House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jerrold Nadler (D-N.Y.) is demanding that special counsel Robert Mueller testify before his committee “no later than May 23.”
Nadler issued a letter to Mueller shortly after Attorney General William Barr concluded a press conference before the release of Mueller’s report.
{mosads}“As I have already communicated to the Department of Justice, I request your testimony before the Judiciary Committee as soon as possible — but, in any event, no later than May 23, 2019,” Nadler wrote to Mueller.
Barr’s remarks at the press conference focused on what he said was the report’s central conclusion that there was no conspiracy between Moscow and Trump or his campaign with regards to the 2016 presidential election.
Nadler separately tweeted that the American people deserve to hear from the special counsel himself.
“It is clear Congress and the American people must hear from Special Counsel Robert Mueller in person to better understand his findings,” Nadler wrote.
“We are now requesting Mueller to appear before @HouseJudiciary as soon as possible,” he added.
Barr told reporters that he has no objection to Mueller testifying before Congress, paving the way for Democratic demands.
“I have no objection personally to Bob Mueller testifying,” Barr said at his press conference.
Democrats have been frustrated with Barr’s actions on the Mueller report.
He received the report in March, and then issued a four-page letter saying Mueller had not found a conspiracy between members of the Trump campaign and Russia. The letter also said Mueller had not made a decision on whether Trump obstructed justice, but that Barr and Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein decided not to pursue such charges based on the evidence laid out in Mueller’s report.
Barr also testified before Congress last week that he had asked the Department of Justice (DOJ) to investigate whether “spying” on the Trump campaign took place under the Obama administration, fueling the ire of Democrats who say he matched the word choice of the president and conservatives who have alleged that top members of the FBI and DOJ harbored an anti-Trump bias while conducting the Russia probe.
Democrats claim Barr is a loyalist working to protect Trump and cement in people’s minds a preferred narrative about the Mueller report before it is released to Congress and the public.