Mueller report redaction memes flood Twitter
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Americans are apparently having a blast killing time as they anxiously prepare for the release of special counsel Robert Mueller's full report on the Russia investigation — a moment they have been waiting for since the investigation began in May 2017.
Attorney General William Barr will deliver the nearly 400-page document to Congress via CDs between 11 a.m. ET and noon. The information will be provided to the public shortly after on the special counsel's website.
Barr gave everyone a small preview of what's to come during an early Thursday news conference. Once again, he stressed the special counsel found "no evidence" of collusion between the Trump campaign and Russia during the 2016 presidential election.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}WHAT TIME WILL THE MUELLER REPORT BE RELEASED? WHAT TO KNOW ABOUT THE DOCUMENT DUMP
But there are some key details that lawmakers and the public are eager to learn more about, particularly the issue of obstruction of justice. The Mueller probe did not reach a conclusion on whether President Trump committed this offense, but Barr and deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein determined there was not sufficient evidence on that front.
It's up to Barr to determine how much information Congress will see.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}He confirmed Thursday he redacted any information he deemed inappropriate or harmful to a person's character if he or she has not been charged with a crime. Classified information, grand jury items, closed-door testimony and information that could hinder an ongoing case will also be protected.
"As you will see, most of the redactions were compelled by the need to prevent harm to ongoing matters and to comply with court orders prohibiting the public disclosure of information bearing on ongoing investigations and criminal cases," Barr said.
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{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Though Barr claimed the redactions would be "limited," Twitter users had a field day envisioning what the documents would look like. Dozens of redaction memes flooded the social media site Thursday — many reposting fake documents covered in black bars.
One Twitter user posted a snippet of a redacted snippet of William Shakespeare's Sonnet 18.
"Barr's redacted version of Sonnet 18....," the user wrote, along with a meme that revealed six words of the literature.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Another bleeped out the lyrics to Rick Astley's popular song "Never Gonna Give You Up."
"The redacted #MuellerReport is out! And this is what it reveals...," a user tweeted.
Actor Rainn Wilson, known for his role as Dwight Schrute on "The Office," also joked about potential redactions.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}"They just released the Mueller Report!" Wilson captioned a meme of a document that only contained the phrases "moreover" and "in that same vein."
"Full Frontal with Samantha Bee" used the hype about the release to promote the White House Correspondents' Dinner on April 27.
A sports fanatic jokingly posted an "advanced copy" of the report that jabs the Washington Nationals baseball team.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}"The Nationals Bullpen is a complete disaster," the fake document reads.
Here's a look at some other memes and responses people have posted in anticipation of Mueller's findings.
Fox News' Brooke Singman contributed to this report.