Barr preparing for Mueller report on 2016 election

AG needs to review for classified information Once the report is submitted, it is not certain how much of it will become public or when. The submission of a report by Mueller would effectively mean his office is closing down.

WASHINGTON — The new attorney general, William Barr, is preparing for the special counsel to deliver a report in coming weeks on the results of the investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 election, two officials briefed on the Justice Department’s preparations said.

President Donald Trump’s legal team and other allies of the administration have predicted an imminent end to the investigation by the special counsel, Robert Mueller, for more than a year. It remains unclear whether Mueller might take further public action, such as additional indictments, before submitting his report to Barr.

Once the report is submitted, it is not certain how much of it will become public or when.

The submission of a report by Mueller would effectively mean his office is closing down. The special counsel would no longer be conducting investigations in conjunction with the FBI, and Mueller would not be opening any new lines of inquiry.

But active cases that have not yet been brought to a conclusion would likely continue. New prosecutors from outside the special counsel’s operation could pick up cases that remain in progress. And some cases that spun off from Mueller’s investigation would continue unaffected.

The transmittal of the report to Barr would also place the attorney general in the spotlight as he decides how much of the findings to share with lawmakers and the public.

Once Mueller’s report is in his hands, Barr will have to review it for any classified information that would have to be omitted from any summary that Barr might decide to release, a process that could take days or even weeks.

Separately, the Senate Intelligence Committee will interview Michael Cohen, Trump’s former personal lawyer, privately on Tuesday, according to a person familiar with the matter.

Cohen’s Senate interview will kick off a week of congressional appearances for Cohen, who is already scheduled to testify publicly before the House Oversight and Reform Committee on Wednesday and then behind closed doors again on Thursday to the House Intelligence Committee.

Cohen was spotted Thursday on Capitol Hill. His legal team would not comment on why he was there, although it is not unusual for witnesses to meet with congressional staff in preparation for upcoming testimony.

The person who confirmed the Senate Intelligence interview declined to be named because the Senate committee appearance is confidential. The panel subpoenaed him earlier this year.

Cohen was scheduled to speak to the three committees earlier this month, but rescheduled all of those appearances for different reasons. He said he needed to recover from surgery and also was concerned about threats to his family from Trump and the president’s attorney spokesman, Rudy Giuliani.

House Intelligence Committee Chairman Adam Schiff postponed his appearance before that committee saying it was “in the interests of the investigation,” with no additional detail. Cohen has cooperated with Mueller’s Russia investigation.

Cohen was sentenced in December to three years in prison after pleading guilty to lying to both intelligence committees in 2017 and to campaign finance violations. His sentence will begin in May.

Meanwhile, a judge has set a March 8 sentencing date for former Trump campaign chairman Paul Manafort on his Virginia conviction for hiding millions of dollars from the IRS that he earned advising Ukrainian politicians.

The order issued Thursday by U.S. District Judge T.S. Ellis III means Manafort will face sentencing in Virginia before he does in the District of Columbia. His sentencing in the District has already been set for March 13.

In Virginia, a jury convicted Manafort on eight felonies related to tax and bank-fraud charges. In the District, Manafort pleaded guilty to illegal lobbying.

Virginia prosecutors have said sentencing guidelines call for the 69-year-old Manafort to serve nearly 20 years and possibly more than 24 years.

Manafort’s lawyers are expected to file their sentencing memorandum in Virginia by March 1.