The top Republican on the House Judiciary Committee viewed the Justice Department’s less redacted version of special counsel Robert Mueller’s report on Monday, challenging Democrats to do the same.
Rep. Doug Collins, R-Ga., seeing the more complete copy of Mueller’s report comes as select Democrats refuse to make the trip to the Justice Department’s secure reading room in protest of how Attorney General William Barr has managed the release of the special counsel’s findings. Collins’ move also follows House Judiciary Chairman Jerry Nadler, D-N.Y., issuing a subpoena last week for the full report and its underlying documents. Nadler has given the Justice Department until May 1 to turn over the information.
“The report’s 182-page look at obstruction questions includes only four redactions in total, and both volumes reinforce the principal conclusions made public last month,” Collins said in a statement. “With the special counsel’s investigation complete, I encourage Chairman Nadler and Democrat leaders to view this material as soon as possible — unless they’re afraid to acknowledge the facts this report outlines.”
The Democrats who declined the Justice Department’s invitation include House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., Senate Judiciary ranking member Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif., House Intelligence Chairman Adam Schiff, D-Calif., and Senate Intelligence ranking member Mark Warner, D-Va.
“Unfortunately, your proposed accommodation — which among other things would prohibit discussion of the full report, even with other Committee Members — is not acceptable,” the lawmakers wrote last week in a letter to Barr.
Pelosi last week scheduled a conference call for her caucus to discuss their response to Mueller’s findings.
