WASHINGTON — Today, U.S. Senator Tom Udall (D-N.M.) issued the following statement after the redacted version of the Mueller report was released to Congress and the public by U.S. Attorney General William Barr:
“I will closely study the version of the special counsel’s report that has been delivered to Congress by the Attorney General. While this is a lengthy and complex report that will take time to fully review, already several disturbing facts and findings stand out that demand additional Congressional attention, oversight and action. It must be stated: this report suggests serious misconduct by President Trump, and Congress now has serious work to do to protect and restore faith in our democracy.
“Here are the facts. First, and unequivocally, a foreign adversary meddled in our presidential election for the express purpose of benefiting the Trump campaign -- a fact the president still refuses to acknowledge -- and the report details links between the president’s campaign and that foreign adversary. Second, the president plainly took actions to attempt to interfere with and shut down the special counsel’s investigation into his campaign. While the special counsel declined to reach a definitive conclusion on whether the president obstructed justice, this report explicitly does not rule out obstruction – and indeed, presents disturbing evidence to suggest it. The next steps are left to Congress.
“Finally, we must acknowledge that the Attorney General’s approach to the handling of the Mueller report has unquestionably undermined the American people’s confidence in his impartiality and in this process. The attorney general has blatantly attempted to shield the president and acted more as a personal lawyer for President Trump than as the independent leader of the Department of Justice. The American people will rightly question what was chosen to be redacted in this report, the decision not to pursue obstruction despite the evidence presented, and the decision to spin this report before anyone was able to read it. We all have reason to be concerned about the steps the Attorney General may have taken to shield major portions of the report from public view – and whether those decisions were made with an impartial eye, instead of an eye toward protecting the president. We need the full report.
“After nearly two years of the special counsel’s investigation into matters that go to the heart of our democracy, the American people simply will not accept anything less than full transparency and strong action by Congress. Robert Mueller must testify publicly. Congress, with the support of the administration, must act urgently to enact measures to fortify election security, like those included in the For the People package. And Congress must assert its role as a coequal branch, and conduct the oversight, investigation, and determinations that are necessary to safeguard our democracy, and restore public confidence in their government.”
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