Dozens of pages in Special Counsel Robert Mueller's report had redactions, including portions of a section on Russia's efforts to influence the 2016 election via social media and parts of one on the investigation into ties between President Donald Trump's campaign and WikiLeaks.
One of the most heavily redacted section of the 448-page report was about Russia's effort to sew seeds of discord in the 2016 presidential election.
Specifically targeted by the Justice Department's black pen was the section dealing with the Internet Research Agency, which 'carried out the earliest Russian interference operations identified by the investigation - a social media campaign designed to provoke and amplify political and social discord in the United States,' the report states.
Dozens of pages in Special Counsel Robert Mueller's report were redacted
Special counsel Robert Mueller's 438-page report was made public Thursday
Page after page is blacked out by Attorney General William Barr, whose DoJ lawyers went through the report to hide sensitive information before its public release on Thursday.
'Harm to an ongoing matter,' is the stated reason, which indicates the matter is still being investigated by federal prosecutors.
The section details Russia's efforts on Facebook and Twitter to influence voters toward Donald Trump and away from Hillary Clinton.
Barr said at a press conference on Thursday that nothing was redacted for executive privilege, which President Donald Trump could have used.
The four categories for redaction are grand jury evidence, classified material, information about on-going investigations, and details that could 'unduly infringe on the personal privacy and reputational interests of peripheral third parties.'
About about 2,050 lines - or 12.4 percent - are redacted, the Wall Street Journal noted.
There are also several blackouts in the section detailing the hacking of emails from the Democratic National Committee and the placing of malware software in their system.
The reason given is 'investigative technique.'
There are also heavy redactions in the section looking at possible contacts between Trump's campaign and Wikileaks, in reference to the hacked Democratic emails.
'Harm to an
