Special Counsel Robert Mueller delivered his much anticipated final report to Attorney General William Barr on Friday, marking the formal end of a 20-month investigation of Russian collusion in the 2016 U.S. elections. The central takeaway thus far is the recommendation of no further indictments.
But those seeing the investigation as a means by which to remove President Donald Trump from the Oval Office, are not giving up hope just yet. Looking to find what Mueller couldn’t, 2020 presidential contenders are calling for the Mueller report’s release.
#ReleaseTheReport
Sen. Kamala Harris (D-CA), a 2020 hopeful and a member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, told her supporters in an email that she would “not rest” until the report is made public and Barr testifies about it before Congress.
“We need total transparency here,” she wrote. “The Department of Justice launched the Special Counsel investigation to get to the bottom of foreign interference in the 2016 election and any other illegal actions. A declassified report must be made public immediately and Attorney General Barr must publicly testify under oath about the investigation and its findings, and provide all underlying materials to the appropriate Congressional committees.”
Harris was joined by fellow candidates Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-MA), Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-NY), former Rep. Beto O’Rourke (D-TX), and Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-MN); more will doubtlessly follow.
Like Harris, Sanders and Klobuchar appealed to such notions as “transparency,” the “protection” of the people, and the “security” of our democracy.
As Donald Trump said, “Let it come out.” I call on the Trump administration to make Special Counsel Mueller’s full report public as soon as possible. No one, including the president, is above the law.
— Bernie Sanders (@BernieSanders) March 22, 2019
The Mueller report should be released to the public. This decision is not about politics but about protecting our democracy. Now is the time to do the right thing. The American people deserve the truth. -AK #ReleaseTheReport
— Senator Amy Klobuchar (@SenAmyKlobuchar) March 22, 2019
Warren and O’Rourke, on the other hand, simply requested the report’s release.
Robert Mueller’s finished his report. He’s delivered it to Attorney General William Barr. The American people deserve the full report. Sign our petition to make the Mueller report public—immediately. https://t.co/kxhNh7GBWk
— Elizabeth Warren (@ewarren) March 22, 2019
Release the Mueller report to the American people.
— Beto O’Rourke (@BetoORourke) March 22, 2019
The ball is in AG’s court
“The next steps are up to Attorney General Barr, and we look forward to the process taking its course,” tweeted White House Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders. “The White House has not received or been briefed on the Special Counsel’s report.”
The next steps are up to Attorney General Barr, and we look forward to the process taking its course. The White House has not received or been briefed on the Special Counsel’s report.
— Sarah Sanders (@PressSec) March 22, 2019
Indeed, the Mueller report is both literally and figuratively in the hands of Attorney General Barr. How things transpire from here will largely be up to him.
Barr has already sent a letter to the House and Senate judiciary committees promising to keep them informed and to provide “as much transparency as possible.” Barr added that he is “reviewing the report” and anticipates being able to advise the two committees on the “Special Counsel’s principal conclusions as soon as this weekend.”
Still in the dark
Whether the report is made public will likely depend on the nature of its content. Anything that may jeopardize American security, obviously, will and ought to be kept confidential.
But for now, other than that no more indictments will be forthcoming, the report’s contents remain unknown.
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