They have to release the report
by digby
One of the main consequences of the Mueller investigation being so buttoned up is that it’s made the public hungry to see the full report. If the DOJ insists upon keeping it secret the people will be livid — and it will have the effect of looking like the Attorney General is an accomplice in the cover-up. I don’t know if William Barr knows this but his legacy will be forever stained as one of the most nefarious government officials in history if he doesn’t allow the whole story to be told:
Voters overwhelmingly think the forthcoming report prepared by Robert Mueller, the special counsel investigating foreign interference in the 2016 election and the Trump campaign, should be made public by the Justice Department, according to a new POLITICO/Morning Consult poll conducted amid rumors that Mueller may be preparing to wind up the probe.
More than two-thirds of voters surveyed, 68 percent, say the report — which will go first to Attorney General William Barr and other DOJ officials — should be made public. Only 10 percent say it shouldn’t be made public, and 22 percent are undecided.
Democrats (79 percent) are more likely to say the report should be released, but majorities of Republicans (59 percent) and independents (66 percent) also think Mueller’s report should be public. Even 61 percent of voters who approve of the job President Donald Trump is doing say any report authored by the special counsel should be released.
“As one of the biggest political stories of the past two years, there is significant interest across party lines to see the results of the Mueller probe,” said Morning Consult vice president Tyler Sinclair.
The poll was conducted Feb. 22-24, as speculation swirled that the special counsel investigation into the 2016 presidential race would conclude soon. The special counsel statutes require Mueller to inform Barr and other higher-ups at the Department of Justice of his findings, but Barr has not committed to releasing the full report to the public.
Nearly half of voters, 49 percent, say the Trump administration should not have the right to redact anything in the Mueller report before its public release, compared with 28 percent who say the administration does have the right to censor parts of the document. Nearly a quarter, 23 percent, have no opinion.
Voters remain divided on whether Trump’s campaign worked with Russia in 2016. Slightly more say it did, 43 percent, than the 39 percent who say the Trump campaign didn’t. But nearly 2 in 10, 18 percent, say they don’t know or have no opinion.
After what we’ve seen today, there is simply no way the country will stand for the Trump Department of Justice covering this whole thing up. And it’s pointless. If they keep it quiet anyway they will lose the election in 2020 and the new administration will almost certainly release it all. Barr has nothing to gain by doing it.
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