House Democrats Eyeing Mueller Subpoena, Report Says
Special Counsel Robert Mueller has officially concluded his investigation into Russian election interference and possible coordination between the Trump campaign and official Moscow. Mueller’s much-anticipated report has not yet seen the light of the day, however.
Attorney General William Barr has seen Mueller’s report, allowing the general public to see only a glimpse of it. In his summary, Barr quoted what appears to be the key finding of the special counsel, that the “investigation did not establish that members of the Trump Campaign conspired or coordinated with the Russian government in its election interference activities.”
As previously reported by The Inquisitr, Mueller drew no conclusions about obstruction of justice, leaving the matter up to the attorney general, it seems. Furthermore, according to DOJ officials, the special counsel recommends no further indictments and does not have any indictments under seal, which effectively clears the president and his allies of conspiracy with the Russian government.
The Democrats are still grappling with the facts, demanding complete transparency and urging Barr to release the document in full. Virtually every prominent Democrat has called on the AG to release the report as soon as possible.
House votes and vocal calls for the release of the report will evidently not do, so House Democrats are exploring legal options, and looking at the possibility of subpoenaing Robert Mueller, according to a new report from NBC News.
Democrats on key oversight committees are leaving all options on the table, and looking at sending a subpoena to Robert Mueller. By doing this, they would bypass the attorney general in their pursuit of the full report, and all the underlying documents pertaining to the Russia investigation.
Obama Homeland Security chief: "No reason to doubt" Mueller report findings https://t.co/DFrh29oxYF pic.twitter.com/I0D9NntZSY
— The Hill (@thehill) March 28, 2019
This does not come as a surprise given that Barr has informed the Democrats, according to House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jerrold Nadler, that he will not be able to meet the April 2 deadline previously set by the Democratic Party. The attorney general said that the report would be provided “in weeks, not months,” but refused to commit to a specific date.
“Democrats involved in the oversight process say they recognize that subpoenaing Mueller directly would be a nuclear option, typically done as a last resort.”
In a statement, House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer said that the report “did not exonerate the president,” adding that it must be made available to the public, and vowing that the Democrats “will certainly consider subpoenaing not only individuals involved but also records and papers and transcripts.”
House Intelligence Committee Chairman Adam Schiff and other top Democrats have already announced that they would be willing to subpoena Mueller’s report, but given that it could be heavily redacted by the attorney general, subpoenaing Robert Mueller personally is reportedly also on the table.
