Democrats really, really want to see the Mueller report

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Congressional Democrats are demanding immediate access to special counsel Robert Mueller’s report, now in the hands of Attorney General William Barr.

"Congress and the American people deserve to judge the facts of the Mueller report for themselves,” Democratic Sen. Mark Warner, vice chairman of the Senate Intelligence Committee, said in a statement on Twitter. “It must be provided to Congress immediately, and the AG should swiftly prepare a declassified version for the public.”

"Nothing short of that will suffice," he added.

The report covering the nearly two-year investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 election was sent to the Justice Department Friday afternoon, and Barr can now decide what parts to release to Congress and the public. In a letter to Congress Friday afternoon, the attorney general said he might provide the “principal conclusions as soon as this weekend.”

But Democratic leaders, particularly those running for president, want to see the full scope of the report now, including the underlying facts that Mueller determined did not warrant indictments.

READ: Everything we already know about the Mueller investigation

“Americans deserve to know the truth now that the Mueller report is complete,” Sen. Kamala Harris, a 2020 candidate, wrote in a tweet. “The report must be released immediately, and AG Barr must publicly testify under oath about the investigation's findings. We need total transparency here.”

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer said in a joint statement that Trump’s staff shouldn’t get a “sneak preview.”

“The American people have a right to truth,” they wrote. “The watchword is transparency.”

Democratic candidate for president and former congressman Beto O'Rourke added: "Release the Mueller report to the American people."

The White House said it has not yet seen the document.

Republicans weighed in too. Sen. Lindsey Graham of South Carolina tweeted that he’ll work with Congress to “ensure as much transparency as possible, consistent with the law.” (He blocked the Senate from voting on a bipartisan resolution to make the report public.)

Earlier this week, President Donald Trump said he’d be fine with the American public seeing the report after bashing Mueller and his probe for months. Donald Trump Jr., the president’s son, meanwhile, simply tweeted “#CollusionTruthers” after the report dropped.

Other Republicans, such as Rep. Doug Collins of Georgia, wrote on Twitter that they look forward to reviewing the report and making their determinations after.

Sen. Richard Burr, a Republican from North Carolina, said he trusts Mueller did a fair job with his findings. “After 2 years, the special counsel has concluded his investigation, & I look forward to reviewing AG Barr’s report carefully, when it becomes available. I expect DOJ to release the special counsel’s report to this committee & public w/o delay & to maximum extent permitted by law,” Collins tweeted. Republican Sen. Chuck Grassley, the prolific tweeter from Iowa and user of sometimes confusing shorthand, tweeted: “PTL the Mueller investigation is over Waiting w breathless anticipation of what it says.”

Cover image: U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, a Democrat from California, speaks during a luncheon event at the Economic Club of Washington D.C. in Washington, D.C., U.S., on Friday, March 8, 2019. (Photo: Alex Edelman/Bloomberg via Getty Images)