Adam Schiff has warned the Justice Department that any effort to conceal special counsel Robert Mueller’s final report into Russian interference in the election of Donald Trump will be met with swift legal action.
Mr Schiff, the chairman of the House Intelligence Committee, said he was considering taking the Trump administration to court and forcing Mr Mueller to testify before Congress if Attorney General William Barr tries to keep the report secret.
“We are going to get to the bottom of this,” Mr Schiff told ABC’s 'This Week'. “We are going to share this information with the public. And if the president is serious about all his claims of exoneration, then he should welcome the publication of the report.”
“We will obviously subpoena the report. We will bring Bob Mueller in to testify before Congress; we will take it to court if necessary. And in the end, I think the [Justice] Department understands they’re going to have to make this public," Mr Schiff continued.
Mr Schiff, a Democrat, took the helm of the House Intelligence Committee earlier this year after Democrats took over the House of Representatives in the 2018 midterm elections.
The comments come as reports indicate Mr Mueller will soon deliver his report, ending a two-year investigation into Russia’s meddling in the 2016 election.
Mr Mueller’s investigation has resulted in several indictments against individuals close to Donald Trump, including his former campaign chairman Paul Manafort, lawyer Michael Cohen, and political strategist Roger Stone.
Mr Trump has insisted there was no collusion between his campaign and the Russian government during the 2016 election, and has frequently criticised the investigations into the issue.
