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The Latest: Democrats intensify demands for Mueller report

House Intelligence Committee Chairman Adam Schiff, D-Calif., pushes ahead with their oversight of the Trump administration at a hearing to examine to examine "Putin's Playbook," how the Russian government works to undermine its adversaries, especially the U.S., on Capitol Hill in Washington, Thursday, March 28, 2019. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)
Original Publication Date March 28, 2019 - 7:11 AM

WASHINGTON - The Latest on Congress and the special counsel's Russia report (all times local):

7 p.m.

Democrats are intensifying their demands for Robert Mueller's full report after learning the special counsel's Trump-Russia findings run to more than 300 pages.

President Donald Trump, meanwhile, is boasting of total exoneration based on a four-page summary by his attorney general.

House Judiciary Chairman Jerrold Nadler says Attorney General William Barr told him he has no intention of giving the confidential report to Congress immediately as he redacts grand jury testimony and other elements.

Democrats say they may subpoena the report if it's not forthcoming by their Tuesday deadline, which Barr has said will not be met.

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3:15 p.m.

Attorney General William Barr does not intend to give Congress a complete copy of the report from special counsel Robert Mueller.

That's according to a House Democratic aide who briefed reporters on Thursday on condition of anonymity.

The aide said Barr spoke with Judiciary Committee Chairman Jerry Nadler late Wednesday and indicated he was redacting grand jury information from the confidential report. While grand jury information is often confidential, it can be unsealed in some situations.

The aide added Nadler offered to work with Barr to have the information unsealed.

House Democrats are pressing for the full release of Mueller's report.

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi called Barr's four-page synopsis "condescending" and "arrogant" and said Democrats need to draw their own conclusions about what Mueller found.

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12:18 p.m.

Attorney General William Barr has told the chairman of the House Judiciary Committee that he would testify before his panel.

That's according to a Justice Department official familiar with a Wednesday call between Barr and Rep. Jerrold Nadler, the New York Democrat who runs the committee.

Democrats are anxious to hear from Barr about special counsel Robert Mueller's Russia investigation report. They want to see the full report and the evidence that goes with it. Barr told Nadler on the call that the report is more than 300 pages.

Barr released a four-page summary of the report on Sunday and is expected to produce a public version of the document in the coming weeks.

-- By AP writer Eric Tucker

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House Speaker Nancy Pelosi is heaping scorn on Attorney General William Barr, saying his letter about special counsel Robert Mueller's report was "condescending."

Barr's four-page summary of the Russia probe said special counsel Robert Mueller found no evidence that President Donald Trump's campaign "conspired or co-ordinated" with the Russian government to influence the 2016 election.

Pelosi said she found Barr's decision to write the letter "arrogant." Congress, she said, doesn't need Barr "to be our interpreter of something that he should just show us."

The Democratic chairmen of six House committees have demanded that Barr release the Mueller report to Congress by Tuesday.

Pelosi also defended House Intelligence Committee Chairman Adam Schiff, who faced calls Thursday from Republicans to resign over his comments that there was significant evidence the president and his associates conspired with Russia.

Pelosi said the Republicans are "scaredy cats" afraid of a "patriotic leader."

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10:05 a.m.

House Republicans on the Intelligence Committee say they have "no faith" in Democratic Chairman Adam Schiff and are demanding his resignation. Schiff is insisting President Donald Trump's associates colluded with Russia and may be compromised.

The fiery back-and-forth came during a rare public hearing by the secretive committee on Thursday in the wake of special counsel Robert Mueller's report on Russia. Attorney General William Barr has said Mueller didn't find that Trump colluded with election meddling and made no conclusion on obstruction.

Still, Republicans submitted a letter to Schiff saying his statements suggesting the contrary have produced "no faith in your ability to discharge your duties" and mean Schiff should resign from the panel.

Schiff angrily refused and said some activities of Trump and his associates amount to "collusion" and "compromise."

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12:15 a.m.

The top Democrat on the House Oversight Committee says he's disappointed that the attorney general will take weeks instead of days to release the special counsel's report on Russia's election interference.

Maryland congressman Elijah Cummings said Wednesday that the delay allows President Donald Trump to spend weeks taking a victory lap in the wake of the generally favourable findings summarized by Attorney General William Barr.

The chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, Republican Sen. Lindsey Graham of South Carolina says Barr told him that he's combing through Mueller's report and removing classified, grand jury and other information in hopes of releasing it to Congress.

Democratic lawmakers warn that the longer it takes to release the full findings the more they will question the legitimacy of Barr's actions.

News from © The Associated Press, 2019
The Associated Press

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