Six U.S. House committee leaders introduced a nonbinding resolution on Friday expressing their desire to see the report from special counsel Robert Mueller to be released to the public once it is complete.
In a joint statement issued Friday, the committee leaders, all Democrats, urged newly confirmed Attorney General William Barr to commit to releasing the full details of the Mueller report to both the public and to the Congress once the report was finalized by the special counsel.
“As the Department of Justice made clear over the last two years, DOJ policy permits disclosure of investigative materials when it serves the public interest, even as they pertain to ‘uncharged third parties.’ The public is clearly served by transparency with respect to any investigation that could implicate or exonerate the President and his campaign. We urge our colleagues on both sides of the aisle to join us in supporting this common sense resolution,” the statement read.
The House members behind the resolution are: Jerry Nadler, D-N.Y., chairman of the Judiciary Committee; Elijah E. Cummings, D-Md., who heads the Oversight and Reform Committee; Adam Schiff, D-Calif., chairman of the Intelligence Committee; Maxine Waters, D-Calif., who leads the Financial Services Committee; Richard Neal, D-Mass., chairman of the Ways and Means Committee; and Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Eliot Engel, D-N.Y.
Special counsel Robert Mueller was appointed to investigate Russian interference into the 2016 presidential election. His investigation has led to the indictment of dozens of people, from Russian operatives and companies to President Trump’s former campaign manager Paul Manafort.
How the final Mueller report will be handled was an important part of Barr’s confirmation process over the last few months, with Democrats fearing that the Trump administration would hide potentially damaging parts of the report. Barr has stated that he will not recuse himself from overseeing the investigation.
