Reading the Mueller Report -- What Website?

Mueller written report highlights: Read the superlative moments from the 448-page report

Catch upwardly on summaries of special counsel Robert Mueller's written report.

Attorney General William Barr on Th morning transmitted a redacted version of special counsel Robert Mueller'due south highly anticipated study on Russian meddling during the 2016 presidential entrada to members of Congress, making public for the get-go time substantial portions of the virtually 400-folio document.

The Justice Section's release of the redacted report comes simply weeks afterwards Barr penned a four-page letter conveying the special counsel's "master conclusions."

In that letter, Barr described "2 main" Kremlin-backed efforts to influence the election, but states definitively that the special counsel's office did not find bear witness to suggest that members of the Trump campaign or anyone associated with it conspired or coordinated with the Russians.

The special counsel's role made no conclusion on the matter of possible obstruction of justice past President Donald Trump, Barr noted, but the attorney general himself adamant that the prove against Trump did not amount to a crime.

ABC NEWS WAS PROVIDING LIVE UPDATES THROUGHOUT THE DAY ON ALL THE MAJOR DEVELOPMENTS.

5:22 p.m.: Mueller report makes political case against Trump: Analysis

ABC News' political director Rick Klein writes of the special counsel probe that something happened on the path to "consummate and full exoneration."

Robert Mueller's long-awaited report did not result in a legal example that volition exist brought against President Donald Trump, despite 22 months of a special counsel research.

But Mueller's team of investigators constructed an intricate and detailed political case against the president, with vast implications for the electric current Congress and for leaders within both parties in advance of the 2020 election.

Read more of Klein's takeaways from the mean solar day here.

4:17 p.m.: Trump leaves White Firm, does not take questions

President Donald Trump, holding hands with first lady Melania Trump, took no questions from reporters and headed directly for Marine Ane on Thursday afternoon.

The Trumps were heading to Mar-a-Lago for the holiday weekend.

On Wednesday, Trump said he might concord a news conference after the redacted report was released and earlier on Thursday counselor to the president Kellyanne Conway said that she expected him to speak to reporters before departing.

Walking from the White Business firm, the president simply waved every bit questions were shouted at him. Then, at Andrews Air Forcefulness Base, he boarded Air Strength One soon afterward Marine One landed.

-- ABC News' Meridith McGraw

4:07 p.thou.: Mueller's reference to allegations of Russian "kompromat" on Trump

The special counsel written report offers new details suggesting then-candidate Donald Trump was aware of rumors of a compromising video recording being circulated by the Russian government during his 2016 campaign.

A footnote in the Mueller written report discusses the unverified allegation, which was first raised in the and so-chosen dossier -- a series of opposition research memos prepared by a sometime British agent. The dossier suggested Russians had recorded a record of Trump during a 2013 visit to Moscow showing Trump cavorting with prostitutes in his suite at the Moscow Ritz hotel.

Trump has always maintained the allegations are faux. It has been previously reported that then-FBI Director James Comey shared data nigh the salacious allegations with Trump after the 2016 elections, during the transition menstruation.

"During the 2016 presidential campaign, a like claim may have reached candidate Trump," the Mueller report says.

Ii weeks before the election, the report says Trump personal chaser Michael Cohen received a text from a Russian man of affairs that said, "Stopped flow of tapes from Russia but not sure if there's anything else. Just then you know . . .. "

The man of affairs said the "tapes" referred to "compromising tapes of Trump rumored to exist held past persons associated with the Russian existent manor conglomerate Crocus Group, which had helped host the 2013 Miss Universe Pageant in Russia," the report quotes. Trump had partnered with the Crocus Group to host the beauty pageant.

The written report says Cohen told investigators that he spoke directly to Trump about the issue later on receiving those texts. The businessman, Giorgi Rtskhiladze, later told investigators the tapes were simulated, merely added that he had non communicated that to Cohen at the time.

