Nadler delays criminal contempt process after DOJ agrees to provide "key evidence" from Mueller report
House Judiciary Chairman Jerry Nadler says that as soon as Monday, the Justice Department has agreed to begin turning over "key evidence" in special counsel Robert Mueller's report regarding the investigation into whether President Trump obstructed justice.
A committee aide did not immediately respond to questions about which materials the Justice Department would allow the committee to see.
Because of the conversations with the department, Nadler announced in a statement Monday, "I will hold the criminal contempt process in abeyance for now." The full House of Representatives is still scheduled to vote Tuesday toauthorize Nadler's committee to seek enforcement of the committee's subpoenas of Attorney General William Barr and former White House Counsel Don McGahn in court should he need to.
In the statement, Nadler said that the Justice Department would share evidence that the special counsel used to assess whether Mr. Trump and others engaged in obstruction of justice or other misconduct. All of the members of the House Judiciary Committee will be allowed to view the documents.
The deal emerged after months of rocky negotiations between the committee and the Justice Department over the committee's subpoena for the full Mueller report and its underlying documents. That subpoena culminated in President Trump's assertion of executive privilege over the entire report on May 8. In response, the Judiciary Committee voted to hold Barr in contempt.
