Following two years of investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 election, the release of the Mueller Report and the subsequent Barr Summary is drawing reaction from central Florida’s congressional delegation.
“Every American should be relieved that the Special Counsel determined that President Trump did not knowingly coordinate with a foreign power to attack our election,” wrote Rep. Val Demings (D-Orlando).
While the report did not find evidence that the Trump campaign knowingly coordinated with the Russians, it stopped short of clearing the president of obstruction of justice, leading members on both sides of the aisle to call for the report to be made public.
“I call on the Department of Justice to promptly make the full version of the report available to Congress and the American People for their own review,” wrote Rep. Ross Spano (R-Lakeland).
“Last week, I joined my colleagues in the House to unanimously vote in favor of making the Mueller report public. Now that the investigation is completed, Americans have the right to know the findings so we can hold bad actors accountable and protect our democracy,” wrote Rep. Stephanie Murphy (D-Orlando).
In an interview on CNN, Rep. Michael Waltz (R-Daytona Beach) said, “Attorney General Barr made it clear in his report that he is working to make it public – that, number one, he's working through Grand Jury rules and number two, through national security concerns, to make it public. I voted unanimously with every other member to make it public, and I think that's something we should do.”
While central Florida House members want to see the report released to the public, there is still wide debate about what happens beyond that and the role of Congress in oversight.
“The investigation has determined that six of the president’s closest advisors committed federal crimes. Even worse, on the crime of obstruction of justice, the president’s claim that he has been exonerated is directly contradicted by the Special Counsel’s report,” wrote Rep. Demings. “Which explicitly says that it does not exonerate him.”
“Now, it’s time for Democrats in Congress to embrace the truth, as Robert Mueller has concluded after 2 years and tens of millions of dollars, that there was no collusion with Russia and look into how the FBI concocted a multi-million dollar investigation largely based on an unverified dossier of fake intelligence,” wrote Rep. Brian Mast (R- Stuart). “More than anything, it’s time for Democrats in Congress to stop the partisan obstruction, set aside the one-sided Congressional witch hunts and finally govern in a bipartisan way that puts people before politics.”
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Cox Media Group