William Barr testifies before the Senate Judiciary Committee during his confirmation hearing Jan. 15. Photo: Diego M. Radzinschi/NLJ

Updated at 4:40 p.m.

A redacted version of Special Counsel Robert Mueller III's report on the Russia investigation will be delivered to Congress by mid-April, “if not sooner,” U.S. Attorney General William Barr said Friday in a letter to congressional leaders detailing how he plans to prepare the nearly 400-page document for public release.

With Mueller's assistance, Barr said the Justice Department is “well along in the process” of reviewing and redacting any grand jury information in the document, along with any information that could interfere with ongoing investigations. Barr said he does not plan to submit the report to the White House for a review by the president's lawyers.

“Our progress is such that I anticipate we will be in a position to release the report by mid-April, if not sooner,” Barr wrote. “Although the president would have the right to assert privilege over certain parts of the report, he has stated publicly that he intends to defer to me and, accordingly, there are no plans to submit the report to the White House for a privilege review.”

Closing the letter, Barr said he believed it would be appropriate for him to testify on the report shortly after its public release. He proposed a May 1 appearance before the Republican-led Senate Judiciary Committee followed the next day by a hearing with the House Judiciary Committee headed by U.S. Rep. Jerrold Nadler, D-New York.

“The special counsel's report is nearly 400 pages long (exclusive of tables and appendices) and sets forth the special counsel's findings, his analysis, and the reasons for his conclusions,” Barr wrote. “Everyone will soon be able to read it on their own.”

Democrats in the House and Senate have questioned the thoroughness of Barr's four-page summary documents the “principal conclusions” of Mueller's report.

Mueller concluded there was no evidence establishing that members of the Trump campaign participated in a conspiracy with Russia to interfere in the 2016 presidential election. Mueller did not take a position on whether President Donald Trump obstructed the investigation.

Barr and Rod Rosenstein, the deputy U.S. attorney general, made a formal conclusion that Trump did not commit obstruction of justice. The soundness of that conclusion, including whether Mueller asked Barr to resolve the issue, has generated a firestorm of debate among legal scholars.

Nadler, responding to Barr's letter Friday, said the House Judiciary Committee wants to see the full Mueller report by April 2. “That deadline still stands,” Nadler said.

He added: “I appreciate the Attorney General's offer to testify before the Committee on May 2.  We will take that date under advisement. However, we feel that it is critical for Attorney General Barr to come before Congress immediately to explain the rationale behind his letter, his rapid decision that the evidence developed was insufficient to establish an obstruction of justice offense, and his continued refusal to provide us with the full report.”

Senate Judiciary Chairman Lindsey Graham, R-South Carolina, said in a statement to Barr's letter: “I look forward to hearing from Attorney General Barr on May 1.”

 

Read Barr's letter below:

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READ: Here Are Mueller's 'Principal' Findings in Russia Investigation