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After the negotiations with the Justice Department collapsed, House Democrats in the Judiciary Committee voted to have Attorney General William Barr contempt for failing to comply with the jury's subpoenas. asking him to provide documents regarding the report of the special advocate Robert Mueller on Russia.
The vote was adopted by the parties, 24 hours out of 16, after six hours of controversial debates on the subject. The contempt resolution will now be submitted to Parliament as a whole for a vote, where it should pass, given the Democratic majority.
"It is deeply disappointing that the elected representatives of the American people have chosen to engage in such inappropriate political theatricality," the Justice Ministry said in a statement in response to the vote.
Shortly before the start of the voting procedure on Wednesday morning, the President claimed privilege on the entire Mueller report and the underlying documents.
In response to the assertion of executive privilege, Committee Chairman Jerry Nadler said in his opening statement on Wednesday that the government "misapplied the doctrine of executive privilege", and described the decision as "escalating manifest from the general challenge to the constitutional administration" congressional duties.
"The information we are asking for is entirely within our legal right to receive," Nadler said. The Democrats are adamant: Barr should hand over the unedited Mueller report and all the underlying elements, which the Justice Department has refused. The Department offered to allow some members of Congress to consult a less redacted version of the report, provided that these members do not discuss this report with their colleagues.
"Our fight is to defend the rights of Congress to hold the president – any president – accountable," added Nadler.
Before the vote, Democrats and Republicans alternately condemned the opposing party for their positions in the Mueller case investigation. Republicans like ranking member Doug Collins and committee representative Steve Chabot took the opportunity to condemn the committee's Democratic position and assert that the real scandal was at the origin of Mueller's report. GOP representative Louie Gohmert called the report a "coup attempt," using President Trump's language.
Republicans and Democrats were also left with a legitimate debate over why they voted for Barr's contempt. Nadler argued that two months of requests for cooperation ignored by the Department of Justice had left enough time for the committee to justify a contempt vote, while the Republicans disagreed.
The committee unanimously approved an amendment proposed by the representative of the Republic, Matt Gaetz, that the vote to condemn Barr in contempt "would not be interpreted as a directive inviting the Attorney General to violate the law or the federal rules ". The Republicans argued that the summons had asked Barr to commit a crime by revealing documents expurgated by the grand jury. The Democrats said that they only asked the Ministry of Justice for help in the courts to get this information out.
Nadler also called the assignment "early dialogue", the Justice Ministry refused to negotiate "in good faith", which the Republicans immediately seized. The GOP members of the committee said the Democrats ended the dialogue by issuing a subpoena.
The Democrats opposed two other amendments to the vote proposed by the Republicans. At a press conference held after the vote, Nadler said Barr's refusal to cooperate with Democrats in the House was a "constitutional crisis." When asked if this crisis required an impeachment procedure, Nadler opposed it.
"This may not be the best answer in a constitutional crisis," Nadler said.
Deputy Attorney General Stephen Boyd wrote a letter to Nadler condemning the contempt vote and affirming the privilege of the executive shortly before the committee began.
"Unfortunately, instead of letting the negotiations go on, you have scheduled a vote for unnecessary outrage, which you have refused to postpone, to allow more time for compromise," said Boyd.
Barr also wrote a letter to Trump on Wednesday asking him to "make a protective affirmation of the executive's privilege over Justice Department documents recently summoned by the Judiciary Committee of the House of Commons. representatives ".
"As for President Clinton's statement in 1996, you would only make a preliminary and protective statement of executive privilege, designed to allow you to make a final affirmation, if necessary, about everything. or part of the documents summoned to appear, "said Barr.
The affirmation of the privilege of the executive by the administration intervenes after the Justice Ministry warned that he would ask the president to invoke the privilege of the executive on the entire Mueller report if the committee does not cancel its scheduled vote, according to a letter from Boyd on Tuesday night.
Speaker of the House of Representatives Nancy Pelosi told Washington Post reporter Robert Costa Wednesday that she believed Barr should be held in contempt of Congress. She also refused to rule on whether Barr should be dismissed, saying "nothing is ever lost".
"For the White House to degrade the president's mandate, degrading the US Constitution and degrading the first body of the government, the legislature, this is simply not suitable," said M Pelosi.
Nadler also threatened to hold the old Don McGahn, White House Attorney in contempt he did not respond to Congressional summonses for similar documents. The White House has since ordered McGahn to not comply with this summons, according to a letter obtained by CBS News.
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