Washington: US President Donald Trump has said it’s ‘case closed’. But Democrats are just getting started with Robert Mueller.
Democrats have scheduled a series of hearings this coming week on the special counsel’s report as they intensify their focus on the Russia probe and pick up the pace on an investigative ‘path’ — in the words of Speaker Nancy Pelosi — that some of them hope leads to impeachment of the US President.
In doing so, they are trying to draw the public’s attention on the allegations that Trump sought to obstruct a federal investigation and they want highlight his campaign’s contacts with Russia in the 2016 election. And they will lay the groundwork for an appearance from Mueller himself, despite his stated desire to avoid the spotlight.
The hearings will focus on the two main topics of Mueller’s report, obstruction of justice and Russian election interference. The House
Judiciary Committee plans to cover the first topic at a Monday hearing on ‘presidential obstruction and other crimes’ while the House Intelligence Committee intends Wednesday to review the counterintelligence implications of the Russian meddling.
Mueller has said there is not enough evidence to establish a conspiracy between the Trump campaign and Russia, but he said he could not exonerate Trump on obstruction.
Tuesday, the House has scheduled a vote to authorise contempt cases against Attorney General William Barr and former White House counsel Donald McGahn for failing to comply with subpoenas from the Democratic-controlled House.
Barr defied a subpoena to provide an unredacted version of Mueller’s report, along with underlying evidence. McGahn, who is frequently referenced in the report, has defied subpoenas to provide documents and testify before the House Judiciary Committee.
Language in the resolution would make it easier for committee chairmen to take the Trump administration to court. Those chairmen could take legal action to enforce subpoenas in the future without a vote of the full House, so long as the chairmen have approval from a five-person, bipartisan group where Democrats have the majority.
With Trump pledging that ‘we’re fighting all the subpoenas’, Democratic leaders want to avoid repeated floor votes on contempt resolutions that detract from their legislative agenda.
The procession of hearings and votes in the week ahead is partly designed to mollify anxious Democrats who have pushed Pelosi to begin impeachment proceedings immediately. Pelosi has so far rejected that option, preferring a slower, more methodical approach to investigating the President, including the court fights and hearings.
AP