-- ABC News' Matt Mosk

ii:57 p.m.: Nadler weighs in

In a brief press briefing, House Judiciary Chairman Jerry Nadler said the Mueller study "makes clear that the president refused to be interviewed by the special counsel and refused to provide written answers to follow up questions."

ii:55 p.g.: Trump asked people affiliated with campaign to find Clinton'due south emails "repeatedly," according to Flynn

After Trump's July 2016 press conference inviting the Russians to discover them, Michael Flynn contacted multiple people well-nigh finding the "missing" Hillary Clinton emails from her personal server, according to the report. That included contact Flynn made to the late Chicago financier Peter Smith and Barbara Ledeen (a long-time staffer to Sen. Chuck Grassley who was already on the hunt).

Erik Prince provided funding to endeavor and authenticate some emails that were obtained by Ledeen but the tech advisor hired said they weren't real.

The special counsel didn't notice evidence Flynn or other campaign-linked figures initiated or directed Smith'due south efforts..

2:10 p.m.: 2020 candidates slam AG Barr as Mueller report sends ripples through Democratic field

Democratic presidential candidates were quick to vent their frustration on Th at the conduct of Attorney General William Barr, swiftly called on special counsel Robert Mueller to prove before Congress and demanded that the full unredacted report exist released to the public.

The ire directed at Barr comes subsequently he held a printing conference defending President Donald Trump's deportment and to speak publicly and take questions from journalists before the written report from the investigation into Russia's interference in the 2016 presidential election was released.

None of the sitting U.South. senators who take declared a presidential bid voted for Barr'southward confirmation.

Here's what the 2020 presidential hopefuls had to say.

1:31 p.m.: Insight into Trump's written responses to the special counsel team's questions

The answers President Donald Trump gave to special counsel Robert Mueller take finally been released as part of the redacted version of the special counsel's report.

Trump'southward willingness to participate in an interview with the special counsel, the topics of the questions and whether that interview would take identify in person or in writing was the subject of a months-long negotiation between Trump's legal team and the special counsel.

In June of 2017, the president told ABC News' Jonathan Karl that he would "i hundred percent" be willing to speak under oath to his version of events if Mueller asked him to. Eventually, the president and his legal squad backed off of Trump's initial willingness to sit down for an interview, instead advocating that the president answer to select questions in writing. Trump submitted his written responses to the special counsel on November 21, 2018.

Read his responses here.

12:23 p.m.: Hither's a look at what it took to produce Mueller'due south probe

And here's what those efforts produced:

12:12 p.m.: Trump orders White House counsel Don McGahn to deny the president tried to fire the special counsel

After news broke that Trump ordered McGahn to burn down the special counsel, Trump pressured McGahn to deny that he had been directed to exercise then, fifty-fifty suggesting to aides that he would fire him unless he complied. Mueller concludes that there is prove to suggest Trump acted this style to impede his investigation.

According to the report: "The President then directed [staff secretary Rob] Porter to tell McGahn to create a record to make clear that the President never directed McGahn to fire the Special Counsel. Porter idea the affair should be handled by the White Business firm communications office, but the President said he wanted McGahn to write a alphabetic character to the file "for our records" and wanted something beyond a printing statement to demonstrate that the reporting was inaccurate. The President referred to McGahn as a 'lying bastard' and said that he wanted a tape from him. Porter recalled the President saying something to the effect of, 'If he doesn't write a letter, then possibly I'll accept to get rid of him'."

Mueller concluded that "Substantial evidence indicates that in repeatedly urging McGahn to dispute that he was ordered to have the Special Counsel terminated, the President acted for the purpose of influencing McGahn'southward account in order to deflect or prevent further scrutiny of the President'southward carry towards the investigation."

