Attorney General William Barr has been briefing President Donald Trump’s attorneys about the contents of the Mueller report in what appears to be an attempt to assist them, including Trump’s private attorney, Rudy Giuliani, in preparing a “counterreport.”
Some of Special Counsel Mueller’s findings “will not be news to President Trump,” a just-published story in The New York Times reveals.
“Justice Department officials have had numerous conversations with White House lawyers about the special counsel’s conclusions in recent days, according to people with knowledge of the discussions. The talks have aided the president’s legal team as it prepares a rebuttal to the report and strategize for the coming public war over its findings,” the Times adds.
On Wednesday Giuliani texted a Politico reporters at 2:54 AM to share that he had whittled down his “counterreport” to about 40 pages or less. That news led many to assume what has now been confirmed: Barr and his team have been working to protect the Trump administration.
CNN’s Keith Bpykin and Polpular.ifo and ThinkProgress founder Judd Jegum sum up what many seem to be feeling right now: