D.C. District Judge Reggie Walton ordered Thursday the Justice Department to submit the full unredacted Mueller report for his review, stating that Attorney General Bill Barr's representations of the report prior to its release preclude him from accepting the Justice Department's redactions without "independent verification."
Why it matters: It's a rare instance of a federal judge, who filed the order as part of a freedom of information lawsuit by BuzzFeed News, calling into question the motives and impartiality of the attorney general in a politically explosive investigation.
Context: On March 24, Barr sent Congress his summary of the "principal conclusions" from the Mueller report, which stated that the special counsel found that the Trump campaign did not conspire with Russia and that the Justice Department determined President Trump did not obstruct justice.
- On March 27, Mueller sent a letter to Barr objecting to his March 24 characterization of the report.
- The Justice Department later issued a statement defending Barr's letter, reiterating that it was a summary of his "principal conclusions" and not an attempt to summarize the report itself.
What they're saying:
The Justice Department did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
