Opinion: A 'road map' for the coming fight over the Mueller report
Attorney General William P. Barr leaves his home in McLean, Va., on March 22. By Harry Litman Harry Litman Contributing columnist focused on legal issues Bio Follow Contributing columnist March 31 at 1:56 PM Friday’s exchange of letters between Attorney General William P. Barr and House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jerrold Nadler augurs a contentious court battle over Congress’s access to grand jury material incorporated in special counsel Robert S.
None of this will happen, as Nadler surely knows. Most notably, a careful reading of Barr’s two letters strongly suggests that the cooperative veneer is just that. The department likely will redact all grand jury information before turning over the report and likely will rebuff Nadler’s request to work cooperatively to urge the district court to authorize disclosure of grand jury material to his committee.
The coming legal battle will be waged over whether the exceptions in the rule are exclusive. Some courts have determined that the list is not strictly limited in that way, and in particular that district courts have inherent supervisory authority to order release in a case of “special circumstances” in which there is a significant public interest in the material. Plainly, that fits the Mueller report.
Nadler, along with many other proponents of full release to Congress, invoke the Watergate precedent. In that case, the court permitted special prosecutor Leon Jaworski to supply the “road map” bare-bones summary of key evidence to the House Judiciary Committee that became a basis for that body’s impeachment inquiry.
Malaysia Latest News, Malaysia Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
Congress faces long road ahead in fight over Mueller documentsLawmakers seeking Special Counsel Robert Mueller's report are likely to fac...
Read more »
Congress faces long road ahead in fight over Mueller documentsOn Sunday, U.S. Attorney General William Barr sent a summary to lawmakers saying the Mueller investigation found Trump's 2016 presidential campaign did not conspire with Russia. House of Representatives Judiciary Committee Chairman Jerrold Nadler, a Democrat, said on CNN on Sunday he would “try
Read more »
Opinion | If Democrats want to protect the rule of law, they can’t rush the Mueller reportThere are rules and regulations that govern how the report should be released. Democrats would regret blowing up those constraints.
Read more »
Opinion | What does the Mueller report mean for 2020?Opinion: What does the Mueller report mean for 2020?
Read more »
Opinion | The speech Trump should have given after the Mueller report droppedOpinion: The speech Trump should have given after the Mueller report dropped
Read more »
Opinion | Sally Yates: William Barr should release the full Mueller report as soon as possibleSally Yates writes for The Post: William Barr should release the full Mueller report as soon as possible
Read more »
Opinion | What the political storms over the Mueller report and Brexit have in commonFoes of Trump and Brexit share a similarity: the impression of a cosmopolitan class eager to overturn the results of a populist vote.
Read more »
Opinion | Trump Country’s reaction to the Mueller report: ‘So what?’Opinion: Trump Country’s reaction to the Mueller report? 'So what?'
Read more »
The Mueller report isn’t the end – because the Democrats won’t give up | OpinionThe folks leading Trump’s defense will do well to remember they did not just win the war. They may not even have won the battle.
Read more »