12:08p.m.: Trump tried to block release of emails related to June nine Trump Tower meeting: Written report

In a department of the study divided into four subsections, Mueller's team cites at to the lowest degree three occasions "betwixt June 29, 2017 and July 9, 2017- when the president directed Hope Hicks and others not to publicly disclose information about the June 9, 2016 meeting between senior campaign officials and a Russian attorney. The function of the special counsel concluded that" these efforts by the president were directed at the press, ad

ding that these acts would amount to obstructive acts but if the president sought to withhold information or mislead congressional investigations or the special counsel. On May 17, 2017, the president'southward campaign received a document request from SSCI that conspicuously covered the June 9 meeting."

In the analysis section, the special counsel specifically addresses the phrase attributed to Hope Hicks, "it will never go out"—in reference to the emails setting upward the June nine coming together. Hicks said she "had no retention of making" that comment and always believed the emails would eventually be leaked. The Special Counsel writes that the Hicks statement "can exist explained as reflecting a belief that the emails would not be made public if the President's press strategy were followed, fifty-fifty if the emails were provided to Congress and the Special Counsel."

xi:46 a.g.: Cohen had "extensive" discussions with the president'south personal counsel

The Mueller report states that Michael Cohen, President Trump's and so-personal attorney, had "extensive" discussions with the president's personal counsel while working on his statements to Congress.

The written report further lays out myriad instances of the president's deport with Cohen including:

--Cohen had numerous brief conversations with Trump about the Trump Tower Moscow projection from Sept. 2015 onward, likewise every bit conversations with Ivanka and Donald Trump Jr. In Dec. 2015, Felix Sater asked Cohen for a copy of his and Trump'due south passports to facilitate travel to Russia. By January 2016, growing frustrated with Sater, Cohen reached out directly to Dmitry Peskov and after had a conversation with Peskov's assistant that he recounted to Trump.

--The day after Cohen's conversation with Peskov's assistant, Sater texted Cohen saying that the Russian government liked the project and invited Cohen to come visit Moscow. Cohen continued to brief Trump and Donald Trump Jr. on the project through the jump. Cohen and Sater worked to make up one's mind a time for a potential visit from and then candidate Trump to Russia. The visit never happened. Cohen also decided not to visit. Cohen recounts telling trump that the project was "going nowhere" one-time during the summer of 2016.

--In January 2017, Cohen received press inquiries about Trump Tower Moscow, and told President-Elect Trump about the inquiries. He was concerned being honest about the projection would non exist consistent with the president's previous comments about his relationship with Russia.

--To stay on message Cohen told a NYT reporter that the Trump Tower Moscow deal ended in January 2016. Cohen said he discussed this talking point with Trump.

--Cohen entered into a joint defense force understanding with the president and others after Congress requested he testify. Cohen assumed he would be asked about allegations in the Steele Dossier. Cohen spoke with the president's personal counsel "frequently" leading upwardly to his congressional testimony.

--Cohen was told by the president's personal counsel that the joint defence understanding was working well. His bills were being paid by the Trump Org. Cohen said the president's personal counsel told him he was protected by the JDA, and he wouldn't be if he "went rogue"

--Cohen prepared a draft letter to congress which included several false statements. That letter was circulated effectually and edited by members of the JDA. The president's personal counsel also told Cohen not to make reference to an endeavor to ready upwardly a meeting between Trump and Putin during the 2015 United Nations general Assembly.

--Cohen submitted his statement. He recalled speaking to the president "more mostly" about his plans to stay on bulletin during his testimony

Earlier in the day, Cohen vowed "Shortly I will be ready to address the American people over again...tell it all...and tell information technology myself!"

11:45 a.m.: The president's further efforts to have AG Jeff Sessions accept over the investigation

Special counsel Robert Mueller appears to conclude that President Trump's actions with regard to Jeff Sessions could constitute as obstacle.

"On multiple occasions in 2017, the President spoke with Sessions most reversing his recusal then that he could take over the Russia investigation and begin an investigation of Hillary Clinton…At that place is evidence that at to the lowest degree i purpose of the President'southward behave toward Sessions was to have Sessions assume command over the Russian federation investigation and supervise information technology in a way that could restrict its scope…A reasonable inference from those statements and the President's action is that an unrecused Attorney General would play a protective office and could shield the President from the ongoing Russian federation investigation."

