Mueller does not report next week: top US justice official

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – Special advocate Robert Mueller will not present his much-awaited report next week on Russia's interference in the 2016 US elections, a senior official from the US Department of Justice said Friday. Justice, who was waiting impatiently for Mueller's report.

"Any report that the report of the special advocate will be submitted to the DOJ (Ministry of Justice) during the week of February 28 is inaccurate," said the official, expressing himself under the guise of l & # 39; anonymity.

The Mueller inquiry has darkened Donald Trump's presidency for many months, and reports of his imminent release have appeared frequently in recent weeks.

CNN reported Wednesday that the Justice Department could announce as early as next week that Mueller had submitted his report to Attorney General William Barr and that Barr would review the findings and submit a summary to Congress.

The Mueller probe has trapped many Trump associates. Trump, a Republican, has repeatedly said that there was no collusion between his 2016 campaign and Russia, and he called the witch hunt investigation. Russia denied interfering in the elections.

Congress has authorized funding for Mueller's team to continue its investigation until the end of the current federal fiscal year on September 30, although that does not necessarily mean that the investigation will continue for such a long time.

Peter Carr, a spokesman for Mueller's team, said he still employs 12 lawyers. Carr confirmed that four lawyers have left in the last few months, but individually, not in a group.

A government official, referring to a summit scheduled next week between Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un in Hanoi, said: "It's no wonder they do not publish reports until the Vietnamese president is engaged -Stakes international diplomacy. "

Speculation about the timing of the publication of the Mueller report has come with questions as to whether it will be made public once completed.

On Friday, six chairpersons of the Democratic-controlled US House of Representatives wrote to Barr saying the report should be made public "without delay and to the fullest extent permitted by law."