President Donald Trump says it�s �totally up to� his attorney general whether the public gets to read special counsel Robert Mueller�s Russia report.

Trump was asked on CBS� �Face the Nation� whether he�d have a problem with a public release. He said: �I don�t know. It depends. I have no idea what it�s going to say.�

Acting Attorney General Matthew Whitaker said last week the probe is �close to being completed.�

Democrats have pressured attorney general nominee William Barr to commit to releasing the final report in full. Barr has said he doesn�t know �what will be releasable� or what Mueller�s writing.

Barr has cited Justice Department regulations that say Mueller�s report should be confidential. They require only that the report explain decisions to pursue or decline prosecutions.

Trump also said he has �not thought about� a pardon for Roger Stone, a confidant who is the sixth Trump aide charged in Mueller�s investigation into possible coordination between Russia and Trump�s 2016 presidential campaign.

Stone has pleaded not guilty to felony charges of witness tampering, obstruction and false statements.

Trump called Stone �a character� and said �it looks like he�s defending himself very well.�

(AP)