Lawmakers demand transparency after Mueller submits report

Lawmakers from both parties demanded the swift release of special counsel Robert Mueller’s report after it was submitted to the Justice Department on Friday, as President Donald Trump’s allies cheered the conclusion of a nearly two-year investigation that has repeatedly rocked his administration.

“It is imperative for Mr. Barr to make the full report public and provide its underlying documentation and findings to Congress,” Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., said in a statement. “Attorney General Barr must not give President Trump, his lawyers or his staff any ‘sneak preview’ of Special Counsel Mueller’s findings or evidence, and the White House must not be allowed to interfere in decisions about what parts of those findings or evidence are made public.”

They added: “The American people have a right to the truth. The watchword is transparency.”

The top Republican on the House Judiciary Committee, Rep. Doug Collins, R-Ga., called for the report’s release “without delay.”

“I fully expect the Justice Department to release the special counsel’s report to this committee and to the public without delay and to the maximum extent permitted by law,” he said in a statement, noting that he looked forward to reviewing the report.

Sen. Lindsey Graham, chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee, did not call for the report’s public release, instead saying he would work with his committee to “ensure as much transparency as possible, consistent with the law.”

The South Carolina Republican, one of Trump’s staunchest allies on Capitol Hill, noted that Barr reported in his letter to lawmakers notifying them of his receipt of the report that he and the special counsel had not disagreed on any proposed courses of action.

Sen. Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, the former chairman of the Senate Judiciary , said that the report should be made public “to finally put an end to the speculation and innuendo that has loomed over this administration since its earliest days.”

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., encouraged Attorney General William Barr — whom he applauded as “experienced and capable” — to release as much information “as possible.”

As soon as news broke that the highly anticipated report had been submitted, signaling the end of Mueller’s probe into Russian election interference and any possible Trump campaign involvement, Democrats rushed to demand that the public learn what’s in it.

Sen. Mark Warner, D-Va., demanded the investigation’s documents be preserved.

“The Special Counsel’s report must be provided to Congress immediately, and the Attorney General should swiftly prepare a declassified version of the report for the public,” he said in a statement. “Nothing short of that will suffice.”

“The American people deserve to know all the facts now. The future of American democracy depends on it,” said Sen. Chris Murphy, D-Conn., in a statement that called for the report’s release.

“Our democracy deserves it,” wrote Sen. Tim Kaine, D-Va.

Release the full report. Let the findings be out there for all to see. The American people deserve it. Our democracy deserves it.

— Tim Kaine (@timkaine) March 22, 2019

Sen. Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., said concealing the report “would be tantamount to a cover-up.”

“The public interest is paramount in disclosing not only conclusions, but the facts that led to them. There is no excuse for concealing any part of this report along with its findings & evidence—it would be tantamount to a cover-up,” he wrote in a tweet.

Sen. Jack Reed, the top Democrat of the Senate Armed Services Committee, called for Mueller to come before Congress.

“I urge Mr. Mueller to testify before Congress about the evidence he gathered, the scope of his work, and findings,” Reed said in a statement.

Meanwhile, the White House, lawyers for the president as well as some of Trump’s closest allies said the attorney general would be in control of the report going forward.

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.

— Kayleigh McEnany 45 Archived (@PressSec45) March 22, 2019

“We’re pleased that the Office of Special Counsel has delivered its report to the Attorney General pursuant to the regulations. Attorney General Barr will determine the appropriate next steps,” Rudy Giuliani and Jay Sekulow, members of the president’s legal team for the Russia investigation, said in a statement.

Trump’s former campaign manager, Corey Lewandowski, cheered the end of the investigation he derided.

The Witch Hunt is over! Make the report public. Millions of taxpayer dollars wasted.

— Corey R. Lewandowski (@CLewandowski_) March 22, 2019

Press secretary Sarah Sanders added that the White House “has not received or been briefed on the Special Counsel’s report.”