Attorney General William Barr announced Wednesday afternoon that he would be speaking about the release of Special Counsel Robert Mueller‘s Russia report. The Justice Department press conference was scheduled for Thursday at 9:30 a.m. Eastern Time. Watch live in the player above when the press conference begins.
Barr said that this version of the report would have several types of information redacted, despite calls from Democrats for Barr to release the entire thing. The redacted information includes secret grand jury information, intelligence sources and methods, information on peripheral/uncharged third parties, and material that could jeopardize ongoing cases.
Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein has long supported the withholding of information about uncharged individuals.
“Punishing wrongdoers through judicial proceedings is only one part of the Department’s mission. We also have a duty to prevent the disclosure of information that would unfairly tarnish people who are not charged with crimes,” Rosenstein said in a June 2018 letter to then-Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Sen. Charles Grassley (R-Iowa).
Rosenstein was also expected to be present at the press conference Thursday morning.
Barr has said he would work with Congress regarding disclosing certain information to them, but he held strong when it came to secret grand jury information. A recent D.C. Circuit Court decision made it clear that courts can only order the disclosure of grand jury information in limited circumstances. Barr referenced that case when he discussed Mueller’s report at a recent Congressional hearing.
Barr previously wrote a letter with his summary of Mueller’s findings. The letter indicated that while Mueller found evidence of Russian efforts to interfere with the 2016 election, he did not find that the Trump campaign had anything to do with it. Barr also wrote that while Mueller’s report discusses evidence for and against obstruction of justice, the Mueller opted not to give his conclusion. Barr said that he and Rosenstein examined the evidence, and felt it was insufficient for an obstruction charge.
[Image via NICHOLAS KAMM/AFP/Getty Images]
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