11:31 a.g.: Mueller considered Trump'south written answers 'inadequate'

Special counsel Muller lays out his negotiations with President Trump'southward attorneys regarding an interview with the president. Mueller writes in the introductory note that they advised counsel that "a[n] interview with the President is vital to our investigation." Mueller says that Trump "stated on more than 30 occasions that he "does not 'recall' or 'call back' or have an "independent recollection'" of information called for by the questions." Mueller received the president'due south responses in November 2018. Beginning in December 2017 they sought to interview the president on "topics relevant to both Russian-ballot interference and obstruction-of-justice."

Mueller writes that "Other answers were "incomplete or imprecise."

"We again requested an in-person interview, limited to sure topics, advising the President's counsel that "[t]his is the President'due south opportunity to voluntarily provide us with data for us to evaluate in the context of all the show nosotros have gathered." "The President declined."

Mueller says "we considered whether to upshot a subpoena for his testimony" given that Trump would not volunteer an interview. "We viewed the written answers to be inadequate. But at that point, our investigation had made meaning progress and had produced substantial prove for our report. Nosotros thus weighed to costs of potentially lengthy ramble litigation, with resulting delay in finishing our investigation, confronting the predictable benefits from our investigation and report."

eleven:26 a.grand.: On looking into potential obstruction of justice

The report says while they believe they had legal authority "and legal justification" to amendment Trump" for an interview, they chose non to due to the delay in investigation that it would cause. "We also assessed that based on the meaning torso of evidence we had already obtained of the President's actions and his public and private statements ... we had sufficient evidence to understand relevant events and to make sure assessments without the President'southward testimony."

Read more well-nigh what we know about: potential obstruction of justice

As for retired Army Lt. Gen. Michael Flynn's conversations with the Russian ambassador, the study notes: "some show suggests that the President knew about the existence and content of Flynn'southward calls when they occurred, just the testify is inconclusive and could not exist relied upon to establish the President's knowledge."

On the June nine, 2016, Trump Tower meeting, the written report says Trump had "substantial involvement" in the communications strategy over the Russia probe. Merely "the testify does non establish that the president intended to prevent" Mueller or Congress from getting those emails to Donald Trump Jr or other information related to the coming together.

xi:25 a.m.: Trump: "This is the end of my Presidency. I'm f***ed"

According then-Chaser General Jeff Sessions' chief of staff, Jody Hunt, the president upon learning that a special counsel had been appointed, the president reportedly slouched back in his chair and said ""Oh my God. This is terrible. This is the finish of my Presidency. I'yard f-----."

On Thursday, President Trump said following the release of the Mueller study: "I'm having a adieu, also! It was called no collusion, no obstruction."

In the report, Mueller says he did not clear President Trump on obstruction of justice.

xi:16 a.m.: On looking into potential bunco

The probe "Uncovered numerous links — I.e. contacts — between Trump campaign officials and individuals having or claiming to have ties to the Russian government."

Among the people: Carter Page, an unpaid adviser to Trump's campaign, George Papadopoulos, 1-time entrada strange policy adviser, Jared Kushner, the president'southward son-in-law, JD Gordon, a entrada adviser, Paul Manafort, one-time Trump entrada chairman, Erik Prince, Trump ally and Blackwater founder, and Jeff Sessions, a forrmer senator and attorney general. The study notes, as ABC first reported, that Sessions when he was chaser general was investigated for perjury over his testimony to Congress about his contacts with the Russian ambassador.

The "collusion" written report talks extensively most the June nine, 2016 Trump Tower meeting and the promise of "dirt" on Clinton.

The Russians reached out once again after the meeting to the transition team, just the transition team did not respond.

Mueller's squad determined it would be hard to bear witness "campaign officials or individuals connected to the campaign willfully violated the police force."

