Subpoenas for Mueller report OK’d

The House Judiciary Committee authorized subpoenas Wednesday for special counsel Robert Mueller’s full report and all underlying evidence from his investigation into Russia’s attack on the 2016 election, paving way for a contentious court battle with the Trump administration.

The Democratically-controlled committee, chaired by New York Rep. Jerrold Nadler, predictably approved the subpoenas in a 24-17 party line vote.

The vote doesn’t automatically trigger the subpoenas, but gives Nadler permission to issue them.

Before the vote, Nadler said he’ll give Attorney General William Barr one final chance to “change his mind” about releasing the complete Mueller report.

“But if we cannot reach an accommodation, then we will have no choice but to issue subpoenas for these materials,” Nadler said.

The subpoena authorization came one day after the deadline Democrats set for Barr to release Mueller’s full account.

Barr refused to commit to the deadline, saying by law he has to redact some parts of Mueller’s nearly 400-page report, including grand jury materials and information that could compromise national security operations.

The attorney general, who was nominated by President Trump last year, has said he hopes to release a redacted version by mid-April.

Meanwhile, Rep. Richard Neal, the chairman of the House Ways and Means Committee, issued a request to the Internal Revenue Service citing an obscure tax code that he says should allow him to get his hands on Trump’s personal tax returns from 2013 to 2018. Neal’s request also demands returns for some of Trump’s business entities spanning the same time period.

The Massachusetts Democrat stressed he’s not high on subpoena power, but made the highly unusual request as part of what he considers “critical” congressional oversight. He also argued the Ways and Means panel needs Trump’s returns in order to craft legislation codifying presidential tax audits.