White House: Trump has not been briefed on Mueller report

The White House on Friday said President Trump has not been briefed on special counsel Robert Mueller’s final report on the Russia investigation, adding it is up to the Justice Department how to handle the long-awaited document.

“The next steps are up to Attorney General [William] Barr, and we look forward to the process taking its course. The White House has not received or been briefed on the special counsel’s report,” press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders said in a statement.

{mosads}Mueller’s report was submitted to Barr while Trump was at his Mar-a-Lago club in Palm Beach, Fla. He has yet to comment personally on the report.

White House lawyers Pat Cipollone and Emmet Flood accompanied Trump to South Florida, an unusual move for one of the president’s weekend trips but a sign the West Wing was on high alert for the Mueller report to be submitted.

Trump’s personal attorneys Rudy Giuliani and Jay Sekulow said in a joint statement they were “pleased” the report has been delivered to Barr, whom they reiterated “will determine the appropriate next steps.”

The special counsel’s report is expected to include Mueller’s conclusions on whether the Trump campaign colluded with Russia’s effort to interfere in the 2016 election and if the president obstructed the probe. It’s the result of a nearly two-year investigation that has hung over Trump’s presidency.

Trump, who has frequently lashed out at Mueller, said in an interview with Fox Business Network that “people will not stand for it” if the report contains damaging information about him.

“We’ll see what happens. There was no collusion. There was no obstruction. Everybody knows it. It’s all a big hoax. I call it the witch hunt. It’s all a big hoax,” Trump told reporters at the White House earlier Friday before the report was submitted.

Barr is facing heavy pressure from Democrats and many Republicans to release the full report to Congress and the public.

“Attorney General Barr must not give President Trump, his lawyers or his staff any ‘sneak preview’ of Special Counsel Mueller’s findings or evidence, and the White House must not be allowed to interfere in decisions about what parts of those findings or evidence are made public,” Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) and Senate Minority Leader Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.) said in a joint statement.

In a letter to congressional chairmen notifying them of the report’s submission, the attorney general said Mueller was never blocked from pursuing investigatory threads and added Congress could be briefed on Mueller’s “principal” findings “as soon as this weekend.”

Barr said he would consult with Mueller and Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein to determine what can be released.

“I remain committed to as much transparency as possible, and I will keep you informed as to the status of my review,” Barr wrote.

Updated at 6:14 p.m.