House panel votes to subpoena full Mueller report

By Michael Hernandez</p> <p>WASHINGTON (AA) – The House Judiciary Committee voted Wednesday to authorize the subpoena of Special Counsel Robert Mueller's full report, setting up a showdown with the Justice Department.</p> <p>Attorney General William Barr said late last month he is making redactions to the report alongside Mueller's team, and anticipates it will be released by mid-April. </p> <p>But Wednesday's 24-17 committee vote authorizes Chairman Jerry Nadler to issue a formal subpoena to the Justice Department for the full, unredacted version of the report.</p> <p>Nadler said there is &quot;reason to suspect this Administration’s motives&quot; in redacting the report, further suggesting it &quot;isn’t the 'total exoneration' the president claims it to be.&quot;</p> <p>&quot;The Constitution charges Congress with holding the President accountable for alleged official misconduct,&quot; Nadler said. &quot;That job requires us to evaluate the evidence for ourselves—not the Attorney General’s summary, not a substantially redacted synopsis, but the full report and the underlying evidence.&quot;</p> <p>Barr had set an April 2 deadline to hand over the full report, but it passed without it being provided, setting the stage for Wednesday's vote. </p> <p>Mueller's conclusions span 400 pages in addition to supporting materials. They are the culmination of his two-year probe into Russia's attempts to influence the 2016 presidential election, and suspicions the Trump campaign colluded with that effort.</p> <p>In a four-page letter to Congress last month, Barr said Mueller did not find any evidence Trump's presidential campaign conspired with Russia to influence the election.</p> <p>Regarding specifically questions of obstruction of justice fueled by the president's action, particularly his firing of former FBI Director James Comey, Barr said the report &quot;does not conclude that the president committed a crime, it also does not exonerate him.&quot;</p> <p>But in a follow-up letter Barr sent to the Senate and House judiciary chairmen, Barr said his initial missive &quot;was not, and did not purport to be, an exhaustive recounting of the Special Counsel's investigation or report.&quot;