House Panel OKs Subpoenas for Full Mueller Report

Rep. Nadler said he would issue them if AG Barr doesn't change his position
By Newser Editors and Wire Services
Posted Apr 3, 2019 10:30 AM CDT
Rep. Nadler Given the OK to Subpoena Mueller Report
House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jerrold Nadler, D-NY, arrives at his office on Capitol Hill before a planned vote to subpoena special counsel Robert Mueller's full report on Wednesday.   (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)

The House Judiciary Committee approved subpoenas Wednesday for special counsel Robert Mueller's full Russia report as Democrats pressure the Justice Department to release the document without redactions. The committee voted 24-17 to give Democratic Judiciary Chairman Jerrold Nadler permission to issue subpoenas to the Justice Department for the final report, its exhibits, and any underlying evidence or materials prepared for Mueller's investigation. House Democrats had given Attorney General William Barr until Tuesday to produce the full report to Congress. The Justice Department ignored that deadline, reports the AP, with Barr telling committee chairs in a letter last week that a redacted version of the full 300-page report would be released by mid-April, "if not sooner."

Nadler said he'll give Barr time to change his mind on redactions, but if they can't reach an agreement, "then we will have no choice" but to issue the subpoenas. The vote further escalates the Democrats' battle with the Justice Department over how much of the report they'll be able to see, a fight that could eventually end up in court if the two sides can't settle their differences through negotiation. Democrats have said they won't accept redactions. In the letter last week, Barr said he's scrubbing the report to avoid disclosing any grand jury information or classified material, in addition to portions of the report that pertain to ongoing investigations or that "would unduly infringe on the personal privacy and reputational interests of peripheral third parties." Democrats say they want access to all of that information, even if some of it can't be disclosed to the public. (More Mueller report stories.)

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