WASHINGTON, D.C., May 16, 2019 – In the latest edition of Yeomans Work, AFJ Senior Justice Fellow Bill Yeomans writes that it’s time for the House Judiciary Committee to “think creatively” when it comes to the narrative around the Mueller report, president Trump, and obstruction of justice.
“When Attorney General Barr released his wounded version of Robert Mueller’s report, House Democrats, under the tight control of Nancy Pelosi, announced that they would begin a process of examining the contents of the report, in addition to conducting oversight in several other areas,” Yeomans writes. “They then left town on a ten-day recess. Those ten days drained a disturbing amount of fuel from our democracy. The Democrats’ tepid response allowed Barr and Trump to peddle the lie that Mueller had found no collusion and no obstruction.”
Now, Yeomans urges, the House “must recapture the narrative.” To do that, it should focus hearings on different intriguing and alarming aspects of Mueller’s findings: “It can feature experts on obstruction of justice who can walk through Trump’s misdeeds, on Russian intelligence, on the use of social media in elections, and on computer hacking. The committee can start inviting – and subpoenaing, if necessary – witnesses who no longer work in government. It may have to start with more tangential witnesses to avoid protracted battles while it waits for the process to bring them higher-profile witnesses such as Robert Mueller, Don McGahn, Don Jr., Jared Kushner, Steve Bannon, Jeff Sessions and others. The Committee should not waste two consecutive business days without a hearing.”
Yeomans warns that the danger is that instead the House will get bogged down in process and in chasing down the unredacted Mueller report and supporting evidence. That would cause the American people to tune out, Yeomans believes, but “they are more likely to listen to salacious details about the criminal and treacherous doings of their president and his inner circle.” In the process, the public would learn the true nature of the Mueller report’s findings and Trump’s untoward actions.
Yeomans Work focuses on the challenges to the justice system in the era of Trump. Bill Yeomans is available for media interviews. His opinions are his own and do not necessarily represent the positions of Alliance for Justice. Contact Laurie Kinney, Communications Director, at laurie@afj.org or 202-464-7367.