be in the public interest.” Barr wrote in Friday's letter, "I have so determined." 37 defendants charged Mueller was appointed by Rosenstein in May 2017 as special counsel to oversee the Justice Department’s investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 election, and whether there was collusion with Trump’s campaign. To staff his office, Mueller tapped past and current federal prosecutors, who brought experience ranging from the Watergate investigation and mafia takedowns to international terrorism cases. Working out of an office in southwest Washington, DC, about a mile from Justice Department headquarters and across the street from the city’s morgue, Mueller’s team quickly developed a reputation for keeping a tight lock on its progress. Leaks were few and far between, and prosecutors repeatedly managed to secure grand jury indictments with no word getting out before they unsealed charging papers.

BuzzFeed News; Getty Images (7); Zoe Tillman / BuzzFeed News Read more about who was charged in the Mueller investigation.