Barr says Mueller report outlines 10 instances of potential obstruction of justice by Trump

Reuters

U.S. Attorney General Barr prepares to speak at a news conference to discuss Special Counsel Robert Mueller's report on Russian interference in the 2016 U.S. presidential race, in Washington

• The special counsel Robert Mueller's final report in the Russia investigation includes 10 instances of potential obstruction by President Donald Trump, Attorney General William Barr said Thursday.
• Barr said that, however, that he determined Trump did not obstruct justice because he did not have corrupt intent.
• The report will be delivered to Congress at 11 a.m. ET on Thursday and it will be published online by the DOJ shortly after.

In a press conference Thursday morning, Attorney General William Barr told reporters that the final report in the special counsel Robert Mueller's investigation includes 10 potential instances in which President Donald Trump may have obstructed justice in the Russia investigation.

Barr held the press conference at 9:30 a.m. ET, over an hour before a redacted version of Mueller's report was delivered to Congress. It did not include Mueller or any members of his team.

In a March 24 letter to Congress, Barr said that he had consulted with Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein and ultimately concluded that Trump did not obstruct justice.

On Thursday, Barr said "there is substantial evidence to show that the president was frustrated ... by his sincere belief that the investigation was undermining his presidency ... and fueled by illegal leaks."

But "the president took no act that in fact deprived the special counsel of the documents and witnesses necessary to complete his investigation," Barr added. "The evidence of non-corrupt motives weighs heavily against any allegation that the president had a corrupt intent to obstruct the investigation."

Barr said the report would be delivered to the chairmen of the House and Senate judiciary committees at 11 a.m. ET on Thursday. He also said the Justice Department will post a copy of the report to its government website after it has been delivered to Congress.

The attorney general's decision to give an overview of the report before lawmakers or the public saw it sparked immediate and sustained backlash on Capitol Hill.

"The attorney general appears to be waging a media campaign on behalf of President Trump," House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jerry Nadler said in a hastily arranged press conference Wednesday evening, after news of Barr's presser broke.

"Rather than letting the facts of the report speak for themselves, the attorney general has taken unprecedented steps to spin Mueller's nearly 2-year investigation" in Trump's favor, he added.