A federal judge is ordering the DOJ to turn over classified grand jury material from Mueller’s Russia report to the House Judiciary Committee. By next Wednesday:
NBC NEWS – A federal court judge on Friday ordered the Department of Justice to turn over grand jury material referenced in redacted portions of special counsel Robert Mueller’s report to the House Judiciary Committee.
Beryl Howell, the chief judge for the Washington, D.C. circuit court, ordered DOJ to turn over the materials by Wednesday, Oct. 30.
“The Department of Justice claims that existing law bars disclosure to the Congress of grand jury information,” Howell wrote. “DOJ is wrong.”
The judge also found that despite public protestations from the Trump administration that House Democrats have not actually launched a formal impeachment inquiry, one is underway.
Barr is following the LAW by not releasing this grand jury information to the House. He’s not just making up rules by the seat of his pants. But this judge apparently knows best, who by the way happens to be an Obama judge, in case you were wondering.
Further, as Andy McCarthy pointed out before, the “grand jury material is likely to be the least important, least significant stuff in the Mueller report” because all of the important witnesses came forward voluntarily.
I would expect the DOJ to appeal this decision asap.
UPDATE: Here’s a bit more from Chad Pergram:
Federal Judge Beryl Howell on Mueller grand jury info: The need for continued secrecy is minimal and thus easily outweighed by HJC’s compelling need for the material. Tipping the scale even further toward disclosure is the public’s interest in a diligent & thorough investigation
— Chad Pergram (@ChadPergram) October 25, 2019
Federal Judge Beryl Howell rules Judiciary Cmte "has shown that it needs the grand jury material referenced and cited in the Mueller Report to avoid a possible injustice in the impeachment inquiry, that this need for disclosure is greater than the need for continued secrecy"
— Chad Pergram (@ChadPergram) October 25, 2019
Fed Judge Howell ruling Judiciary Cmte can access Mueller grand jury info: In carrying out the weighty constitutional duty of determining whether impeachment of the President is warranted, Congress need not redo the nearly 2 yrs of effort spent on the Special Counsel’s (probe)
— Chad Pergram (@ChadPergram) October 25, 2019
So they are using the sham that is this impeachment inquiry to argue the need for this information to avoid ‘injustice’. What a crock.