House Intelligence Committee Chairman Adam Schiff (D-Calif.) said Tuesday that it may be “necessary” for lawmakers to call special counsel Robert Mueller to testify if the Department of Justice tries to stifle his final report from Congress or the public.
“I think that if the Justice Department either attempts to conceal the Mueller report or the underlying evidence, then requiring Mueller to testify may very well be necessary,” Schiff told reporters Tuesday at a breakfast event hosted by the Christian Science Monitor in Washington, D.C., when asked if his committee wanted to hear from Mueller.
“We certainly would not take that off the table,” Schiff added.
{mosads}The California Democrat said it’s an open question which committee Mueller would appear before if Congress sought his testimony, noting that it would need to be discussed by the Intelligence, Judiciary and other committees. He left open the possibility Mueller could appear before multiple panels.
“There may be particular issues or areas of concern for the Intelligence Committee that are different than other committees,” Schiff said.
Schiff’s remarks punctuate increased speculation that Mueller, who has been investigating Russian interference and links between President Trump’s campaign and Moscow for almost two years, will soon wrap up his probe.
The special counsel is required to submit a confidential report to the Justice Department at the conclusion of the investigation, but it will be up to Attorney General William Barr to decide whether portions of the report are made available to Congress or released publicly.
During his Senate confirmation hearing, Barr committed to releasing as much of Mueller’s findings as possible consistent with the law, but he stopped short of promising to release the report in its entirety.
Trump has regularly lambasted Mueller’s probe as a “witch hunt,” calling allegations of collusion a “hoax.”
Democrats, including Schiff, have raised concerns that the Trump administration could look to suppress Mueller’s final conclusions.
Schiff on Tuesday described the Justice Department’s plans for Mueller’s report and the evidence underlying it as something that “concerns me greatly at the moment.”
Democrats have signaled they plan to subpoena Mueller’s report if the Justice Department stifles its findings.