AAPI politicians want to see full Mueller Report, disagree with Atty General's interpretation: of its findings

UPDATED, APRIL 19, 1:30 a.m.

First take from your armchair lawyer: There may not be a smoking gun in the Mueller Report, but there is a hell of a lot of circumstantial evidence to show that Russia was interfering with the U.S. 2016 elections and the Trump campaign did nothing to curtail the kneecapping of our democracy.

Second take from your armchair lawyer: Mueller punted on the question of Trump's possible obstruction of justice  Mueller leaves it  to Congress on what to do with the findings of the report. 

The country is abuzz about the release of the redacted Mueller Report. 

This morning, Attorney General William Barr held a press conference prior to the report's release to soften the impact of the Mueller Report's contents. 

In his prepared statement, Barr pointed out that there is much in the report that will be used in ongoing and future court proceedings and therefore, he chose to redact essential parts of the report. Already, several House committees say they will ask Robert Mueller to testify.

At the press conference, Barr said:

"First, the report details efforts by the Internet Research Agency, a Russian company with close ties to the Russian government, to sow social discord among American voters through disinformation and social media operations. Following a thorough investigation of this disinformation campaign, the Special Counsel brought charges in federal court against several Russian nationals and entities for their respective roles in this scheme. Those charges remain pending, and the individual defendants remain at large. 

"But the Special Counsel found no evidence that any Americans – including anyone associated with the Trump campaign – conspired or coordinated with the Russian government or the IRA in carrying out this illegal scheme. Indeed, as the report states, “[t]he investigation did not identify evidence that any U.S. persons knowingly or intentionally coordinated with the IRA’s interference operation.” Put another way, the Special Counsel found no “collusion” by any Americans in the IRA’s illegal activity. 

"Second, the report details efforts by Russian military officials associated with the GRU to hack into computers and steal documents and emails from individuals affiliated with the Democratic Party and the presidential campaign of Hillary Rodham Clinton for the purpose of eventually publicizing those emails. Obtaining such unauthorized access into computers is a federal crime. Following a thorough investigation of these hacking operations, the Special Counsel brought charges in federal court against several Russian military officers for their respective roles in these illegal hacking activities. Those charges are still pending and the defendants remain at large. 

"But again, the Special Counsel’s report did not find any evidence that members of the Trump campaign or anyone associated with the campaign conspired or coordinated with the Russian government in its hacking operations. In other words, there was no evidence of Trump campaign “collusion” with the Russian government’s hacking.

Barr's choice to hold a press conference to set the stage for the report's initial impact was highly criticized. Members of Congress tried, unsuccessfully, to cancel the presser.

Here is Barr's complete statement.

Reaction from some Asian American leaders, all of them Democrats were universally dissatisfied with Barr's conclusions and shock at the report's contents:

Sen. Kamala Harris

"Attorney General Bill Barr only released this redacted report after providing a copy to the president’s personal lawyers, and after he gave a press conference on national television filled with political spin and propaganda. Let’s be clear: Barr is acting more like Trump’s defense attorney than the nation’s Attorney General," Harris said. 

Harris added that Congress "has a constitutional duty to conduct oversight of the executive branch" and called for the "full, unredacted" report to be shared with lawmakers.

"The American people deserve the unvarnished truth -- without spin from the president’s hand-picked Attorney General. This redacted report is not enough," Harris wrote in the email. "Congress needs to see the full, unredacted Mueller report and all of the investigation’s underlying evidence -- and Special Counsel Robert Mueller must testify publicly before Congress."

Sen. Tammy Duckworth

“Attorney General Barr’s biased press conference this morning was a low point for our nation and the rule of law. It’s sad to see the Attorney General of the United States acting as if he were the President’s personal lawyer. The American people deserve the opportunity to read the complete findings of Robert Mueller and to hear from the Special Counsel, who must testify before Congress in a public hearing as soon as possible so he can fully explain the report and the context behind its findings.”

Sen. Mazie Hirono

“Despite the Attorney General’s attempt to spin the Mueller Report in Donald Trump’s favor, it’s clear the Special Counsel’s investigation found serious wrongdoing by the President and many of his associates.

“The Special Counsel’s report lays out, in meticulous detail, evidence that Donald Trump obstructed justice. Among the many rich details in the report, Robert Mueller shows how Donald Trump fired James Comey to end the investigation into his campaign; how the President instructed Don McGahn to order Rod Rosenstein to fire the Special Counsel; and how Donald Trump sent messengers to Jeff Sessions to ‘unrecuse’ himself in order to limit the scope of the investigation.

“If not for existing Department of Justice policy, the Special Counsel had ample evidence to indict Donald Trump for obstruction.

“The Special Counsel also confirmed what our intelligence community had already unanimously concluded: that the Russian government interfered in the 2016 election to elect Donald Trump.

“Although the Special Counsel felt he couldn’t meet the high bar necessary to prove criminal conspiracy with the Russians, he demonstrated that Donald Trump and his campaign were willing to engage with our foremost adversary to gain an advantage in the 2016 election. This is just wrong, plain and simple.

“The Special Counsel’s report in no way exonerates the President. In fact, it implicates the President in criminal activity. Congress has an obligation to act like the separate branch of government it is and conduct serious oversight of this administration. Everything should be on the table.”

Rep. Pramila Jayapal

“From day one, Congress and the American public have demanded release of the full Mueller report and all underlying documents; anything less is unacceptable,” said Congresswoman Jayapal. “Congress has a right and responsibility to review the Special Counsel’s full investigation without omissions to determine what steps must be taken – and whether further action is necessary. 

“I am troubled by Donald Trump’s hand-picked Attorney General’s apparent protection of a President who could not be exonerated by the Special Counsel on at least ten counts of obstruction of justice, and the numerous willing contacts documented between the Trump Campaign and a foreign power that was explicitly out to influence our last elections and likely our upcoming elections. 

“Congress has a duty – rooted firmly in the Constitution – to safeguard the justice system and prevent obstruction of justice. To do this, we must have the full report. Attorney General Barr’s refusal to release the full report and underlying materials prevents Congress from doing our constitutional duty. Barr should be acting as the nation’s Attorney General not Trump’s personal attorney. Anything less is unacceptable.”

Rep. Mark Takano

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