Trump’s Former Lawyer: Mueller Report Is ‘Just Wholly Unnecessary’

Special Counsel Robert Mueller’s report into suspected Russian involvement in the 2016 election and potential obstruction of justice by the White House will be published tomorrow. Though it will be heavily redacted by Attorney General William Barr, it may contain bad news for President Donald Trump and Republicans.

“I haven’t read it, but it’s just wholly unnecessary,” said John Dowd, one of Trump’s former lawyers. “You just don’t need it. It’s pure mischief.”

Dowd, who was Trump’s lawyer for nearly a year during the investigation, told The Daily Beast that he wasn’t concerned about the contents of the report, but still downplayed its upcoming publication. Dowd said the report should just be five pages, rather than the 400 plus that are expected.

“The trouble is, these special counsels inflate themselves, think they’re more important—and they’re not, in the scheme of things, and it ruptures the system of justice and it’s not fair,” he said.

Dowd was one of the first to call for the Mueller investigation to be shut down and he criticized Mueller for not concluding that Trump hadn’t obstructed justice. The report may contain worrying evidence about Trump’s attempts to obstruct the investigation, without rising to the level of criminality.

“To me, it’s a probe that’s tainted by politics and by hate, and I don’t like it,” Dowd said.

The redacted report will dominate the news agenda Friday as cable networks pore over the report for any information damaging to Trump, though the redactions may soften its impact.