Home Current Explainer: Can Democratic subpoenas force the release of Mueller’s Trump-Russia report?

Explainer: Can Democratic subpoenas force the release of Mueller’s Trump-Russia report?

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Explainer: Can Democratic subpoenas force the release of Mueller's Trump-Russia report?Attorney General William Barr, who has broad authority under Justice Department regulations to decide how much of Mueller’s report to release, sent lawmakers a four-page letter on March 24 explaining Mueller’s “principal conclusions” and has promised to release the nearly 400-page report by the middle of this month, with some parts blacked out, or “redacted.” That has not satisfied Democrats, who control the House. The House Judiciary Committee is scheduled to vote on Wednesday to authorize a subpoena to compel the Justice Department to hand over the complete report, without redactions, as well as underlying evidence. Here is an explanation of the legal hurdles Democrats must clear in their subpoena effort, important judicial precedents and Barr’s rationale for keeping parts of the report confidential.