Justice Department and House intelligence panel strike deal for Mueller materials
Source: Washington Post
The House Intelligence Committee will not enforce a subpoena against Attorney General William P. Barr as planned Wednesday, after the Justice Department agreed at the 11th hour to produce the redacted material and underlying information from the special counsel's report that the panel sought, albeit more slowly than it wanted.
Rep. Adam B. Schiff (D-Calif.), the committee's chairman, announced the deal in a statement Wednesday morning. He warned that the subpoena "will remain in effect and will be enforced should the Department fail to comply with the full document request." Schiff added that he expects the "initial production" of providing the committee with 12 categories of counterintelligence and foreign intelligence material from special counsel Robert S. Mueller III's probe of election interference by Russia would "be completed by the end of next week."
In a letter Tuesday to Schiff, Assistant Attorney General Stephen E. Boyd wrote that "the Department is willing to move forward with efforts to accommodate the Committee's legitimate interests" to view the items it requested. But he argued that the Justice Department would need more time to produce them. Boyd made the counteroffer contingent on the committee's promise "that it will not pursue any vote on an 'enforcement action,' either on May 22, or while such good-faith accommodation measures continue." "To be clear should the Committee take the precipitous and unnecessary action of recommending a contempt finding or other enforcement action against the attorney general, then the Department will not likely be able to continue to work with the Committee to accommodate its interest in these materials," Boyd wrote.
Schiff's decision to hold off on enforcing the subpoena represents a rare moment of detente between House Democrats and Barr, who have been pitted against each other over access to the full substance of Mueller's report and the administration's efforts to keep witnesses from testifying in congressional investigations of President Trump's campaign, his businesses and his foreign ties. But holding off on the subpoena puts Schiff somewhat at odds with the rest of the House Democratic conference, whose members have been agitating for impeachment proceedings against the president as other panels' efforts to secure materials and witnesses are met with recalcitrance from the administration.
Read more: https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/national-security/justice-department-and-house-intelligence-panel-strike-deal-for-mueller-materials/2019/05/22/f8f2380a-7c7e-11e9-8ede-f4abf521ef17_story.html
Eyeball_Kid
(7,440 posts)Trumpy has a long history of stiffing anyone who displeases him. Schiff is no different. This isn't Barr's decision. It's Trumpy's. So look for some deceit, some treachery. It's always the case with Trumpy.
rainin
(3,011 posts)Better late than never. Beats the circus we'd have trying to fine (or jail) Barr. Hope Barr follows through.
Bettie
(16,151 posts)produce any more documents? He's just kicking it down the road.
BumRushDaShow
(130,142 posts)as admitted by him when Kamala Harris questioned him. He relied on the DOJ staff to compile what was handed over and he just added his 2 cents to it.
They will probably provide some of the least controversial stuff at first but I expect none of that will be made public (at least initially).
machoneman
(4,018 posts)What other information will he withhold? Did they fake certain passages by deletion or through out right changes?
Time will tell.........
CanonRay
(14,149 posts)it's just another stall, another delay. Enforce the fucking subpoena. Enforce something, for God's sake.
BumRushDaShow
(130,142 posts)that they did their "due diligence" to come to an agreement before taking more drastic action. Otherwise the courts will throw it back to the Committee and ask why they came to court in the first place when DOJ "claimed" they were seeking an agreement.
UpInArms
(51,296 posts)eom
DeminPennswoods
(15,307 posts)go to jail or lose their law license to protect Trump.
machoneman
(4,018 posts)from the Kochs, the Adelson's et al after he gets Trumpy off and Barr then retires? Maybe Barr is dying and the money and legacy (RW scum that he is) he gets IS what he wants?
Chin music
(23,002 posts)DeminPennswoods
(15,307 posts)obstructive behavior is not the same as as having a court officer put the cuffs on you and whisk you away to jail. Even Jr caved when it was obvious he could face real consequences of defying a subpoena. Adelson didn't get rich by giving away his money to help out poor saps who got caught.
Hugin
(33,229 posts)The House has oversight of the Executive Branch... period.
BumRushDaShow
(130,142 posts)Firestorm49
(4,043 posts)BumRushDaShow
(130,142 posts)that they want to see (much of it considered the "underlying evidence" ) - e.g., there may have been phone records or copies of email exchanges that were referenced and summarized in the report but not incorporated in it or provided with it).
Crepuscular
(1,057 posts)Why do I have this vision of Lucy yanking away the football, after reading this article?
PRETZEL
(3,245 posts)I think this is the info that is not in the Mueller Report and would relate to the information Mueller gathererd during the course of his investigation that was turned over to the FBI.
If that is the case, I don't see where Barr would have any other choice but to turn it over. I think Barr knows this and this is his way of appeasing the President while at the same time covering his own butt.
24601
(3,967 posts)categories was classified information.
Since classified information is routinely briefed to House and Senate Select Intelligence Committees, this agreement most likely applies to portions of the report report withheld because the Intelligence Community judged it classified and/or revealing Intelligence Sources and methods.
Given the HPSCI lane in the road, it probably will not will not apply to information from a Grand Jury (6C), that which would compromise ongoing criminal investigations or anything withheld because of privacy of uncharged peripheral people.
csziggy
(34,141 posts)For over two years. I suspect the Trump administration does not want to let the Democratic congress people to know anything about what they are actually doing.
http://www.msnbc.com/all-in/mueller-testimony-going-happen-rep-schiff
MadLinguist
(793 posts)That's some high level skullduggery there
csziggy
(34,141 posts)Nothing to see here, according to the Trump administration, just another day of coverups and corruption.
MadLinguist
(793 posts)How could they not have properly vetted this material by now? In addition, the house intelligence committee members are completely authorized to view classified material and are trained in security and privacy related to such information, so I don't see that as an actual barrier to release either.
To me, this agreement is a face-saving mechanism, designed to continue the pressure build-up. For the DOJ, the agreement is meant to show that *they* are being cooperative, reasonable, etc. I sure hope there is a plan amongst the Dems for exactly how and when the blowout comes blasting onto the public stage.
Earth Bound Misfit
(3,555 posts)Grasswire2
(13,575 posts)And why would it even take a week to produce the material?
Copy to a thumb drive. Voila.
BumRushDaShow
(130,142 posts)("underlying evidence" ) and has probably been kept in those U.S. Attorneys offices (D.C., & EDVA, SDNY), which would need to get their staff gathering it to electronically submit.
LudwigPastorius
(9,274 posts)in Trump's crimes.
...and, that may work.
BumRushDaShow
(130,142 posts)"all" politicians are "corrupt". They often see it at their own local levels as it is. What gets their attention is if some policy is negatively impacting their lives - like this trade war that is about to really escalate and may impact the prices for the "Made in China" stuff they buy from their local Walmarts.
GReedDiamond
(5,321 posts)Yeah, like that's something that's gonna happen.