Wertheimer Remarks Delivered at Rally to Demand AG Barr Send Complete Mueller Report to Congress
Enclosed for your information are remarks by Democracy 21 President Fred Wertheimer, delivered at the April 4, 2019 rally to demand that Attorney General Barr release the complete Mueller report.
Remarks at Nobody Is Above The Law Rally to Demand Attorney General Barr Send Complete Mueller Report to Congress
Remarks of Democracy 21 President Fred Wertheimer
Lafayette Square, Washington D.C.
April 4, 2019
The first mission of our coalition and citizens network around the country has been to defend and protect the investigation of Special Counsel Robert Mueller.
Today we can say and can do so accurately, “Mission Accomplished.”
We are now engaged in our second mission – to demand that the complete Mueller report and supporting documents be sent to Congress and made available to the American people.
Standing in the way is Attorney General William Barr.
The Attorney General has three strikes against him in trying to interfere with and censor the Mueller report.
Strike One: Well before he became Attorney General, as a private citizen Barr sent a memo to the Justice Department stating that Mueller’s theory of obstruction of justice was “fatally misconceived” and “would do lasting damage to the presidency.”
Barr prejudged the investigation with no knowledge of Mueller’s work. He should have recused himself from any role in the Mueller investigation from the day he became Attorney General.
Strike Two: The Mueller report explicitly refused to exonerate the President from the crime of obstruction of justice, nor did it conclude the President committed a crime.
Nevertheless, political appointee Barr proceeded to exonerate the President, overriding the independent Special Counsel Mueller’s conclusion that Trump was not exonerated. This inappropriate action set the stage for President Trump to falsely claim that he had been totally exonerated by the Mueller report.
Strike Three: Attorney General Barr is going through the Mueller report redacting information such as “information that would unduly infringe on the personal privacy and reputational interests of peripheral third parties.”
That standard is a license to steal. The standard can be used by Barr to take out anything that might be embarrassing to the Administration, that was put into the report by Mueller for a reason and that is important for the American people to know.
It is not the responsibility of political appointee Barr to edit or censor the report of independent Special Counsel Mueller.
On September 9, 1998, Special Prosecutor Ken Starr who had investigated President Clinton delivered to Congress his 445–page report and 36 sealed boxes of grand jury material.
There is no basis for Attorney General Barr to do anything less.
The House Judiciary Committee has demanded the complete Mueller report and accompanying documents.
Today citizens at this event and similar events across the country are also demanding an uncensored, unedited Mueller report be sent to Congress and made available to American people.
Congress must accept nothing less.
We will accept nothing less.
The American people will accept nothing less.
We will win this fight.
Our coalition and network will then move to a new mission – to support and protect the House investigations involving President Trump and abuse of power, obstruction of justice and related matters.
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