"On the facts here, the government would unlikely exist able to prove beyond a reasonable doubt that the June 9 coming together participants had general cognition that their behave was unlawful."

"Schemes involving the solicitation or receipt of help from foreign sources heighten hard statutorily and constitutional questions."

11:xv a.m.: The written report has posted

The full report has posted:

In the report, there are two binders, one on "bunco" and one on obstacle. ABC News will offer a breakup of what the report says almost each of these areas.

10:50 a.m.: The Russia probe: A timeline from Moscow to Mueller

Every bit we await the redacted version of the Mueller report, here'south a expect at every major step in the Russia investigation, chronologically.

The timeline is based on publicly-released FBI documents, congressional records and testimony, court filings, and certain media reports confirmed to ABC News by sources with cognition of the matter.

10:29 a.chiliad.: 10 episodes of potential obstruction to be disclosed in Mueller report

There are ten episodes depicting potential obstruction of justice outlined in the impending Mueller report, according to chaser General William Barr's remarks at the Department of Justice.

The special counsel did not make a traditional prosecutorial judgement on obstacle of justice, every bit was outlined in Barr's alphabetic character last month.

"Instead the report recounts 10 episodes involving the president and discusses legal theories for connecting those activities," Barr said. After carefully reviewing the facts and legal theories outlined in the study and in consultation with the function of legal counsel and other department lawyers. The deputy chaser general and I concluded that the evidence developed by the special counsel is not subject to establish that the president committed an obstruction of justice crime."

In Barr's March 24th letter, he wrote that "while this study does not conclude that the President committed a law-breaking, it also does not exonerate him."

-- ABC News' Allison Pecorin

10:19 a.thou.: A reminder of some of the key players in the Russia probe

Since May 2017, the special counsel's investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 election has been a constant presence in U.S. politics – a complex narrative that has included a rotating cast of characters and myriad plotlines.

Here is a roundup of the diverse figures who have been connected to the investigation at diverse points since President Donald Trump took office in January 2017.

10:01 a.m.: Trump tweets "Game Over"

Minutes after Attorney Full general William Barr's press conference ended, President Trump tweeted "No collusion. No obstruction. For the haters and radical left Democrats--Game Over," an apparent reference to the Game of Thrones television show.

9:34 a.m.: AG Barr'southward press conference begins

At a news conference Thursday morning, Attorney General William Barr said was committed to providing "the greatest degree of transparency" that is "consistent with the police."

"Equally the special counsel written report makes articulate, the Russian authorities sought to interfere in our election process, only thanks to the special counsel'south thorough investigation, we now know that the Russian operatives who perpetrated these schemes did not take the cooperation of President Trump or the Trump campaign, or the knowing help of any other American for that affair. That is something all Americans tin can and should be grateful to have confirmed," Barr said.

"In other words, there was no evidence of the Trump campaign'southward collusion of the Russian government's hacking." he said.

Barr held the news briefing hours before he was ready to send special counsel Robert Mueller's redacted report to Congress and make information technology public, drawing abrupt criticism from congressional Democrats.Barr, later on thanking Deputy Chaser General Rod Rosenstein for his efforts, also confirmed that he intends to transmit redacted versions of the report to the chairman and ranking members of the House Judiciary committees.

Rosenstein joined Barr for the news conference Thursday morning time.

Democrats on Thursday morning stepped upwardly their criticism of how Barr has handled the Mueller report and its release, slamming him for holding a news briefing at 9:xxx a.thousand. EDT, hours before DOJ officials say he will send the report to Congress and make information technology public.

--ABC News' Trish Turner and Cheyenne Haslett

viii a.m.: Trump tweets alee of release

Ahead of the Mueller release, President Trump tweets that the investigation is "the Greatest Political Hoax of all fourth dimension!"

@realDonaldTrump: The Greatest Political Hoax of all time! Crimes were committed by Crooked, Dingy Cops and DNC/The Democrats.

