Chairman McGovern Statement on Special Counsel Mueller’s Report

Washington, April 18, 2019
WORCESTER, MASS. – Today, Congressman James P. McGovern (D-MA), Chairman of the House Rules Committee, issued this statement after Special Counsel Robert Mueller's report on Russia's interference in the 2016 election was released:

“I am outraged and deeply disturbed by the unprecedented pattern of criminality, corruption, and deception described in Special Counsel Mueller’s report. Our democracy was attacked by the Russian Government, which interfered in our 2016 presidential election ‘in sweeping and systematic fashion.’

“Yet rather than reject Russian interference or report it to law enforcement, the Trump campaign welcomed it with open arms. They did everything they could to encourage it, to lie to the American people about it, and then to cover their tracks when they were discovered. Let us not forget: some of the president’s closest advisors have been indicted for attempting to cover up the extent of the campaign’s cooperation with Russia.

“The attorney General’s bizarre behavior earlier today was totally disconnected from what is in this report. He outright lied about the Special Counsel’s decision not to prosecute the President for obstruction of justice. It is now clear that he is not America’s chief law enforcement officer, but Donald Trump’s personal attorney and partisan attack dog. Attorney General Barr has lost the trust and confidence of the American people and he should resign.

“Donald Trump has repeatedly dismissed Russia’s attack on our elections and our democracy.  As the Mueller report has laid bare, he has repeatedly attempted to obstruct justice, thwarted only by his own inept administration. Congress must get the full, unredacted report and all underlying information to do our job and hold this administration accountable.”