New Bipartisan Momentum to Require a Special Counsel’s Report to Be Made Public
Jan. 28, 2019
New Bipartisan Momentum to Require a Special Counsel’s Report to Be Made Public
Statement of Lisa Gilbert, Vice President of Legislative Affairs, Public Citizen
Note: U.S. Senators Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.) and Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) have introduced the Special Counsel Transparency Act to require that conclusions of Special Counsel Robert Mueller’s investigation be released to the public.
It remains vitally important that the special counsel be allowed to complete his investigation, and that at its conclusion the findings be made public. Since 2016, the nation has been mired in the aftermath of Russia’s interference in our elections, and as such, our right to know the results of the investigation is obvious. Introduction of today’s new bipartisan Mueller transparency bill allows that and much more.
Existing special counsel regulations require Mueller only to give a report to the deputy attorney general or attorney general at the conclusion of the investigation, a serious weakness for public clarity. The nonexistence of any requirement that the special counsel provide a report to Congress or the public is remedied in this important bill. Consideration and passage of this bipartisan legislation should be an urgent priority for this Congress.
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