The US Department of Justice is preparing to release a crucial inspector general report about the FBI's investigation into President Trump's 2016 campaign by the end of the month, The Washington Post reported on Wednesday, citing sources.
According to the newspaper, the initial deadline was set for 20 November, but a source said it is more likely to be published only after Thanksgiving (28 November) due to legal and political issues regarding the document.
Attorney General William Barr has had to take decisions about declassification of the report, while Inspector General Michael Horowitz revealed details about the FBI launching the probe, later pursuing the investigation and related cases.
Both officials have previously refused to comment on the timing of the potentially groundbreaking report.
The news about the report comes as US Attorney John Durham is conducting a separate investigation into the American intelligence community pursuing allegations of the Trump campaign's ties with Russian authorities.
Two-Year 'Witch Hunt'
The accusations against Trump and his team emerged soon after his victory in the 2016 presidential election. According to them, the US president cooperated with Moscow in order to get dirt on his political opponents and win the vote.
Numerous politicians also accused Moscow of hacking the Democratic National Committee to meddle with the elections in favour of the Republican candidate.
Russia denied the claims, stressing there was no evidence to prove any of these statements, and that it was simply politically motivated fake news.
To address the issue, ex-FBI head Robert Mueller was appointed Special Counsel for the United States Department of Justice to probe Trump's campaign and after more than two years of work published a report in April 2019.
The probe also did not state any exact evidence about the alleged ''collusion'' of Donald Trump with the Kremlin, saying that no "broader conspiracy" had affected the outcome of the elections.
The US president, who has repeatedly stated the probe is "a witch hunt", launched by his political rivals, vowed to look into the original investigation to prove it was a hoax.