White House expects to see Mueller findings before they go to Congress

[uppityperson]

Source: CNN

White House lawyers expect to have an opportunity to review whatever version of Robert Mueller's report Attorney General Bill Barr submits to Congress before it reaches lawmakers and the public, multiple sources familiar with the matter said, setting up a potential political battle over the hotly anticipated document.

The attorneys want the White House to have an opportunity to claim executive privilege over information drawn from documents and interviews with White House officials, the sources said.

The White House's review of executive privilege claims are within its legal purview, but could set up a political battle over the perception President Donald Trump is trying to shield certain information from the public about an investigation that has swirled around him since the first day of his presidency.

Justice Department lawyers could advise him against certain assertions if they don't feel it's legally defensible. If Trump does assert executive privilege, the decision could be litigated in court if it's challenged, which Democrats would almost certainly do....(more)


Read more: https://www.cnn.com/2019/03/18/politics/mueller-report-white-house-see/index.html

[SHRED]

1. Ken Starr released a damn book-sized report didn't he?

[Evolve Dammit]

3. Yes he did. Let's follow "precedent" from the last impeachment

Unfortunately, the new, teabag co-opted, goose-stepping GOP follows no rules. We're in the wild, wild, world. Let's hope the rule of law prevails. Feels like 1937.

[FBaggins]

13. Yes... but Starr was an Independent Council

and Congress had oversight jurisdiction when they created the law and the position.

Mueller is a Special Counsel... which is a position created by (and answerable to) the AG.

[DRoseDARs]

2. Right after Donald Trump finishes his sit-down interview with Mueller... n/t

[riversedge]

6. My understanding is that will not happen. Mueller team and Trump lawyers

negotiated only the written (and very limited) deal.

[DRoseDARs]

9. Do I need to explain the joke?

Monday, right?

[riversedge]

16. no, just missed it. oops.

[MelissaB]

4. K&R!

I didn't see your thread before I posted a dupe. Sorry!

[uppityperson]

11. No. Thank you for posting it in GD too.

[no_hypocrisy]

5. Hey, why stop there?

Why not demand that the only copy (the original) be given to the WH first and see what happens?

[Botany]

7. And people in hell want glasses of ice water too

Mueller is way ahead of Trump and the White House on this one too. Adam Schiff for one will
subpoena the report and make it public.

[DallasNE]

8. There Is No Executive Privilege Prior To January 20, 2017

Executive Privilege and attorney client protections also do not cover words or deeds of criminal conduct, such as obstruction of justice. But that is tricky to determine because it also goes to intent. Some of these determinations will require a Judge to sort out. But I doubt that is the only reason they want advanced access to the report. They want to apply edits to the report unrelated to claims of privilege to make it look more innocent. And Barr is not exactly neutral in this matter. Indeed, this has the look and feel of Nixon's ploy to provide edited transcripts of the Watergate tapes. This cannot be allow to happen. The report needs to go to Congress unedited. Perhaps use a retired Judge to determine passages that should be redacted like the retired Judge that reviewed the material taken from Michael Cohen for attorney client privilege.

[DallasNE]

15. Just Heard More On The Documents They Want To Assert Executive Privilege On

They are documents that the Whitehouse previously provided to Mueller. The time to exert a claim of EP would have been before the documents were turned over. But that probably happened when Trump had a different team of attorney's so now they want a do-over. That makes for a pretty weak case and a sadly Trump friendly framing of the issue by the media.

[watoos]

10. Republicans released 800,000 pages

of Hillary investigations to Congress, Jerry Nadler says that sets a precedent that Republicans are going to have to live with.

[lagomorph777]

18. Oops!

Investigations have consequences. Even fake ones such as Benghazi, it turns out.

[kimbutgar]

12. I don't think so

Tom Jones Sez no.

[JohnnyRingo]

14. I recall he wanted to just tell us what's in the final report.

...and this is exactly that.

Let's hope it doesn't come to be because the White House release will be two words: "No collusion!".

[Bayard]

17. In other words....

Tie this up in the courts for years. The only good thing is it would be a major campaign issue for Dems.

What is the Congress's options?

[htuttle]

19. Future convict says what?

[0rganism]

20. let's try it his way: "that's a very nice report you've got there, shame if it were leaked"

i assume he's familiar with that turn of phrase.