President Trump will have the chance to watch the DOJ press conference at 9:30a this morn -- the first thing on his schedule today is the Wounded Warrior Project Soldier ride at ten:30a in the Due east Room where he is expected to deliver remarks.

viii a.one thousand.: Topics AG Barr is expected to accost during his presser

Attorney General William Barr is expected to address 3 topics during his press conference scheduled for 9:30 this forenoon, according to Justice Department spokesperson Kerri Kupec.

Those iii topics are:

Executive privilege and whether it was involvedWhite House interactions with the Department of Justice over the past several weeks since the final letter issued past Barr on March 29.The redaction procedure.

The press briefing is expected to last 20-xxx minutes.

-- ABC News' Jack Engagement

8 a.m.: Mueller arrives at part, not attention Barr newser

Special counsel Robert Mueller arrived at his role as he normally does, driving himself in his Subaru. He will not attend Barr's news conference at the Justice Section, a spokesman said.

-- ABC News' Erica King

7:42 a.m.: Barr arrives at Justice Section

Attorney General William Barr arrived at the Justice Department in a two-auto detail ahead of his controversial news conference later this morning.

-- ABC News' Luke Barr

6:fifteen a.yard.: Top Democrats call for Mueller to evidence before Congress 'as soon every bit possible'

In a joint statement, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer said Barr's handing of the written report release has created a "crisis of conviction" and said having Mueller testify was the "just way to brainstorm restoring public trust."

"Attorney Full general Barr'southward regrettably partisan handling of the Mueller report, including his slanted March 24th summary letter, his irresponsible testimony before Congress final week, and his indefensible plan to spin the report in a press conference afterwards this morn — hours before he allows the public or Congress to encounter it — accept resulted in a crunch of confidence in his independence and impartiality," they said.

"Nosotros believe the but mode to begin restoring public trust in the treatment of the Special Counsel's investigation is for Special Counsel Mueller himself to provide public testimony in the House and Senate as presently equally possible. The American people deserve to hear the truth," Schumer and Pelosi said in the statement.

- ABC News' Sarah Kolinovsky

Mueller submitted his findings to the Justice Department on March 22, and Barr spent the next two days reviewing the document earlier releasing his initial alphabetic character to Congress.

Since and so, lawmakers on both sides of the aisle have called for the total release of Mueller's written report.

House Democrats ready a deadline for Barr to release the full report by April 2, but the attorney general declined that request, citing the need to redact sensitive chiliad jury material, information legally blocked from public release, information that could compromise intelligence sources and methods, and any "data that would unduly infringe on the personal privacy and reputational interests of peripheral third parties."

Though Th's anticipated release of a redacted version of Mueller'southward report may answer lawmakers' demands for more information, information technology volition likely be met with calls for fifty-fifty more than.

In a letter from Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer sent just hours after Barr'southward initial letter, the Democratic leaders wrote that "Congress requires the total report and the underlying documents and then that the Committees can proceed with their independent work, including oversight and legislating to address any issues the Mueller report may heighten."

The amount of underlying documents supporting the report is expected to exist substantial. In his letter Barr wrote that "the Special Counsel issued more than 2,800 subpoenas, executed nearly 500 search warrants" and "interviewed approximately 500 witnesses."

Mueller'south full study covers the scope of an investigation lead past a team of federal prosecutors that lasted 22 months and lead to 37 indictments and seven guilty pleas. Some of the cases related to the special counsel's probe are ongoing and accept since been turned over to prosecutors in U.S. Chaser'southward offices.

ABC News' Lucien Bruggeman, Jack Date, Ali Dukakis, Katherine Faulders, SooRin Kim, Lee Ferran, Mike Levine, Pete Madden, Matt Mosk, John Santucci, Pierre Thomas, Trish Turner and John Verhovek contributed to this report.

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Source: https://abcnews.go.com/Politics/justice-department-release-redacted-version-mueller-report/story?id=62201315

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