#ReleaseTheReport goes viral after Mueller submits report to Justice Dept

Thousands on Twitter are using a hashtag, #ReleaseTheReport, to call on Justice Department officials to release special counsel Robert Mueller’s report about his probe into Russian interference in the 2016 presidential election.

At least 6,000 Twitter users shared the hashtag on Friday less than an hour after news emerged that Mueller had submitted the confidential report to Attorney General William Barr, signaling the end of a sprawling, nearly two-year investigation.

{mosads}Among the thousands of users on Twitter using the hashtag to call on the report to be made public was Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.).

“Now that Special Counsel Mueller has submitted his report to the Attorney General, it is imperative for Mr. Barr to make the full report public and provide its underlying documentation and findings to Congress,” Pelosi wrote.

Now that Special Counsel Mueller has submitted his report to the Attorney General, it is imperative for Mr. Barr to make the full report public and provide its underlying documentation and findings to Congress. #ReleaseTheReport pic.twitter.com/v1ROpZBqZJ

— Nancy Pelosi (@SpeakerPelosi) March 22, 2019

Rep. Brad Sherman (D-Calif.) also used the hashtag to call on the Justice Department to release the report to the public, saying: “#ReleaseTheReport. The entire report should be made available to Members of Congress.”

“And the full report, with some necessary redactions, should be released to the public. ASAP,” he added.

#ReleaseTheReport. The entire report should be made available to Members of Congress. And the full report, with some necessary redactions, should be released to the public. ASAP.https://t.co/m0I6TKTIkH

— Rep. Brad Sherman (@BradSherman) March 22, 2019

“The Mueller report should be released to the public. This decision is not about politics but about protecting our democracy,” Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.), a 2020 contender, wrote in a tweet. “Now is the time to do the right thing. The American people deserve the truth.”

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

A number of journalists and advocacy groups have also taken to Twitter with the hashtag to call on the report to be made public. 

It’s time.#ReleaseTheReport

— Karine Jean-Pierre (@K_JeanPierre) March 22, 2019

So now… #ReleaseTheReport#ReleaseTheReport#ReleaseTheReport#ReleaseTheReporthttps://t.co/g0JepdromH

— Anna Galland (@annagalland) March 22, 2019

Fellow citizens, we must demand the truth. It is time for us to see every word, every mark of punctuation, every piece of evidence, every supporting document in the Mueller report. Sign up to be ready to protest: https://t.co/as0nRQuar0 #releasethereport pic.twitter.com/wInaNvIZLG

— Justin Hendrix (@justinhendrix) March 22, 2019

The news comes as Barr continues to face pressure from Congress to release the full version to the public.

Barr has been noncommittal about releasing the report in full, telling lawmakers in January that his goal is “to provide as much transparency as I can consistent with the law.”

Earlier this week, President Trump said that Mueller’s final report should be made public, expressing confidence that Mueller’s assessment would prove that he did not collude with Russia in its effort to interfere in the 2016 election. 

Hours before the report was submitted on Friday, however, Trump also suggested that the public would view Mueller’s report as illegitimate.

“A deputy that didn’t get any votes appoints a man that didn’t get any votes, he’s going to write a report on me,” Trump said, referring to Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein, who appointed Mueller as special counsel in 2017.

“I have a deputy, appoints a man to write a report on me, to make a determination on my presidency. People will not stand for it,” he added.