Delaware’s junior senator is echoing calls for further transparency in the wake of the Mueller investigation.
Attorney General William Barr released a four-page summary of Special Counsel Robert Mueller’s more than 300-page report last weekend.
Sen. Chris Coons is joining other Congressional Democrats and some Republicans in calling for the full report to be released.
Coons adds that while Congress should pursue its oversight responsibilities if and when the report is released to the public, he is more concerned with issues closer to home.
“I do expect the that members of the House and Senate will continue to press for transparency around the Mueller report for its release for the public,” he said. “But I’ve been up and down the State of Delaware in recent months and folks are asking me what are we doing to deal with the issues that actually impact them and their families.”
Barr’s summary of the report says after two and a half years of investigation Mueller found the Trump campaign did not collude with Russia to influence the 2016 election.
It also says that while Mueller’s report does not exonerate Trump of possible obstruction of justice, the Department of Justice did not find sufficient evidence in the report to pursue charges.
Coons says he thinks the investigation was worth undertaking regardless of its outcome.
“I think it’s a good thing for the American people that this investigation was allowed to continue all the way to its conclusion,” he said. “I frankly think it’s was troubling that the President criticized, challenged, questioned and attacked it nearly every day.”
During his investigation, Mueller made a total of 37 indictments. These included six Trump associates for financial crimes and lying under oath. 12 Russian nationals, three Russian companies and 12 Russian intelligence officers were also indicted for an online campaign to defraud the United States and for hacking the Democratic National Committee’s email server.