House Judiciary Chairman Jerrold Nadler (D-N.Y.) said on Sunday that it would be “equivalent to a cover up” if the Department of Justice (DOJ) refuses to release the underlying information behind special counsel Robert Mueller’s final report.
In other words, Nadler doesn’t want to see just Mueller’s report, but he also wants to see all of his files and the evidence that was compiled by federal prosecutors over the past 22 months.
Speaking on several TV talk shows this morning, Nadler pointed out that the oversight responsibility of Congress is different from the job of federal law enforcement agencies.
On CNN’s State of the Union he said:
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“The special prosecutor is limited in scope, his job was limited in scope and limited to crimes. What Congress has to do is look at a broader picture. We have the responsibility of protecting the rule of law”
VIDEO:
House Judiciary Chairman Jerry Nadler: “The special prosecutor is limited in scope, his job was limited in scope and limited to crimes. What Congress has to do is look at a broader picture. We have the responsibility of protecting the rule of law" #CNNSOTU https://t.co/FXztHPPUmo pic.twitter.com/n1wMFGiVZn
— CNN Politics (@CNNPolitics) March 24, 2019
He also said that they will withhold judgment until they see the “underlying data.”
“We’re likely to see what Barr characterizes as the main conclusions of the Mueller report and we’ll accept them, but subject to seeing all the underlying data.”
“We’re likely to see what Barr characterizes as the main conclusions of the Mueller report and we’ll accept them, but subject to seeing all the underlying data,” House Judiciary Chairman Jerry Nadler says #CNNSOTU https://t.co/FXztHPPUmo pic.twitter.com/dAGW1oDsiw
— CNN Politics (@CNNPolitics) March 24, 2019
If A President Can’t Be Indicted for His Crimes, Then Congress Must Have Access to All Evidence to Hold Him Accountable
Appearing on “Fox News Sunday” Nadler said that it’s usually a “very good rule” for the Justice Department (DOJ) to avoid going public with evidence against an individual who is NOT charged with a crime.
He also said that it’s different in the case of a sitting president, since DOJ policies stipulate he can’t be indicted.
“Once you say a president cannot be indictable, no matter what the evidence as a matter of law, to then follow the principle that you cannot then comment on the evidence or publicize it is to convert that into a cover-up,” Nadler said.
Asked if the attorney general may just view DOJ policies differently, Nadler doubled down on his argument and suggested that the underlying information is required for Congress to conduct its oversight role properly.
“If the president cannot be indicted … then the only way a president can be held accountable is for Congress to consider it an act, if warranted, and Congress can only do that if it has the information,” he said.
“And for the DOJ to take the position that we’re not going to give information because he’s not indicted like a normal person who’s not indicted because of lack of evidence, is equivalent to a cover up and subverts the only ability to hold the president accountable,” Nadler continued. “And the president no more than anybody else cannot be above the law.”
Democrats Will Not Allow a Coverup
Nadler added that his committee will use subpoenas if necessary to secure the underlying information behind the report.
Jerry Nadler, like his Democratic colleagues in the House of Representatives, is very determined to see the Mueller report and also Mueller’s evidentiary files. William Barr and Donald Trump may think they can get away with a coverup, but they can’t.
Under the U.S. Constitution Congress was given the job of overseeing the executive branch. The only way Congress can do this job is to receive all the information they need. One way or another, they will get this information. And when that happens we will see something that has never happened before: Donald Trump will at long last be held accountable for his many crimes and misdeeds.
I am a lifelong Democrat with a passion for social justice and progressive issues. I have degrees in writing, economics and law from the University of Iowa.
