A subpoena demanding the release of Robert Mueller’s full report into Russian meddling during the 2016 election has been issued, amid claims the current version “leaves most of Congress in the dark”.
The chairman of the House judiciary committee, Democrat Jerry Nadler, argued it is entitled to an unredacted version.
Donald Trump’s legal team argues it completely exonerates the president.
The DoJ has reacted by calling the subpoena “premature and unnecessary”.
It said it would “continue to work with Congress to accommodate its legitimate requests consistent with the law and long-recognized executive branch interests”.
Elizabeth Warren became the first Democratic presidential candidate to call for President Trump to be impeached.
She said: “The severity of this misconduct demands that elected officials in both parties set aside political considerations and do their constitutional duty.”
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The 448-page redacted document is the result of a 22-month investigation by Robert Mueller, who was appointed to investigate alleged Russian interference in the 2016 election and possible collusion with the Trump campaign.
It includes large swathes of redactions, which Jerry Nadler says “appear to be significant” in revealing how Special Counsel Robert Mueller and his team came to their conclusions
Democrats have promised to continue pursuing President Trump following the release of the report on April 18.
Robert Mueller’s report says he found no criminal conspiracy between President Trump’s campaign and Russia, but could not reach a concrete legal conclusion on whether Donald Trump tried to obstruct the investigation.
The report says: “If we had confidence after a thorough investigation of the facts that the president clearly did not commit obstruction of justice, we would so state.
“Based on the facts and the applicable legal standards, we are unable to reach that judgment.
“Accordingly, while this report does not conclude that the president committed a crime, it also does not exonerate him.”
The report also reveals that Donald Trump instructed a White House lawyer to try to get Robert Mueller removed over alleged “conflicts of interest”, but the lawyer resigned because “he did not plan” to follow the directive.
Robert Mueller examined 10 actions by the president in regards to obstruction of justice, which he said largely “took place in public view”
The report says that potential obstruction of justice by the president only failed because members of his administration refused to “carry out orders”
However, about 10% of Robert Mueller’s report is redacted – which means it may include yet more revelations.
Jerry Nadler issued the subpoena for the full, unredacted version on April 19, giving the US attorney general until May 1 to respond.
He said: “My committee needs and is entitled to the full version of the report and the underlying evidence consistent with past practice.
“The redactions appear to be significant. We have so far seen none of the actual evidence that the Special Counsel developed to make this case.”
