Dems want faster release of Mueller’s report
WASHINGTON (AP) — The battle over releasing the special counsel’s report intensified as Democrats in Congress insisted Attorney General William Barr must quickly release its full findings. Barr said he’ll release at least a partial version in April.
Skepticism mounted over Barr’s four-page synopsis, which was released Sunday and found no evidence US President Donald Trump’s campaign “conspired or coordinated” with the Russian government to influence the 2016 presidential election.
The longer it takes to release the full findings from special counsel Robert Mueller, the more Democrats, in particular, warn they will question the legitimacy of Barr’s actions.
The push came as the House moved ahead with its own oversight of the Trump administration, including an Intelligence Committee hearing scheduled Friday on Russia’s role in the 2016 election.
Rep. Elijah Cummings, the chairman of the House Oversight Committee, said Wednesday he was “disappointed” Barr would take weeks, not days, to release the report.
“The president has now an opportunity for weeks, it sounds like, to do these victory laps,” said Cummings, noting that Trump’s lawyer, Michael Cohen, is among those headed to jail as a result of the probe. “Cohen goes to jail, the president runs a victory lap.”
The attorney general told the chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, Sen. Lindsey Graham that he’s combing through Mueller’s report and removing classified, grand jury and other information in hopes of releasing it to Congress. Graham told The Associated Press on Wednesday that he had dinner the previous evening with Barr, who said he is willing to testify before the committee after he sends Congress the report.
Trump also has said he’s fine with releasing the findings. “The president said, ‘Just let it go,’ and that’s what’s going to happen,” Graham said.
What’s clear, though, is that Barr will miss the Tuesday deadline set by six House committee chairmen to see the full confidential report and its underlying documents. They have suggested they may eventually need to subpoena it.
Judiciary Committee Chairman Jerry Nadler said he was “very concerned” Barr would not provide the material by the time set.