WASHINGTON — The Latest on special counsel Robert Mueller’s report on Russia and President Donald Trump (all times local):
6:45 a.m.
Congress’ top Democrats are calling for special counsel Robert Mueller to appear before Congress “as soon as possible” to testify about his report on Russia election meddling and contacts with the Trump campaign.
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer said in a statement Thursday that Attorney General William Barr’s “partisan handling” of Mueller’s report has “resulted in a crisis of confidence in his independence and impartiality.”
Barr is scheduled to release a redacted version of Mueller’s report Thursday after he holds a news conference about it.
Pelosi and Schumer criticized Mueller’s plan to “spin the report in a press conference” before allowing Congress and the public to see it. They said “the American people deserve to hear the truth.”
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12:24 a.m.
A redacted version of the special counsel’s report on Russian election interference and the Trump campaign is stirring controversy even before its release.
Democrats say a news conference ahead of the redacted report’s release on Thursday allows Attorney General William Barr to spin its contents before lawmakers and the public have a chance to read it.
The nearly 400-page report is expected to reveal what special counsel Robert Mueller uncovered about ties between the Trump campaign and Russia that fell short of criminal conduct.
Democrats have vowed to fight in court for the disclosure of additional information from the report. They are expected to seize on any negative portrait of the president to demand the release of the full report.
The Associated Press
