House Votes For Mueller's Russia Report To Be Made Public
Lawmakers unanimously passed the resolution in a 420-0 vote
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A resolution was passed by the House on Thursday calling on Justice Department (DOJ) officials to release special counsel Robert Mueller’s report on his investigation into the alleged Russian meddling in the 2016 election.
Lawmakers unanimously passed the resolution in a 420-0 vote.
That voted present included four Republicans — Reps. Paul Gosar (Ariz.), Matt Gaetz (Fla.), Thomas Massie (Ky.), and Justin Amash (Mich.)
“I’ve said to millions of Americans on television that I support releasing the Mueller report," Gaetz told The Hill.
“I take specific exception to the elements of the resolution noting praise for Mueller, without also noting the criticism of his very biased staffing decisions," he added.
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"It’s like he was fishing for talent in the Hillary Clinton fan club aquarium.”
The resolution calls on the Justice Department to release Mueller's highly anticipated report to the public and Congress.
House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jerrold Nadler (D-N.Y.), who introduced the measure, maintains there is “overwhelming public interest” to the release of the report, which has been widely covered by the media.
The resolution calls on the full release of the report “except to the extent the public disclosure of any portion thereof is expressly prohibited by law.”
But if the Justice Department decided against the release of the report, House Democrats could subpoena the department for its contents.
The vote comes after President Trump’s second attorney general William Barr, faced questions about the Mueller investigation.
“It is important that Congress stand up for the principle of full transparency. At a time when the president has publicly attacked the Russian investigation more than 1,100 times and counting.
"Among other things, the president has repeatedly referred to the investigation as a witch hunt and called it a hoax, rigged and a scam,” Nadler said on the floor.
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"This resolution is also needed because high-ranking DOJ officials have indicated that they may not release — that they may not release information about individuals who are not indicted.”
According to The Hill: Barr said he would release as much of Mueller’s findings as feasible, but was careful not to commit to publishing the report in full — something that rankled Democrats who argue that the high public interest encompassing the investigation requires its release.
Under current regulations, Mueller is obliged to submit a final, confidential report explaining his prosecutorial decisions to the DOJ.
It will be up to Barr whether to release part or any of Mueller’s findings.
Thursday’s vote comes amid heightened speculation Mueller is close to wrapping up his investigation, which has gone on for nearly two years amid repeated public attacks from Trump.
Mueller has indicted several Russians and Trump associates in the course of his probe, but none of those charges have claimed any conspiracy between Trump’s campaign and Russia to meddle in the election.
Last week, Hillary Clinton called for a new investigation into Donald Trump and Russia, should the current Mueller probe find nothing.
Clinton says she doesn't want Congress to give up on pursuing evidence of President Trump colluding with Russian officials, even if Special Counsel Robert Mueller's report comes up empty.
