House wants Mueller report public
Vote was unanimous, but resolution is non-binding
WASHINGTON— House Republicans joined Democrats on Thursday to demand that the U.S. Justice Department publicly release the full findings of the special counsel’s investigation into Russia’s interference in the 2016 election and the possible involvement of U.S. President Donald Trump’s campaign.
Though the resolution is nonbinding, Democrats who put it on the House floor are trying to build public pressure on Attorney General William Barr before the investigation’s anticipated conclusion.
Far from standing in the way, Republicans joined Democrats en masse. On the 420-0 vote, four Republicans voted present.
“This report must see the light of day, must be available to the American public for a catharsis that will allow us to start with the facts, understand what happened and begin to rebuild the faith of the American people,” said Rep. Jim Himes, a senior member of the intelligence committee, which has undertaken its own Russia investigation.
Republicans debating it on the House floor called the resolution a waste of time and said they trusted Barr. But they were unwilling to stand in its way.
“I am especially concerned about what would happen if the report was not made available to Congress,” said Rep. Steve Scalise, the second-ranking Republican. “Since the investigation began, Democrats have used it as an excuse to fundraise, fear-monger and peddle conspiracy theories about collusion with the Russian government. Let’s bring this chapter to a close.” Chuck Schumer, the Democratic leader in the Senate, tried to move the resolution through the Senate later Thursday by unanimous consent, but he was blocked by Lindsey Graham.
Though Graham, the Senate judiciary committee chair, said he supported transparency, he asked to amend the resolution to include the appointment of a new special counsel to investigate the FBI’s handling of the Hillary Clinton email case and its surveillance of a former Trump adviser. Schumer would not agree, and the resolution failed.
The Justice Department has given signals in recent weeks that after 22 months, special counsel Robert Mueller is nearing completion of his work. Peter Carr, a spokesperson for Mueller, offered what many viewed as fresh evidence of an imminent conclusion Thursday when he confirmed that one of the special counsel’s top prosecutors, Andrew Weissmann, will be departing the special counsel’s office “in the near future.”