Judiciary Committee lawmakers begin reviewing Mueller report evidence
A small group of House Judiciary Committee members traveled to the Justice Department Thursday afternoon to begin reviewing former special counsel Robert Mueller’s underlying evidence, according to multiple Democratic sources.
The initial group of lawmakers includes Reps. David Cicilline (D-R.I.), Joe Neguse (D-Colo.), Mary Gay Scanlon (D-Pa.), Ted Deutch (D-Fla.) and Jamie Raskin (D-Md.). Committee lawyers accompanied the lawmakers.
“My takeaway is that these documents will be helpful to our ongoing investigation, and they should all be provided to us without further delay,” Deutch told POLITICO, adding that a “larger” batch of documents will be made available to lawmakers on Monday.
Deutch also criticized the Justice Department for requiring members to view the materials at the department’s headquarters. “Congress is clearly equipped to handle materials like these,” he said.
It’s the initial round of visits by lawmakers to the Justice Department to view Mueller’s interview transcripts, witness notes and other potentially explosive pieces of information that the special counsel used to compile his 448-page report on Russian interference in the 2016 election and whether President Donald Trump attempted to obstruct the probe. The groups will include Democratic and Republican lawmakers, who will be allowed to take and keep notes on what they view but are expected to keep the details confidential.
The Judiciary Committee struck a deal with the Justice Department on Monday after weeks of negotiations over access to Mueller’s unredacted report and underlying materials. Those negotiations culminated in a committee vote last month to hold Attorney General William Barr in contempt of Congress for defying the panel’s subpoena.
It’s also unclear which pieces of Mueller’s evidence would be made available and which might be withheld, either under executive privilege or other restrictions. The House on Tuesday authorized the committee to sue Barr for all of Mueller's underlying evidence, but Chairman Jerry Nadler (D-N.Y.) has indicated he doesn’t expect to initiate that lawsuit until he determines whether the committee is privy to enough information.
“If important information is held back, then we will have no choice but to enforce our subpoena in court and consider other remedies,” Nadler said this week.
Democrats have, of late, indicated that they’re seeking to prioritize access to Mueller’s 302s — the term for witness interview notes — as well as notes witnesses turned over to Mueller documenting their time in the West Wing. Of particular interest are the notes kept by Annie Donaldson, a deputy to former White House counsel Don McGahn.
Mueller revealed some of her voluminous notes in his report. Donaldson described a West Wing in chaos and a president deeply consumed with and angered by Mueller's investigation shortly after the firing of former FBI Director James Comey.
A second group of committee members intends to travel to the Justice Department on Tuesday.
Sarah Ferris contributed to this report.
