House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., reiterated her call for transparency surrounding special counsel Robert Mueller’s report on his inquiry into Russian meddling in the 2016 election, including that briefings to congressional committees be unclassified.
In a letter to members of the Democratic caucus on Saturday, Pelosi pointed to her statement with Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., requesting Attorney General William Barr make Mueller’s full report public and turn over to Congress its underlying documentation and findings.
“We are insisting that any briefings to any committees be unclassified so that members can speak freely about every aspect of the report and not be confined to what DOJ chooses to release publicly,” Pelosi wrote in her letter.
Democrats are holding a conference call at 3 p.m. to discuss the delivery of Mueller’s confidential report and next steps.
Mueller delivered his report to Barr on Friday afternoon, concluding his 22-month-long investigation into Russia’s interference in the 2016 election. Barr told congressional leaders in a letter he may be able to provide them with the special counsel’s “principal conclusions” as early as this weekend, but those details will not be given to Congress on Saturday.
The investigation into Russian meddling led to the indictments of 34 people and three Russian companies, including six individuals close to President Trump. A senior Justice Department official told reporters Mueller will not recommend any new indictments.
“Even if DOJ chooses not to prosecute additional individuals, the underlying findings must be provided to Congress and the American people,” Pelosi wrote in her letter. “The attorney general’s offer to provide the committees with a summary of the report’s conclusions is insufficient. Congress requires the full report and the underlying documents so that the committees can proceed with their independent work, including oversight and legislating the address any issues the Mueller report may raise.”
