The Progressive-Democrats in Congress are in full uproar over the Mueller report—they want it released right damn now, and they want it unredacted. They’re not alone on the first; all of us want the report released as soon as possible. Which leads to the second: it’s illegal to release grand jury proceedings and classified intelligence information, both of which are present in the report. The Progressive-Democrats, of course, know this; they just don’t think laws or regulations matter when they become inconvenient.
AG William Barr also agrees with that first part.
Mr Barr has made clear that he appreciates the public interest in seeing as much of Mr Mueller’s report as possible.
Barr should emphasize that appreciation by releasing the (redacted as required) Mueller report to the public a week or more before he releases it to the public’s elected employees in Congress.
Then there’s the House Intelligence Committee MFWIC:
House Intelligence Chairman Adam Schiff recently tweeted that “Barr should seek court approval (just like in Watergate) to allow the release of grand jury material. Redactions are unacceptable.”
How disingenuous. Were Schiff serious, he’d seek court approval—and an associated release order—himself. He’s just cynically posturing.
Further, what was released in the Clinton case (Independent Counsel Starr, vs. Special Counsel Mueller – the difference is important) was a grand jury report. Such a report is not always created by the grand jury, and it is itself a summary of what they found. No such report exists in this instance, that I have seen so far. What is in the report from Special Counsel Mueller is the raw grand jury material – a very different matter.
As Schiff, et al know.
More here re the grand jury info – https://www.powerlineblog.com/archives/2019/04/the-limits-on-what-can-be-disclosed-from-muellers-report.php
And this tidbit on the releasibility even of part of grand jury proceedings, by the DC Circuit, via WaPo:
grand-jury testimony and information may be disclosed only to prosecutors, defendants and other grand juries and that judges may not carve out exceptions to the secrecy already mandated by the Federal Rules of Criminal Procedure.
The appellate court went on:
…grand-jury materials could be shared with the House of Representatives under an exception for “judicial proceedings,” citing a 1974 ruling by U.S. District Judge John J. Sirica during the investigation of President Richard M. Nixon that the House “in this setting acts simply as another grand jury.”
However, as Nadler and Schiff both know full well, this House is not sitting as a grand jury since this House is not holding an impeachment proceeding. They’re just holding their separate hearings into the Mueller investigation itself.
They can cry about not getting their Maypo right away all they want–they can’t have their Maypo.
Eric Hines