AP, Washington :
Democrats intensified their demands for Robert Mueller’s full report after learning the special counsel’s findings from his Trump-Russia investigation run to more than 300 pages, while President Donald Trump boasted of total exoneration based on a four-page summary by his attorney general.
House Judiciary Chairman Jerrold Nadler was told by Attorney General William Barr that there’s no intention of giving the confidential report to Congress immediately as he redacts grand jury testimony and other elements.
Democrats say they may subpoena the report if it’s not forthcoming by their Tuesday deadline, which Barr has said will not be met.
Through the day, tempers were rising on Capitol Hill.
Shaking her fist for emphasis, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said Barr’s summary, which cleared Trump of campaign collusion with Russia and criminal obstruction of Mueller’s federal probe, was “condescending” and “arrogant.”
“Mr. Attorney General,” she said, “show us the report and we’ll come to our own conclusions.” She asked what Trump and the Republicans were afraid of and mocked them as “scaredy-cats.”
Trump himself headed to Grand Rapids, Michigan, for a Thursday campaign rally, where he deemed the probe “the greatest hoax in the history of our country” and warned that those behind it “would be held accountable.”
“After three years of lies and smears and slander, the Russia hoax is dead,” Trump told a packed house of roaring supporters. “This was nothing more than a sinister effort to undermine our historic election victory and to sabotage the will of the American people.”
The length of Mueller’s still-confidential report makes clear that there are substantially more details that he and his team have documented in their investigation than Barr disclosed to Congress and the public. The volume of pages was described Thursday by a Justice Department official and another person familiar with the document.
The Justice Department official said Barr discussed the length of the report during a phone call Wednesday with Nadler, who would only indicate it was less than 1,000 pages.
Both the department official and the other person spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss the document.
Barr would not commit to providing the full report with its underlying evidence, according to a House Democratic aide granted anonymity Thursday to brief reporters.
Democrats intensified their demands for Robert Mueller’s full report after learning the special counsel’s findings from his Trump-Russia investigation run to more than 300 pages, while President Donald Trump boasted of total exoneration based on a four-page summary by his attorney general.
House Judiciary Chairman Jerrold Nadler was told by Attorney General William Barr that there’s no intention of giving the confidential report to Congress immediately as he redacts grand jury testimony and other elements.
Democrats say they may subpoena the report if it’s not forthcoming by their Tuesday deadline, which Barr has said will not be met.
Through the day, tempers were rising on Capitol Hill.
Shaking her fist for emphasis, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said Barr’s summary, which cleared Trump of campaign collusion with Russia and criminal obstruction of Mueller’s federal probe, was “condescending” and “arrogant.”
“Mr. Attorney General,” she said, “show us the report and we’ll come to our own conclusions.” She asked what Trump and the Republicans were afraid of and mocked them as “scaredy-cats.”
Trump himself headed to Grand Rapids, Michigan, for a Thursday campaign rally, where he deemed the probe “the greatest hoax in the history of our country” and warned that those behind it “would be held accountable.”
“After three years of lies and smears and slander, the Russia hoax is dead,” Trump told a packed house of roaring supporters. “This was nothing more than a sinister effort to undermine our historic election victory and to sabotage the will of the American people.”
The length of Mueller’s still-confidential report makes clear that there are substantially more details that he and his team have documented in their investigation than Barr disclosed to Congress and the public. The volume of pages was described Thursday by a Justice Department official and another person familiar with the document.
The Justice Department official said Barr discussed the length of the report during a phone call Wednesday with Nadler, who would only indicate it was less than 1,000 pages.
Both the department official and the other person spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss the document.
Barr would not commit to providing the full report with its underlying evidence, according to a House Democratic aide granted anonymity Thursday to brief reporters.
