Dem-Led House Judiciary Committee Votes on Party Lines to Subpoena Mueller Report
The House Judiciary Committee voted Wednesday to subpoena the Department of Justice to turn over special counsel Robert Mueller’s entire unredacted report, as well as the materials supporting its findings.
The Hill reported the resolution authorizing multiple subpoenas passed the committee in a straight party line vote, 24-7.
“The resolution also authorizes the committee’s Democratic chairman to subpoena testimony related to the special counsel’s report,” according to The Hill.
House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jerrold Nadler said he would give Attorney General William Barr a limited number of days to comply with the demand before issuing the subpoena for the full unredacted report on the findings of Mueller’s investigation into collusion between Donald Trump’s presidential campaign and Russia.
“This committee requires the full report, because it is our job, not the attorney general’s, to determine whether or not President Trump has abused his office,” Nadler argued Wednesday before the committee. “We must make it harder for future presidents to behave in this way.”
Rep. Jerry Nadler says the House Judiciary Committee requires full Mueller report “because it is our job, not the attorney general’s, to determine whether or not President Trump has abused his office … We must make it harder for future presidents to behave in this way.”
Via ABC pic.twitter.com/MdiWez2auB— Kyle Griffin (@kylegriffin1) April 3, 2019
Barr has promised to deliver as much of the Mueller report as he legally can to Congress, without redactions, by the middle of April.
The attorney general has noted that Federal Rule of Criminal Procedure 6(e) prevents him from disclosing matters occurring before a grand jury, including the testimony of witnesses, without a judge’s approval.
“I will give him time to change his mind,” Nadler said, according to The Hill. “But if we cannot reach an accommodation then we will have no choice but to issue subpoenas for these materials.
“And if the department still refuses, then it should be up to a judge — not the president and not his political appointee — to decide whether the committee can review the complete record.”
House Judiciary Committee ranking member Rep. Doug Collins of Georgia accused Democrats of engaging in “political theater” and defended Barr, saying he is following the law.
“The regulations we put in place are still there,” Collins said. “At this point in time, the attorney general, although he is being smeared, repeatedly, is doing exactly what the regulation says.”
.@RepDougCollins on subpoenas and the Mueller Report: “This seems like a counter-intuitive way to conduct oversight.” pic.twitter.com/Yku7lD9yy9
— CSPAN (@cspan) April 3, 2019
Nadler told reporters after the committee meeting that he is not willing to negotiate with the DOJ concerning his demand the entire report and its underlying materials be handed over.
“The committee must see everything, as was done in every prior instance,” he said. “We handle confidential materials all the time. We have facilities to do that. We make those judgments.”
During Wednesday’s hearing, the New York Democrat addressed the controversy regarding his opposition in 1998 to publicly releasing independent counsel Ken Starr’s complete report regarding then-President Bill Clinton because it contained “salacious” material and unverified testimony versus calling for all the materials to be released to Congress now.
He said the controversy in 1998 was releasing materials from the Starr report that Congress already had.
“Congress has no business publishing graphic accounts of the president’s sex life,” Nadler said. “We are dealing now not with the president’s private affairs, but with a sustained attack on the integrity of the republic by the president and his closest advisers.”
Trump responded to Nadler and his fellow Democrats’ demands for the entire report and its underlying materials on Tuesday, saying, “It’s ridiculous. We went through two years of the Mueller investigation. …
“So there’s no collusion, there’s no obstruction and now we’re going to start this process all over again? I think it’s a disgrace.”
The president said of the Democrats, “Anything we give them will never be enough.”
Pres. Trump on possible House vote to subpoena full Mueller report: “Anything we give them will never be enough.”
“It’s 400 page report, right? We could give them 800 pages, and it wouldn’t be enough.” https://t.co/EOOcIn3dYj pic.twitter.com/CYVhp40lWt
— ABC News (@ABC) April 2, 2019
He pledged to stand by what Barr decides should be released.
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