AILSA CHANG, HOST:
Across the country today, Attorney General Barr's letter on the Mueller Report was a topic of conversation. To get an idea of what people are saying, NPR's Jeff Brady went to Berks County, Pa., where, like in much of the country, rural residents tend to vote Republican and those who live in cities lean Democratic.
JEFF BRADY, BYLINE: We'll start first in the rural parts of Berks County, where you're as likely to see an Amish horse and buggy as you are a tractor on the two-lane roads. I stopped at the Windmill Family Restaurant. There's a huge traditional Dutch windmill twirling outside. Inside, some diners get a little cranky when a reporter brings up the Mueller investigation.
UNIDENTIFIED PERSON #1: It's all a waste of money. That's what I think.
BRADY: Do you mind if I ask you about it?
UNIDENTIFIED PERSON #1: No.
BRADY: By that he meant, no, you may not ask. There is a warmer reception up at the front counter, where Barbara Peel is finishing her meal. She's a Republican, a big fan of President Trump, and says she's relieved the Mueller investigation is over.
BARBARA PEEL: Of course it's not over over because the Democrats will not let it be over.
BRADY: Peel says all the politics and how much some people dislike President Trump can get tiring.
PEEL: They started this investigation not with the special counsel, but they started investigating him even before he was inaugurated. And it's taken all this time to find out that it never happened.
BRADY: She's pleased Mueller confirmed her belief that there was no conspiracy between the campaign and Russia to affect the 2016 election. For a very different view, I head into the nearby city of Reading. Democrat Margarita Lara has a one-word response when asked about her views on the Mueller investigation.
MARGARITA LARA: Public.
BRADY: Public?
LARA: Public.
BRADY: Can I ask you about your opinion?
LARA: He's guilty.
UNIDENTIFIED PERSON #2: Who's that?
LARA: Trump.
BRADY: Lara agrees with those calling for the full Mueller investigation report to be made public.
LARA: There's a lot of unanswered questions that we, the people, should know.
BRADY: What are some questions you have?
LARA: Did he, in fact, colluded? What did he discuss with Putin in private? And how much help did the Russians give him? And was he aware of them helping him while he was campaigning?
BRADY: And, as if to confirm what residents of rural Bucks County allege, Lara says Democrats should keep pushing and investigating until President Trump is pushed out of office. Jeff Brady, NPR News, Reading, Pa.
[POST-BROADCAST CORRECTION: In this report we mistakenly refer to Bucks County instead of Berks County.] Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.
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