Mueller’s Trump-Russia probe near completion

washington — Special Counsel Robert Mueller’s investigation into possible collusion between Donald Trump’s campaign and Russia in the 2016 presidential election is close to being wrapped up, Acting Attorney General Matthew Whitaker said on Monday

Mueller’s office has been notoriously tight-lipped about the progress of the high-profile investigation, and Whitaker’s remarks were the first official indication that the probe may be coming to a close.

“The Mueller investigation is close to being completed,” Whitaker told journalists. “I’ve been fully briefed on the investigation and I look forward to Director Mueller delivering the final report,” he said. “I hope we can get the report from

Director Mueller as soon as possible.” Mueller will submit his report to Whitaker unless he has been replaced as attorney general by then by Bill Barr, who has been nominated

to the post by Trump but not yet confirmed by the Senate.

Without elaborating, Whitaker said: “I am comfortable that the decisions that were made (in the Mueller report) are going to be reviewed, you know, through the various means that we have.”

Mueller, a former FBI director, was named by Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein in May 2017 to look into Russian meddling in the 2016 election.

Mueller was appointed special counsel after Trump abruptly fired FBI director James Comey that same month. Mueller’s team has indicted a total of 34 people — but so far, no charges of outright collusion between the Trump campaign and Moscow have been filed.

Trump has repeatedly denounced the investigation as a “political witch hunt” and fervently denied there was any collusion between his campaign and Moscow. —