Special counsel Robert Mueller will closely follow Justice Department guidelines in his report on Russian interference in the 2016 election, according to prosecutors who spoke with The Washington Post.
"He is by-the-book-Bob," said an unnamed former Justice Department prosecutor. "So, you want to start with the presumption that he will look at these regulations and follow them very literally and closely."
The lawyers told the Post it is ultimately up to newly confirmed Attorney General William Barr whether to release any or all of Mueller's report to the public. He is required to report on the investigation to Congress, but it is unclear how detailed that summary has to be.
Prosecutors also warned the Justice Department and Congress could enter a standoff should Barr decide to release only part of the report.
"I think it'll come down to what the House Judiciary is willing to accept and how fulsome Barr chooses to be in including material within the scope of the report in whatever summary that he transmits to Congress," said another unnamed prosecutor.
A former prosecutor also said Mueller is unlikely to recommend criminal charges against Trump.
"Whether it's a crime or not is beside the point because they're not going to prosecute him anyway," the former DOJ prosecutor said.
Another one added Mueller "is a rules follower and he'd be careful to refrain from doing or saying anything than operating outside of the prescribed legal scope of his authority."
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