The Department of Justice called Friday “premature and unnecessary” the subpoena issued by House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jerrold Nadler for the full Mueller report.
The department’s spokeswoman, Kerri Kupec, noted that the version of the special counsel’s report released by Attorney General William Barr had only “minimal redactions” and that Barr had already made arrangements for lawmakers, including Nadler, to review and an even less redacted report.
“In light of this, Congressman Nadler’s subpoena is premature and unnecessary,” Kupec said. “The Department will continue to work with Congress to accommodate its legitimate requests consistent with the law and long-recognized executive branch interests.”
On Friday, Nadler issued a subpoena for the full Mueller report and the underlying evidence in it, setting a May 1 deadline for the Justice Department to release it.
Nadler said Barr’s proposal to have some lawmakers see a less redacted version was unacceptable and added that he is “open to working with the Department to reach a reasonable accommodation for access to these materials.”
“My Committee needs and is entitled to the full version of the report and the underlying evidence consistent with past practice. The redactions appear to be significant. We have so far seen none of the actual evidence that the Special Counsel developed to make this case,” Nadler said.
The redacted version of Robert Mueller’s report released to Congress by Barr restricts sensitive intelligence information which could affect ongoing investigations, as well as grand jury material.
Nadler and other Democrats have accused Barr of improperly handling the Mueller report, saying he painted a more positive picture of President Donald Trump than the special counsel’s findings do. In his 4-page summary of the report, Barr says Mueller did not find enough evidence Trump obstructed justice. The report does not exclude the option Trump did obstruct justice.
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