Mueller accuses attorney general of being 'vague' about Russia-Trump investigation

The Washington Post reported on April 30 that three days after Attorney General William Barr sent a four-page summary to Congress concluding that Mueller did not find any collaboration between President Donald Trump's campaign and Russia and did not find evidence that Trump obstructed the investigation, Special Counsel Robert Mueller sent him a letter saying that Barr "did not fully understand the context, nature, and content" of the investigation's findings.

“There is now public confusion about important aspects of the findings of our investigation,” Mueller wrote, in assertive language that appeared to surprise Justice Department officials, according to the Washington Post. “This risks undermining the core purpose of the department’s appointment of the special counsel, which was to ensure public confidence in the findings of our investigation.”

The summary sent to Congress on April 18 is a redacted version of the full 400-page report. Democrats are scheduled to testify before Congress later this week about Barr’s role in the investigation and his interactions with Mueller.

The rift between the special counsel’s office and Barr, Mueller’s boss and longtime friend, appeared to emerge soon after the attorney general’s summary was released. Investigators said they were disappointed with Barr’s conclusions from the report, which the New York Times said Barr had skewed Mueller’s findings in a direction less damaging to Trump.

A Justice Department spokesperson confirmed Mueller wrote to Barr and that the attorney general called the special counsel after receiving the letter.

"In a cordial and professional conversation, the special counsel emphasized that nothing in the Attorney General's March 24 letter to Congress was inaccurate or misleading," a Justice Department spokesperson said in a statement. "However, he expressed frustration with the lack of context and media coverage of the special counsel's obstruction of justice analysis."

Mueller, former director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), was appointed as special prosecutor in May 2017 and is responsible for investigating allegations of Russian interference in the US election, as well as the possibility of collusion between Trump's campaign and Russia. Trump has repeatedly criticized the investigation as a "witch hunt".