美国国家公共电台 NPR Robert Mueller Submits Report On Russia Investigation To Attorney General（在线收听）

AILSA CHANG, HOST:

All right. Some breaking news that we're receiving tonight. Attorney General William Barr received a report from the Justice Department from special counsel Robert Mueller. This would be the long-awaited Mueller report. The investigation is over. Barr says he will be reviewing the report and anticipates that he may be in a position to advise the public of the special counsel's principal conclusions as soon as this weekend.

NPR's Carrie Johnson now joins us at the Justice Department. Hey, Carrie.

CARRIE JOHNSON, BYLINE: Hi, Ailsa.

CHANG: So do we have any sense at this very early point what is contained in this report?

JOHNSON: The Justice Department will not say the principal conclusions or findings of this report. They will say a special counsel security officer delivered the report to the Justice Department, to the deputy attorney general's office earlier this afternoon, and they will say it is comprehensive. Within minutes, Attorney General Bill Barr got the report. He says he's going to be consulting with the deputy AG and the special counsel Bob Mueller to determine what can be released to Congress and the public. And they say that perhaps as early as this weekend members of Congress, key members of Congress, may be getting the principal conclusions.

For all intents and purposes, this investigation is done, and the Attorney General Bill Barr has told Congress there was no episode in the last two years, nearly two years of this investigation, where the Justice Department overruled the decision Bob Mueller wanted to take.

CHANG: OK. So describe the process at this point. The public will not be able to see the actual report. It's up to the Attorney General William Barr what version of the report the public gets to consume. Is that correct?

JOHNSON: That's right. The regulations under the special counsel provision make that choice or that call the attorney general Bill Barr's. Bill Barr, at his confirmation hearing, has said he's interested in transparency and providing information in the public interest. But there could be some national security considerations and also considerations about basically badmouthing people the special counsel has decided not to charge with wrongdoing. All of those things are being discussed now at the highest levels of the Justice Department. We could have word within days, Ailsa, about what happens next.

CHANG: That's NPR's Carrie Johnson. Thank you so much, Carrie.

JOHNSON: My pleasure.