WASHINGTON — Special counsel Robert Mueller will make a statement Wednesday on his 22-month-long investigation of Russian interference in the 2016 U.S. presidential election at 11 a.m., marking the former prosecutor’s first public comments about the probe, the Justice Department announced.
Mueller’s statement comes after The Guardian newspaper reported that author Michael Wolff is alleging in a new book the special prosecutor prepared a three-count indictment against Trump before deciding to scrap it.
Peter Carr, a spokesman for the special counsel, told The Guardian, “The documents that you’ve described do not exist.”
It’s not clear what Mueller will say about the investigation in his statement. In a press advisory, the Justice Department said there will be a statement only, and Mueller will not take any questions.
Mueller concluded his investigation into Russian election meddling in late March, saying he found no evidence of collusion between the 2016 presidential campaign of Donald Trump and Moscow. On the question of whether President Trump obstructed justice, however, Mueller said he could not reach a traditional prosecutorial judgment.
Attorney General William Barr later told members of Congress he found no evidence that Trump obstructed justice.
Congressional Democrats have accused Barr of misrepresenting Mueller’s conclusions and have been pressing for Mueller to testify before Congress. Both Trump and Barr have said they have no objection to Mueller testifying. Mueller has not said whether he will testify.
Masood Farivar I VOA
