by Henry Rodgers
The House Judiciary Committee voted Wednesday to hold Attorney General William Barr in contempt of Congress for not giving the committee special counsel Robert Mueller’s full, unredacted report.
The committee, led by New York Democratic Rep. Jerry Nadler, originally gave Barr a deadline of 9 a.m. Monday to turn in the full report with no redactions, which many Republicans believe would be dangerous due to the possibly sensitive material that could be leaked.
Nadler scheduled the congressional contempt vote for Wednesday at 10 a.m. All Democrats present voted to advance the vote to hold Barr in contempt of Congress in the procedural vote Wednesday morning. The committee later voted along party lines, with 24 Democrats voting yes for Barr to be held in contempt of Congress. No Republicans joined.
Before the vote, The White House said the president would use executive privilege to prevent Democratic lawmakers from getting the materials they’re requesting.
“Even in redacted form, the Special Counsel’s report offers disturbing evidence and analysis that President Trump engaged in obstruction of justice at the highest levels. Congress must see the full report and underlying evidence to determine how to best move forward with oversight, legislation, and other constitutional responsibilities,” Nadler said in a statement Monday.
“The Attorney General’s failure to comply with our subpoena, after extensive accommodation efforts, leaves us no choice but to initiate contempt proceedings in order to enforce the subpoena and access the full, unredacted report. If the Department presents us with a good faith offer for access to the full report and the underlying evidence, I reserve the right to postpone these proceedings,” Nadler continued.
Georgia GOP Rep. Doug Collins, the ranking member of the House Judiciary Committee, blasted Nadler in a Monday statement, saying Nadler’s request would require Barr to break the law.
“Chairman Nadler knows full subpoena compliance requires Attorney General Barr to break the law. Yet, instead of introducing legislation allowing the attorney general to provide Congress grand jury material, Democrats move to hold him in contempt,” Collins said in the statement.
“They know the Justice Department is working to negotiate even as they pursue contempt charges, making their move today illogical and disingenuous. Democrats have launched a proxy war smearing the attorney general when their anger actually lies with the president and the special counsel, who found neither conspiracy nor obstruction,” Collins continued.
Democrats and cable news pundits have said the Mueller report is a cover-up.
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Henry Rodgers is a reporter for the Daily Caller News Foundation. Follow Henry on Twitter.
Background Photo “Department of Justice Building” by Coolcaesar. CC BY-SA 3.0.
