Q’s Corner: The Mueller Report
The Russian investigation is complete, and special counsel Robert Mueller’s report is in the hands of Attorney General William Barr, but it’s unclear what exactly that means for the future of the U.S.
On March 22, Barr, in accordance with the U.S. Department of Justice regulations, sent a letter to Congress informing them of the conclusion of the two-year investigation in Russian interference into the 2016 election that led to 34 indictments.
“I remain committed to as much transparency as possible, and I will keep you informed as to the status of my review,” Barr wrote in his letter to Congress.
Barr must have an odd view of transparency because his view seems to involve not immediately releasing the report to the public.
This failure comes in spite of the overwhelming 420-0 House vote on March 14, urging the Department of Justice to publicly release the report.
Kamala Harris, Elizabeth Warren, Beto O’Rourke and several Democratic presidential candidates have taken to Twitter, calling on Barr for its public release.
Liberal activist group MoveOn issued a statement declaring its intention to organize over 500 rapid-react protests in cities across the nation, including Washington D.C., New York, Charlotte and Raleigh, should Barr announce that he intends to release any less than the full report.
House Intelligence Committee Chair Adam Schiff, D-Calif, has threatened to use subpoenas to obtain not only the report, but all of the evidence Mueller collected.
Schiff’s intentions would fly in the face of what Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein, who appointed Mueller to special counsel, said on Feb. 25 when he stated his belief that the Department of Justice should not reveal information on people it does not charge with crimes.
It’s a mess. It’s unclear whether the report will be released to the public, and it seems Democrats are gearing up to pry the report from the Department of Justice if they have to.
Barr needs to make the report public, but the road to its release seems bumpy and unclear.
All the public can do is sit back, and depending on political affiliation, look on with either hope or horror.
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