"There is no good reason, no good reason that the special counsel's report should not be made public. The American people are overwhelmingly for the report being made public. They have a right to see it. No one should stand in the way of that," Schumer said from the Senate floor. Graham stressed that he supported Mueller's probe into Russian interference in the 2016 election, and predicted that it would wrap up shortly. But he added that he had been "trying to find balance" by also supporting an investigation into Clinton-related scandals. "Was there two systems of justice in 2016? One for the Democratic candidate and one for the Republican candidate?" Graham asked. Under Senate rules, any one senator can try to pass or set up a vote on a bill, resolution or nomination. But, in turn, any one senator can block their request. Schumer fired back that Graham appeared to be using a "pretext" for trying to block the Mueller resolution. "I have absolutely no idea why a member of this body would object to this basic level of transparency whatever their concern or other issues," he said. The House-passed resolution argues there is “overwhelming public interest” in the government releasing the contents of the high-profile report. The resolution calls on the DOJ to fully release the report to Congress and to release it to the public “except to the extent the public disclosure of any portion thereof is expressly prohibited by law.”<doc-sep>Photo: AARON P. BERNSTEIN/Bloomberg via Getty Images For the 53.4 percent of Americans who disapprove of the president’s performance, the Mueller report, whenever it is released, will be must-read material. Unfortunately for this small majority, there are several reasons why the public might not be able to see the results of the nearly two-year investigation in full. Obviously, the president wants it under wraps. Attorney General William Barr, who will send the report to Congress, is unlikely to provide lawmakers with “derogatory” information about people who were not charged with a crime — meaning juicy, if tangential, details will stay confidential. And, as a criminal investigator, it’s unlikely that Mueller would prepare a report meant to be read as a comprehensive thriller. “That’s just the way this works,” John Q. Barrett, a veteran of the independent counsel that investigated the Iran-Contra scandal, told Politico. “He’s not government oversight, and he’s not a historian.” On Thursday, Lindsey Graham made clear another roadblock to the public’s access to the report: the Republican-controlled Senate. In the morning, Democrats passed a House resolution 420 to zero in support of releasing the probe to the public, serving as a gesture to pressure William Barr into showing as much of the report as possible. In the afternoon, Graham promptly shut down the symbolic gesture, blocking Chuck Schumer’s request to pass the House resolution. Graham, the chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee, went a step further, requesting that AG William Barr should appoint a second special counsel to investigate “misconduct” in the Department of Justice over the handling of Hillary Clinton’s emails, and the government surveillance of Trump campaign staffer Carter Page. “We let Mueller look at all things Trump related to collusion and otherwise,” Graham said. “Somebody needs to look at what happened on the other side and find out if the FBI and the DOJ had two systems, one supporting the person they wanted to win and one out to get the person they wanted to lose.” Graham added: “Any American out there who did what Secretary Clinton did, you’d be in jail now. The question I want to know is, does anybody other than me believe that?” As the Mueller investigation draws toward its end, deflections like Graham’s will be inevitable. Despite calls for transparency — including an impressive uncontested vote in the House — some Republican leaders will make distracting noises or otherwise try to suppress the report in order to limit Trump’s chance at a one-term presidency. But there is some conciliatory news for people off the hill who want to read the Mueller report: the bulk of its details may already be public. The immense reporting project of the past two years may contain much of the Mueller investigation’s final details, just without the affirmation that the special counsel’s office also finds the misadventures of Trump’s son and son-in-law utterly captivating.<doc-sep>Dana Bash: This is so telling about where the Republican party is NEW YORK, NY - AUGUST 24: Trump Tower stands on Fifth Avenue in Manhattan on August 24, 2018 in New York City. Following new allegations over hush money that former Trump attorney Michael Cohen paid to an adult-film actress, the Manhattan district attorneyÕs office in New York City may seek criminal charges against the Trump Organization in the coming days. (Photo by Spencer Platt/Getty Images) Why GOP is standing in the way of Capitol riot investigation WASHINGTON - NOVEMBER 08: US Senate Armed Services Committee Chairman John Warner (R-VA) remarks on the resignation of Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld at the US Capitol November 8, 2006 in Washington, DC. Warner said he supports President George W. Bush's nomination of former CIA Director Robert Gates for Secretary of Defense. Warner said he anticipates Gates' confirmation before the end of the year. (Photo by Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images) Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY), joined by Senate Assistant Minority Leader John Thune (R-SD) (L) and Senate Minority Whip Roy Blunt (R-MO), speaks following a Senate Republican Policy luncheon at the Russell Senate Office Building on May 18, 2021 in Washington, DC. (CNN) — The House of Representatives on Thursday passed a resolution calling for special counsel Robert Mueller’s report to be released to the public once it is completed. The vote was overwhelmingly bipartisan, with 420 members voting in favor of the resolution and zero voting against it. Four Republicans voted present. The resolution is not legally binding, but passing it gives Democrats an opportunity to keep a spotlight on the issue as they work to put pressure on the Justice Department to disclose as much of Mueller’s findings in the special counsel’s investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 election as possible. The resolution calls for whatever report Mueller gives the attorney general to be publicly released in full, with the exception of classified or grand jury information. It also calls for the entire report to be given to Congress. On Thursday afternoon, Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer of New York attempted to bring the Mueller report resolution to the Senate floor by asking for unanimous consent and calling for the Senate to pass the measure. But the effort did not move forward after Republican Sen. Lindsey Graham of South Carolina interjected and asked that the resolution be modified to call for Attorney General William Barr to appoint a special counsel to investigate the Department of Justice’s