On a day when hearings on<\/b>
\nOn a day when hearings on \u201cpresidential obstruction and other crimes\u201d were set to begin, House Judiciary Chairman Rep. Jerrold Nadler (D-N. Y.) announced that the Department of Justice (DOJ) had agreed to begin turning over \u201ckey evidence\u201d from Robert Mueller\u2019s Russia investigation.
\u201cI am pleased to announce that the Department of Justice has agreed to begin complying with our committee\u2019s subpoena by opening Robert Mueller\u2019s most important files to us, providing us with key evidence that the Special Counsel used to assess whether [President Donald Trump] and others obstructed justice or were engaged in other misconduct,\u201d Nadler said Monday. \u201cAll members of the Judiciary Committee\u2014Democrats and Republicans alike\u2014will be able to view them. These documents will allow us to perform our constitutional duties and decide how to respond to the allegations laid out against the President by the Special Counsel.\u201d
While the full scope of the documents the Department of Justice plans to turn over is not yet known, the Committee believes that obtaining the documents could be a turning point in the Committee\u2019s investigation into whether President Trump committed obstruction of justice, according to The New York Times.
Nadler\u2019s Committee had been negotiating with Attorney General William Barr and the Department of Justice for weeks to gain access to the remaining redacted portions of Mueller\u2019s report, as well as the underlying evidence used by the Special Counsel\u2019s Office. The announcement comes just one day before the House was scheduled to vote to authorize civil action against Barr for his refusal to produce the documents.
Nadler also stated that his Committee will delay scheduled contempt hearings stemming from the matter, provided the DOJ act in good faith with their agreement.
\u201cGiven our conversations with the Department, I will hold the criminal contempt process in abeyance for now. We have agreed to allow the Department time to demonstrate compliance with this agreement. If the Department proceeds in good faith and we are able to obtain everything that we need, then there will be no need to take further steps,\u201d Nadler continued. \u201cIf important information is held back, then we will have no choice but to enforce our subpoenaing court and consider other remedies.\u201d
The DOJ previously called contempt proceedings \u201cpremature and unnecessary,\u201d adding that it was willing to engage in further negotiations if contempt was taken off the table.
Rep. Doug Collins (R-Ga.), the top Republican on the Judiciary Committee, said in a statement that he was glad Nadler \u201chas finally met [DOJ] at the negotiating table,\u201d adding that the agreement \u201cfurther debunks\u201d any claims that the White House was stonewalling Congress on the issue.
\u201cIn light of today\u2019s agreement from the Justice Department, it\u2019s logical to ask: Is the chairman prepared to rescind his baseless recommendation to hold the attorney general in contempt, or do House Democrats still plan to green-light lawsuits against the attorney general and former White House counsel tomorrow?\u201d Collins said.<\/p>\n