Judiciary Chairman Jerrold Nadler (D-NY) scheduled a markup Wednesday for the House Judiciary Committee to vote on authorizing subpoenas for the Mueller report.
The committee ultimately voted 24-17 to authorize a subpoena compelling Attorney General William Barr to turn over special counsel Robert Mueller’s “full and unredacted” report.
Rep. John Ratcliffe (R-TX) stood up for the rule of law and destroyed Democrats while exposing their true colors during Wednesday’s vote.
He began by saying that he has listened to the arguments from his colleagues but wondered, “I’ve been trying to decide what’s worse: was it last week within 24 hours of the Attorney General releasing his summary of the Mueller finding… I listened to the Chairman of the House Intelligence Committee, Adam Schiff, demand immediate, full release of the Mueller report, without consideration for classified information.”
Ratcliffe explained that Schiff “doesn’t give a damn about classified information,” and that “he wants the full release of the report.”
“Or was it this week, sitting here today listening to the Chairman of the Judiciary Committee say ‘I don’t care what the law says, I don’t care what the special counsel regulations say, I don’t care that the Attorney General has complied with both– that the Attorney General has done everything that the law requires, everything the special counsel regulations require, and is promising to do more, but that’s not good enough and now he’s going to be subpoenaed for that.” He fired off. (Continued Below)
“In that theater of the absurd, I’m still trying to decide which of those is worse. The Attorney General didn’t comply Democrats arbitrary April 2nd demand deadline, because he can’t comply. The law precludes him from complying. The Attorney General wasn’t going to commit crimes with that deadline.” Ratcliffe announced.
He pointed out that Chairman Nadler repeatedly said “Congress requires, Congress requires”, but Ratcliffe pushed back and let Nadler know that he didn’t give a specific law that requires that. “What law? Where in the special counsel regulation does it say that the Attorney General must turn over an unredacted full special counsel report?” He asked. “The special counsel regulation does not say that. No law says that!”
Ratcliffe then went after the Democrats who suffer from “Trump Derangement Syndrome” and he let everyone in the room know loud and clear, so much so, that one of the biggest sufferers of TDS tried to interject, Rep. Steve Cohen (D-TN). Cohen seemed upset after Ratcliffe suggested issuing a subpoena for Mueller, instead of the report. (Continued Below)
Attorney General Barr has promised to provide as much transparency as he possibly can, “but I’m afraid that’s never going to be good enough for some in here.” Ratcliffe expressed as he looked around the room at his colleagues.
He explained why he felt that way and continued, “That’s because we’re here having this argument because some, not all, of my Democratic colleagues promised the American people evidence that never existed. Some, not all, shouted fire, the theater of the American public! Feeding a false Trump- Russia narrative that never existed, and that some Democrats created with a fake, phony dossier.”
He also made sure to point out that “some” Democrats who defended Robert Mueller to be protected so that he could do his job, they have now decided “the hell with Mueller.”
“I have always believed that Bob Mueller could write the definitive narrative on how Russia tried to meddle in our election. I have never called what Bob Mueller was doing in that regard a ‘witch hunt.’ But, Bob Mueller has provided his findings to the Attorney General, who has accurately summarized those. And with respect to Russia collusion, Bob Mueller has said ‘there are no witches! So these investigations should end, we should move on.” Ratcliffe expressed. (Video Below)
“We shouldn’t be issuing subpoenas today, but if we’re going to issue subpoenas today, let’s not issue a subpoena for the Mueller report, let’s issue one for Bob Mueller!” Ratcliffe announced triggering Rep. Steve Cohen.
WATCH:
Rep. John Ratcliffe: "Some…of my Democratic colleagues promised the American people evidence that never existed."
"If we're going to issue subpoenas today, let's not issue a subpoena for the Muller report—let's issue one for Bob Mueller." https://t.co/6UM8gHvw3A pic.twitter.com/uuPNsxavRY
— ABC News (@ABC) April 3, 2019
(Related: Gaetz On Nadler’s Mueller Report Subpoenas: ‘The Death Rattle Of Democrats Russian Collusion Lie’)
