A federal judge has ruled the Department of Justice must turn over grand jury material and the redacted portions of the Mueller Report to the House Judiciary Committee by October 30.
“DOJ must disclose to HJC: (1) All portions of Special Counsel Robert S. Mueller III’s Report on the Investigation Into Russian Interference In The 2016 Presidential Election (“Mueller Report”) that were redacted pursuant to Federal Rule of Criminal Procedure 6(e); and (2) any underlying transcripts or exhibits referenced in the portions of the Mueller Report that were redacted pursuant to Rule 6(e),” the order reads.
This is obviously a major win for democrats however it’s almost certain the DOJ will appeal the decision, however, the Democrats also received another legal boost in today’s announcement. This came when Judge Beryl Howell — the chief federal judge in Washington — ruled that the impeachment inquiry Democrats have launched is valid despite Speaker Nancy Pelosi haven’t yet to hold a formal vote in the House.
Republicans have argued that a formal vote is necessary for impeachment proceedings to begin but Judge Howell determined that “even in cases of presidential impeachment, a House resolution has never, in fact, been required to begin an impeachment inquiry.”
If Democrats continue to be successful in their attempts to see the full unredacted Mueller Report, the question will be how Republicans respond in the Senate once a removal from office trial begins on Capitol Hill? Because at this point, it’s more a matter of when the House decides to impeach President Donald Trump.