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US Judge Rules DoJ Must Turn Over Mueller Grand Jury Material to House Committee

© AP Photo / Cliff OwenUS Justice Department in Washington
US Justice Department in Washington - Sputnik International
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US District Court Chief Judge Beryl Howell on Friday granted the US House Judiciary Committee access to special counsel Robert Mueller's unredacted grand jury files.

The order gives the US Department of Justice until October 30 to turn over said documents to the House committee.

Howell's opinion notes that the Justice Department must disclose "all portions of special counsel Robert S. Mueller III's Report on the Investigation Into Russian Interference In The 2016 Presidential Election that were redacted pursuant to [grand jury restrictions]."

It also requires the department to release "any underlying transcripts or exhibits referenced in the portions of the Mueller Report that were redacted" pursuant to said restrictions.

“[The House Judiciary Committee] has shown that it needs the grand jury material referenced and cited in the Mueller Report to avoid a possible injustice in the impeachment inquiry, that this need for disclosure is greater than the need for continued secrecy,” Howell wrote in her decision.

"Complete information about the evidence the Special Counsel gathered, from whom, and in what setting is indispensable to [the committee]." 

Additionally, Howell also determined that the US House is in the midst of an impeachment inquiry, stating that "even in cases of presidential impeachment, a House resolution has never, in fact, been required to begin an impeachment inquiry."

In the 75-page opinion, Howell further stated that "impeachment factored into [Mueller's] analysis," and that Congress is the "appropriate body to resume where the Special Counsel left off."

Although the majority of Mueller's 448-page report was made public in May, much of it was redacted, with grand jury secrecy laws prohibiting the publication of certain portions of the document. The judge has indicated that once the committee fully reviews the requested files, it may submit additional requests for any further files.

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