handling of the Clinton email investigation and other matters. Schumer accused Graham of blocking the resolution as a result of his request, saying, “Let the American people know that the Republican majority in the Senate, at least for now, is blocking a resolution that the Mueller report should be made public.” Graham later defended his request, telling CNN, “I want everything looked at, not just Mueller. Mueller is going to be able to do his job, he’s just about finished, I think. But nobody has lifted a finger to call for an investigation into the other side of the story. Was there two systems of justice, one for the Democratic candidate, one for the Republican candidate?” The push for the report to be publicly released is an effort by Democrats to draw clear battle lines over what they plan to fight for when Mueller’s investigation ends. It’s not clear yet when that will be, but it is expected to happen in the coming days or weeks. Bringing a vote on the resolution also served as a way for Democrats to put Republicans on record on the issue. The President has repeatedly railed against the investigation, denouncing it as a witch hunt and insisting there was no collusion between associates of his presidential campaign and Russia. At the same time, an overwhelming majority of Americans believe there should be a public report on what Mueller finds. A CNN poll released last month found that support for a public release stands at 80% among Republicans and those who approve of the way the President is handling his job, and at 92% among Democrats and those who disapprove of the way Trump is handling his job. But it’s not yet clear how much of the special counsel’s findings the public will get to see. When the investigation concludes, Mueller is required by regulation to submit a confidential report to Attorney General William Barr. That report must explain why the special counsel chose to either pursue or decline prosecutions. Barr is then required to provide the chairmen and ranking members of the House and Senate Judiciary committees with some kind of notice and explanation that the investigation has concluded. During his confirmation hearings, Barr promised to be as transparent as possible but did not commit to a public release of the full report. “My goal will be to provide as much transparency as I can consistent with the law,” he said in his opening statement, saying he believes “it is very important that the public and Congress be informed of the results of the special counsel’s work.” That answer has not satisfied Democrats, however, who have continued to press for assurances that the report will be released publicly. In February, six House Democratic committee chairs, led by Judiciary Chairman Jerry Nadler of New York, made a similar request in a letter to Barr. The letter asked for a public release of the Mueller report and that the attorney general provide to Congress any information in the report that cannot be publicly released by law. Democrats have also made clear they plan to use all the tools at their disposal, including subpoena power, in an effort to make the report available to the public. “We will obviously subpoena the report. We will bring Bob Mueller in to testify before Congress. We will take it to court if necessary,” House Intelligence Chairman Adam Schiff of California told ABC’s George Stephanopoulos in an interview last month. “And in the end, I think the department understands they’re going to have to make this public.” This story has been updated with additional developments Thursday. CNN’s Sunlen Serfaty, Ashley Killough, Jeremy Herb and Jennifer Agiesta contributed to this report.<doc-sep>
WASHINGTON – The Senate blocked a measure that demanded special counsel Robert Mueller's final report on Russian meddling in the 2016 presidential election be made public — hours after the House unanimously voted in support of the measure. Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer called for a vote on the measure but was blocked by Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., who asked that the resolution also include calling for the appointment of a new special counsel to investigate how the Justice Department conducted its investigation. Earlier, the House passed a nonbinding resolution, with a vote of 420-0, urging for the public release of "any report" Mueller provides to Attorney General William Barr, except the portions "expressly prohibited by law." And they insisted that Congress should receive the whole thing. Graham pointed to controversies surrounding a surveillance warrant on Trump aide Carter Page and text messages by two FBI employees that were critical of President Donald Trump. "We let Mueller look at all things Trump, related to collusion and otherwise," Graham argued on the Senate floor. "Somebody needs to look at what happened on the other side and find out if the FBI and the DOJ had two systems." Schumer declined to include Graham's proposed amendment and said he was "deeply disappointed" in Graham for "blocking this very simple, non-controversial resolution." He said he would bring the measure back before the Senate at a later time. The votes came amid signs that Mueller's inquiry could be drawing closer to its conclusion. Mueller's office confirmed on Thursday that one of its top prosecutors, Andrew Weissmann, plans to leave for another job soon, the latest in a series of departures from the office. Mueller:What happens after Robert Mueller delivers his report? Congress braces for legal and political battles. Opinion:Don't cover up Mueller's Trump-Russia investigation. We need to know everything he finds. Justice Department rules require Mueller to submit a final, confidential report to Barr outlining why he charged some people and not others. Barr has said he wants to release as much detail as possible about the results of the special counsel investigation, but has not committed to releasing all of the findings of an investigation that has been based in part on classified intelligence and secret grand jury information. The nearly two-year investigation dug deeply into President Donald Trump's presidential campaign, his administration and their Russian ties. The president has repeatedly derided the probe as a "witch hunt" and often claims there was no collusion between his campaign and Russia. Mueller has indicted 34 people, including Russian intelligence operatives and some of Trump's closest aides and advisers. In doing so, he revealed a wealth of details about a sophisticated Russian effort to influence the 2016 election and about a campaign eager to reap the benefits of that activity. What he might add in a final report remains uncertain. Rep. Steve Scalise, R-Louisiana, said the end of Mueller's investigation is "long overdue" and that he must be transparent with the public. "After taking nearly two years, costing tens of millions of taxpayer dollars, and providing limited public information about its scope, I am especially concerned about what would happen if the report was not made available to Congress," Scalise said in a statement. Contributing: Bart Jansen