House Judiciary Dem scorches Bill Barr in scathing op-ed: ‘We have an obligation to read the full Mueller report’

Rep. Jerry Nadler on Monday published an editorial in the New York Times warning Attorney General Bill Barr that he must release special counsel Robert Mueller's report on Russian interference in the 2016 presidential election by Tuesday or face legal action from Congress.

In the editorial, Nadler called out Barr for writing a very short summary of the report's conclusions and then claiming he would need several weeks to release a redacted version of the full report.

"We -- the members of the Judiciary Committee, the House of Representatives and the entire American public -- are still waiting to see that report," he wrote. "We will not wait much longer. We have an obligation to read the full report, and the Department of Justice has an obligation to provide it, in its entirety, without delay."

He then blasted Barr for usurping congressional authority and unilaterally declaring President Donald Trump innocent of obstruction of justice before lawmakers even had the opportunity to see Mueller's evidence.

"By offering us his version of events in lieu of the report, the attorney general, a recent political appointee, undermines the work and the integrity of his department," he argued. "He also denies the public the transparency it deserves. We require the full report — the special counsel’s words, not the attorney general’s summary or a redacted version."

In his conclusion, Nadler said that Trump's actions surrounding the Russia investigation may not have been illegal -- but that didn't mean they should be seen as acceptable.

"We must make it harder for future presidents to behave this way," he wrote. "If President Trump’s behavior wasn’t criminal, then perhaps it should have been."

Read the whole op-ed here.