Feinstein: Unredacted Mueller Report Must Be Provided to Congress

Washington—Senate Judiciary Committee Ranking Member Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.) today spoke on the need for Attorney General William Barr to provide the Judiciary Committee with the complete, unredacted Mueller report. Video is available here.

            “I want to begin by briefly addressing two reports that came out in the Washington Post and the New York Times about Special Counsel Mueller’s report.

            We now know that this report is approximately 400 pages and that the supporting evidence could cover over a million pages.

            Special Counsel Mueller spent nearly two years investigating. He had a team of 19 lawyers and 40 FBI agents. His office issued more than 2,800 subpoenas, executed nearly 500 search warrants, and interviewed approximately 500 witnesses.

            I’ve said from the outset that the full report must be provided to Congress. This work was undertaken on behalf of the American people, no more, no less, and for the sake of our democracy – and it cannot remain hidden from Congress or the citizens we serve.

            To date, we have only received a four-page letter from Attorney General Barr giving his perspective on what the principal conclusions show.

            Now, we learn from the Times and the Post that members of Mueller’s team are “frustrated with the limited information” Attorney General Barr has provided and his characterization of the report.

            In fact, according to the Post, “members of Mueller’s team have complained to close associates that the evidence they gathered on obstruction was alarming and significant. ‘It was much more acute than Barr suggested.’”

            That’s precisely why this committee needs to receive the full, unredacted Mueller report as soon as possible.

            Press reports state that summaries were prepared by the special counsel’s office for the different sections of the report so they could be made public.

            Specifically, the Post reported, “The report was prepared ‘so that the front matter from each section could have been released immediately – or very quickly,’ the official said. ‘It was done in a way that minimum redactions, if any, would have been necessary, and the work would have spoken for itself.’”

            I find these press reports concerning – and they demonstrate even more clearly why Congress has to get the full report. If there are sections that should be redacted from the public, that’s fine, but Congress should be given the full information.

            As I’ve pointed out, Congress has already demanded and received considerable classified and law-enforcement sensitive information even while the investigation is on-going. There’s no reason to withhold information once the investigation is closed.

            I hope that the attorney general meets the mid-April deadline and that he is forthcoming with Congress and the public. These summaries should be provided as well as the full report.”