The Democratic-led U.S. House Judiciary Committee headed to court to seek access to grand jury evidence from the Mueller probe that lawmakers say they need to determine whether to begin impeachment proceedings against President Donald Trump.
US House Judiciary Chairman Jerrold Nadler said his committee is filing a court petition in an effort to obtain secret grand jury material underlying former Special Counsel Robert Mueller’s Russia report.
The panel is also expected to file a lawsuit next week to try to enforce a subpoena against former White House counsel Donald McGahn, a key Mueller witness, if he doesn’t comply before then. That suit is expected to challenge the White House’s claim that former White House employees have “absolute immunity” from testifying before Congress.
The action moved the House one step closer to impeachment, a politically contentious issue that has divided Democrats as Congress prepares to pivot to the 2020 election season.
The move comes after Mueller’s testimony about his 22-month investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 presidential election, as well as possible obstruction of justice by President Donald Trump.
