House Democrats Can Access Secret Grand Jury Materials From Mueller Probe, Appeals Court Rules

The D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled Tuesday that the House of Representatives can have access to secret grand jury material collected by former Special Counsel Robert Mueller.

Mueller’s investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 presidential election ended by neither exonerating nor incriminating President Donald Trump for his ties to Russia.

This court ruling may provide evidence to the House Judiciary Committee, who is currently investigating Trump on allegations of obstruction of justice during the Mueller investigation.

“Special Counsel Mueller prepared his report with the expectation that Congress would review it,” the 26-page opinion said. “The Committee’s particularized need for the grand jury materials remains unchanged. The Committee has repeatedly state that if the grand jury materials reveal new evidence of impeachable offenses, the Committee may recommend new articles of impeachment.”

House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jerry Nadler (D-New York) pledged to review the secret materials and said the court ruled “correctly” in its 2-1 split decision.

“The Justice Department has consistently provided grand jury material to the Committee in past investigations involving Presidential misconduct, but Attorney General [William] Barr chose to break from that long-standing practice, and DOJ radically altered its position in an attempt to withhold this information,” Nadler said in a statement Tuesday. “The court today correctly rejected DOJ’s arguments and held that the Committee is entitled to these materials.”

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He continued, “The Committee remains committed to holding the President accountable to the rule of law and preventing improper interference in law enforcement investigations.”

The secret grand jury material would likely not become public unless the Judiciary committee votes to release it. They requested the material as part of their ongoing investigation into Trump obstructing the Russia investigation, citing differences between what witnesses told Mueller versus what Trump told Mueller in written responses during his probe.