The Mueller Report Isn't Required Reading For Republican Members Of Congress

Justin Amash (R-MI) caused quote a stir last month when he began calling for impeachment, mentioning in the process that most of his Republican colleagues in the House hadn't read the Mueller Report but that he had. I haven't heard much push-back from the GOP but several sources-- both Democrat and Republican-- have confirmed what Amash tweeted, namely that although Democrats have tended to read the report in a serious way. most Republicans haven't bothered or, if they had, just glossed over it in a few minutes. One senior Senate Democrat told me today that Republicans largely gave it to staffers and asked them to "see if there's anything important in it."

Georgia Republican Rob Woodall, who was in one of the closest reelection bids on 2018-- he retained his seat suburban seat northwest of Atlanta by 419 votes: 140,430 to 140,011-- and almost immediately announced he would be retiring at the end of this session. But he's still getting his salary ($174,000/year plus expenses, perks and staff) and, at least in theory, still doing his job. He went on CNN Sunday and bragged how he hasn't bothered to read the Mueller report. First watch him arguing nonsensically with David Cicilline on March 14 about transparency in regard to the investigation:

Speaking with MSNBC host Kasie Hunt Sunday night, the congressman offered several defenses for not reading Mueller's report on the Russia investigation. He first claimed that his overwhelming "trust" in Mueller's integrity meant he did not feel the need to review anything unless the Special Counsel had specifically requested such a move.

As Hunt appeared a bit shocked by Woodall's proud dismissal of reading any word in the report, the Republican doubled down and offered the additional defense that he also had no interest in the "salacious" accusations against former President Bill Clinton.

"Have you read the Mueller report?" Hunt asked Woodall Sunday evening.

"I have not," he replied. "I said when we started this conversation that I trusted Mr. Mueller and he took a lot of slings and arrows throughout this process but every U.S. attorney I knew said this is a man of great integrity and he's going to lead this investigation."

"So why not read the report?" Hunt pressed.

"Well I have a concern when you put the entire power of the United States Justice Department behind anything. You can achieve an agenda, you can drive a message."

"So you think the Mueller report was just driving an agenda? Hunt asked again, appearing visibly frustrated with Woodall's seemingly unconcerned replies. "There's nothing there that's, like, worth figuring out?"

But Woodall dismissed Mueller's move to refer 14 cases to other offices, saying the special counsel had every opportunity and benefit handed to his team in order to complete the report.

"Obstruction is not a political issue, it is a criminal issue," Woodall said, arguing that Congress has no obligation to review his report despite many believing Mueller set a road map for impeachment proceedings. The former special counsel said a sitting U.S. president could not be indicted but that he would have said if President Donald Trump was exonerated-- which he did not.

Woodall conceded Congress could review the investigation if they so choose, but he recalled not wanting to read into or pay attention to the salacious Kenneth Starr report and investigations into Clinton in the 1990s.

"I was a staffer on Capitol Hill in 1998 when Republicans went down this road and they thought it was going to be a wonderful thing to be able to impeach a sitting president and as you know Republicans lost seats in that 1998 election," he said. "The constituents I represent don't want to see criminal activity at any place, but they also don't want to see folks grinding their political axes when there are important economic issues, family issues, education issues that need to be handled."

This morning House Judiciary Committee superstar Ted Lieu (D-CA) reminded DWT readers that "In their wisdom, the Founders entrusted Congress with the essential role of providing oversight of the Executive Branch. Burying one's head in the sand and refusing to even consider the facts of an investigation into some of the most powerful officials in our government is an abdication of that solemn responsibility. It is also incredibly dishonest to make claims about a report without even reading it. It is willful ignorance from some of my Republican colleagues."

 It's likely that the next congressmember from GA-07 after Woodall steps down, will be progressive Democrat Marqus Cole. Cole isn't running against him. He'll be running against whichever imitation of him the GOP decides to run-- likely anti-Choice fanatic and right-wing all around crazy-person Renee Unterman. But when we asked Marqus about his current Rep, he told us that "Woodall got caught saying the quiet part out loud. Everyone back home in Gwinnett and Forsyth counties knows he doesn’t do the 'work' of being a congressman. Constituents can’t reach him, he never passes legislation to help the district and now we know he can’t even be bothered to read the most important report he government has produced in the past two years. Don’t believe me? Check out his official website. He doesn’t even bother to put an address for the district office. It’s like he doesn’t even want people back home to know where he is. Good riddance in retirement. At least then we won’t be spending our hard earned tax dollars paying him to NOT work."