Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell on Monday blocked efforts by his Democratic counterpart to pass via unanimous consent a resolution to make public special counsel Robert Mueller's report, the second time Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer has tried to do so.
McConnell objected this time saying he wants to give Attorney General William Barr and Mueller time to complete their investigations and because Barr has committed to make as much of the report public, but he shouldn't be rushed.
"It's not unreasonable to give the special counsel and the Justice Department just a little time to complete their review in a professional and responsible manner," McConnell said on the Senate floor. "Remember, as I said earlier, we're likely dealing here with potential other prosecutions, classified information, damaging people's reputation. There's no evidence that the attorney general is not going to produce as much information as possible for all of us, and that's why I objected. I think it's a reasonable thing to do."
Schumer criticized McConnell's objections, saying Republicans support the language in his resolution.
"This language was good enough for every Republican in the Senate as well as every Democrat," Schumer said following McConnell remarks. "The President himself says it should be released. It's hard to understand why the majority leader should stand alone with objections no one else found to be reasonable or sustainable and oppose this resolution. The report should be made public and the Senate should resolve that it should be."
This same resolution passed the House with 420 votes earlier this month but was blocked, that time by Sen. Lindsey Graham because the South Carolina Republican and close ally of the President said he wanted to add language that a special counsel be named to investigate Hillary Clinton-related matters.
