GRAPEVINE, Texas — Democratic 2020 presidential candidate Sen. Kamala Harris told Texas Democrats Friday that special counsel Robert Mueller’s Russia report should be released immediately and Attorney General William Barr should testify on Capitol Hill.
“That report needs to be made public,” the California Democrat told the crowd gathered at a hotel near Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport. “The American people have a right and a need to know. The underlying evidence that supports that report should be made public. The attorney general, [William] Barr, should be called to testify under oath before the United States Congress. And the White House should not be allowed to interfere in any way in interpreting or presenting the information to the American people.”
Wanda Zamorano, 71, a retired educator, told the Washington Examiner Mueller’s findings from his Russia investigation should be released to restore confidence in the electoral process and public institutions.
“I feel really good that he did comprehensive, extensive work. He’s a thorough man. But it’s incumbent on us to make sure there is transparency because we need to be reassured about the state of our democracy,” Zamorano said, referring to Mueller. “Some of President Trump’s supporters could not care less about the truth, but we have to use every offensive available, including subpoenas.”
Zamorano backed former Rep. Beto O’Rourke of Texas last year ahead of his failed Senate bid against Republican incumbent Sen. Ted Cruz. She said she was still intrigued by Harris’ candidacy, despite the homegrown favorite this month announcing his own White House bid.
“I would love to see them together on a ticket,” Zamorano said. “I could have either one of them as president, but I can’t ignore that Beto’s an El Paso boy.”
Tevita Uhatafe, 33, who works in airline fleet services and is involved in the union movement, said while Mueller’s inquiry will continue to cause political problems for President Trump and the Trump administration, he predicted the 2020 Democratic primary and the general election will hinge on economic issues.
“We’ve already talked about it for two years, and it’s going to be mentioned over and over again,” Uhatafe said of Mueller’s probe. “I came here tonight to listen to what she [Harris] has to say about the economy because I think it’s going to tank by 2020.”
Earlier Friday, Harris, who sits on both the Senate Judiciary and Intelligence committees, urged Barr to make himself available to congressional investigators following Mueller transmitting his long-awaited report on Russian interference to the Justice Department.
“We need total transparency here. The Department of Justice launched the Special Counsel investigation to get to the bottom of foreign interference in the 2016 election and any other illegal actions,” the former California attorney general wrote in a statement. “A declassified report must be made public immediately and Attorney General Barr must publicly testify under oath about the investigation and its findings, and provide all underlying materials to the appropriate Congressional committees.”
Harris is on a three-day swing of the south, including Friday’s stop in Grapevine, a city nestled between Dallas and Fort Worth. The event, billed as “A Conversation with Kamala,” was a fundraiser for the Tarrant County Democratic Party. The senator will host a bigger rally in Houston, Texas, on Saturday, before flying across the country to Atlanta, Ga., for a second rally on Sunday.
