By Justin Chermol
The release of one of the most highly anticipated reports in modern American history concluded over the weekend, but Attorney General William Barr has yet to release the full report from the special counsel's investigation into Russian meddling in the 2016 election.
Congressman Jamie Raskin (D-Md.) a member of the House Judiciary and Oversight committees, told Cheddar's J.D. Durkin on Monday, "That report needs to be available to all of us because there are just way too many questions about this 4-page memo that was sent to us by Attorney General Barr -- both on the obstruction of justice point and on the collusion point."
Robert Mueller sent his full report to the Barr on Friday. Barr then described its contents in a 4-page memo to Congressional leaders. Barr's memo said that the Mueller report found no evidence that President Trump colluded with the Russians, and indicated there would be no further indictments. Nevertheless, Barr's report left out a lot, and was more of a summary.
"I don't want to read the Cliff notes version of Macbeth; I want to read Macbeth itself," Raskin said about the shortened version of the report, which failed to incorporate any full sentences from the report, rather just phrases.
"Mueller spent two years really analyzing what took place with the Russian active measure campaign to destabilize and influence our election. We want to know what he exactly found, and what he didn't find, and I'm willing to be guided by that," the Maryland Democrat added.
"But, I can't accept the completely stilted and sanitized version of what took place, released by the Attorney General, and then we all go home. That's just not acceptable, and it's not what the House of Representatives have asked for."
Even one of the president's closest allies, Senator Lindsey Graham, a South Carolina Republican who chairs the Senate Judiciary Committee, called for the release of the full report Monday morning.
As for the President, he told reporters in the Oval Office that it would be Barr's decision as to whether to release the full report. "Up to the Attorney General, but it wouldn't bother me at all. Up to the Attorney General. Wouldn't bother me at all."