The Trump administration doesn’t want House Democrats to have access to secret grand jury materials related to Robert Mueller’s probe of Russian interference in the 2016 presidential election, reports The Wall Street Journal.
The Trump administration on Thursday asked the Supreme Court to temporarily halt an appeals court ruling that would force the Department of Justice to hand over secret grand jury materials to Congress produced in connection with Mueller’s probe, citing “substantial constitutional difficulties.”
In a 35-page filing, Noel J. Francisco, the solicitor general, asked the justices to halt an order by a federal appeals court that the administration could not keep certain materials secret, saying the government “will suffer irreparable harm absent a stay. Once the government discloses the secret grand-jury records, their secrecy will irrevocably be lost.”
“That is particularly so when, as here, they are disclosed to a congressional committee and its staff,” he added.
The lower court’s disclosure order will take effect on May 11 If the justices take no action.
The DOJ said breaching grand jury secrecy would have an unsettling effect on future witnesses.
“Absent assurances of secrecy, ‘many prospective witnesses would be hesitant to come forward voluntarily,’ and those who do come forward ‘would be less likely to testify fully and frankly,’” the DOJ wrote, citing prior Supreme Court decisions.
Solange Reyner ✉
Solange Reyner is a writer and editor for Newsmax. She has more than 15 years in the journalism industry reporting and covering news, sports and politics.
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