Politics

House Committee Votes Whether To Hold AG Barr In Contempt

The committee voted 24-16 in favor of the move.

House Committee Votes Whether To Hold AG Barr In Contempt
Getty Images

The House Judiciary Committee has voted to hold Attorney General William Barr in contempt for failing to provide Congress with a full, unredacted version of the Mueller report. 

The committee voted 24-16 in favor of the move.

House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jerry Nadler has said that the Mueller report "offers disturbing evidence and analysis that President Trump engaged in obstruction of justice at the highest levels. Congress must see the full report and underlying evidence to determine how to best move forward with oversight, legislation, and other constitutional responsibilities."

Here's a bit of background: Last month, Nadler subpoenaed the full, unredacted Mueller report and underlying evidence. The next week, the attorney general gave just 12 members of Congress access to see a less-redacted version of the report. And on May 1, Barr missed the subpoena deadline and didn't release the full Mueller report to Congress. 

Republican members say Barr was entitled to say no to the committee's request because the full report included grand jury testimony. Nadler said he wasn't interested in getting that information anyway, as it would be against the law to see it.

So what's next? The resolution to hold Barr in contempt will head to a full House floor vote. If it passes there, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi will be able to "take all appropriate action to enforce the subpoena."

In related news, the Trump administration announced Wednesday — right as the committee hearing was starting — it was following through on a Department of Justice request to evoke executive privilege over the documents subpoenaed by the House Judiciary Committee.