The Latest: John Dean to compare Mueller, Watergate probes on WTOP| WASHINGTON (AP) \u2014 The Latest on Congress and hearings on special counsel Robert Mueller\u2019s report (all times local): 9:20 a.m. Former White House counsel and Watergate star witness John Dean says he\u2019ll be providing a House panel \u201csome\u2026<\/b>
\nWASHINGTON (AP) \u2014 The Latest on Congress and hearings on special counsel Robert Mueller\u2019s report (all times local):
8 p.m.
The House is expecting to receive the first files of underlying evidence from Robert Mueller\u2019s report soon.
The sudden shift by the Justice Department comes as Democrats weigh impeachment proceedings against President Donald Trump.
Judiciary Committee Chairman Jerrold Nadler says the Justice Department will provide some of Mueller\u2019s \u201cmost important files\u201d and all members of the committee will be able to view them. He says the files will include those used to assess whether Trump obstructed justice.
The deal was announced just moments before the start of a committee hearing with Watergate star witness John Dean. He was White House counsel under Richard Nixon and helped bring down his presidency. He says Mueller has provided Congress with a \u201croad map\u201d for investigating Trump.
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3 p.m.
The White House counsel from President Richard Nixon\u2019s administration says he sees parallels between the Watergate investigation and special counsel Robert Mueller\u2019s Russia probe.
John Dean was testifying Monday at a House Judiciary Committee hearing on Mueller\u2019s report.
Dean says some of the similarities include the way the presidents used their pardon power in an attempt to influence witness testimony, and their efforts to seize control of investigations and direct efforts of prosecutors.
President Donald Trump on Monday tweeted that Dean is a \u201cdisgraced\u201d former White House counsel.
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2:45 p.m.
A Justice Department team reviewing the origins of the Russia investigation has asked intelligence agencies to preserve all relevant records and to make sure witnesses are available.
That\u2019s according to a Justice Department letter to Congress on Monday.
The letter, from Assistant Attorney General Stephen Boyd, says a review team led by United States Attorney John Durham will be working primarily out of Washington. The Justice Department has made existing office space available for the review.
The letter says that though Attorney General William Barr has the authority to declassify certain information, the Justice Department also believes it\u2019s important to protect sensitive sources and methods and will prevent the \u201cunwarranted disclosure\u201d of information that could place someone at harm.
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2:30 p.m.
House lawmakers have officially started their hearing to examine whether President Donald Trump obstructed justice, the first of several hearings scheduled by Democrats on special counsel Robert Mueller\u2019s report.
The House Judiciary Committee will hear from witnesses including John Dean, a star witness from Watergate who helped bring down Richard Nixon\u2019s presidency, and former U. S. attorneys.
House Judiciary Committee Jerrold Nadler said the panel will continue to \u201cunpack the work\u201d of Mueller in future hearings.
Mueller said in his report that he couldn\u2019t exonerate Trump on obstruction, though he said there was not enough evidence to establish a conspiracy between Trump\u2019s campaign and Russia\u2019s interference in the 2016 election.
Nadler said Trump\u2019s campaign \u201ctook full advantage of the attack\u201d from Russia.
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12:30 p.m.
The chairman of the House Judiciary Committee says the Justice Department has agreed to turn over some of the underlying evidence from special counsel Robert Mueller\u2019s report, including files used to assess whether President Donald Trump obstructed justice.
Rep. Jerrold Nadler says the department will begin complying with the committee\u2019s subpoena Monday and provide some of Mueller\u2019s \u201cmost important files.\u201d He said all the members of the committee will be able to view them.
The Justice Department did not have an immediate comment.
In response to the agreement, Nadler said the panel will not hold Attorney General William Barr in contempt, for now. But the House is still expected to vote on a resolution Tuesday that would empower the committee to file a lawsuit for the materials.
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9:20 a.m.
Former White House counsel and Watergate star witness John Dean says he\u2019ll be providing a House panel \u201csome context\u201d and comparison between investigations during President Richard Nixon\u2019s administration and that of President Donald Trump.
Dean cooperated with prosecutors and helped bring down Nixon\u2019s presidency. He told CNN he\u2019ll tell the House Judiciary Committee on Monday \u201chow strikingly like Watergate what we\u2019re seeing now, as reported in the Mueller report, is.\u201d
Dean says he\u2019ll focus on the question of obstruction of justice in his testimony.
Special counsel Robert Mueller investigated Russia\u2019s meddling in the 2016 election and contacts with Trump\u2019s campaign. Mueller did not reach a determination on whether Trump tried to obstruct the probe by taking actions such as firing FBI Director James Comey. Mueller said charging the president with a crime was \u201cnot an option\u201d because of federal rules.
Dean tells CNN that Comey\u2019s firing \u201cwas certainly not dissimilar from some of the actions Nixon took.\u201d
In 1973, Nixon ordered Attorney General Elliot Richardson to fire independent special prosecutor Archibald Cox, but Richardson refused and resigned.
Trump calls Mueller\u2019s probe a \u201cwitch hunt.\u201d
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12:20 a.m.
Top Democratic leaders may be in no rush to launch an impeachment inquiry but the party is launching a series of hearings this week on Special Counsel Robert Mueller\u2019s report.
The slate of hearings on the Russia probe means lawmakers are picking up the pace on an investigation that some in the party hope leads to impeachment of President Donald Trump.
Democrats are trying to draw attention to allegations that Trump sought to obstruct a federal investigation, and they want to highlight his campaign\u2019s contacts with Russia during the 2016 election.
They\u2019ll lay the groundwork for an appearance from Mueller himself, despite his stated desire to avoid the spotlight.
The hearings will focus on the two main topics of Mueller\u2019s report, obstruction of justice and Russian election interference.
Copyright \u00a9 2019 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, written or redistributed.
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