Attorney General William Barr refused to turn over the unredacted Mueller report this morning.
Therefore, the House Judiciary Committee is initiating contempt proceedings against him.
It's that simple.
“The attorney general’s failure to comply with our subpoena, after extensive accommodation efforts, leaves us no choice but to initiate contempt proceedings in order to enforce the subpoena and access the full, unredacted report,” Chairman Jerry Nadler (D-N.Y.) said in a statement.
“Congress is, therefore, the only body able to hold the president to account for improper conduct in our tripartite system, and urgently requires the subpoenaed material to determine whether and how to proceed with its constitutional duty to provide checks and balances on the president and executive branch,” the citation states. “Otherwise, the president remains insulated from legal consequences and sits above the law.”
They followed up that Tweet with this one:
Exactly. It's time to put the pressure on the Barr to be interviewed by Chairman Nadler's committee as well. I wrote last week that it behooved the Democrats to study William Barr's testimony to the Senate for a few days before they haul him in front of their committee.
Now the time has come.
William Barr made a mockery of the high office he holds, and his stonewalling and whitewashing cannot be tolerated any longer.
The House must take the gloves off regardless of the inconsequential opinions from the "nattering nabobs" of the Beltway media.
Republicans have destroyed comity between the parties since Bill Clinton's days, and care not for the institutions they serve in. And trying to play at being grown-ups to gain favorable mentions from both-siderist media scolds is nonsensical, especially in the era of Trump.
Democrats must do what is required by the law, and not show leniency in any shape or form to these miscreants who have ditched their responsibilities to uphold the Constitution in favor of placating a narcissistic braggart.
Here's the full resolution
