Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) on Saturday held an emergency phone call with Democratic members of Congress.
She sent her colleagues the following letter, letting them know about the call and what the dicussion would entail (emphasis mine):
Dear Democratic Colleague,
Today, we are having an emergency Caucus conference call at 3:00 p.m. E.T. to discuss the transmittal of the Mueller report to the Department of Justice (DOJ). While we do not know the substance of the report, we will have the relevant Committees of jurisdiction on the call today to update Members on where we go from here.
Leader Schumer and I yesterday issued a joint statement reiterating Democrats’ call for transparency, stating that, “Now that Special Counsel Mueller has submitted his report to the Attorney General, it is imperative for Mr. Barr to make the full report public and provide its underlying documentation and findings to Congress.” Our six distinguished Committee chairs of jurisdiction also stated their call for transparency in a joint statement available here.
This transparency is even more urgent because of Attorney General Barr’s letter to the House and Senate Judiciary Committees yesterday in which he writes, “I am reviewing the report and anticipate that I may be in a position to advise [the Judiciary Committee Chairs and Ranking Members] of the Special Counsel’s principal conclusions as soon as this weekend.” We are insisting that any briefings to any Committees be unclassified so that Members can speak freely about every aspect of the report and not be confined to what DOJ chooses to release publicly.
Even if DOJ chooses not to prosecute additional individuals, the underlying findings must be provided to Congress and the American people. The Attorney General’s offer to provide the Committees with a summary of the report’s conclusions is insufficient. Congress requires the full report and the underlying documents so that the Committees can proceed with their independent work, including oversight and legislating to address any issues the Mueller report may raise.
The American people deserve the truth. I have great confidence in our Committee Chairs and Members to honor our Congressional responsibility For the People.
Thank you for your leadership.
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According to POLITICO, Pelosi told those on the call she believed Barr would be rather tight-lipped about what was in the report:
Three sources who participated in a conference call among House Democrats said Pelosi (D-Calif.) told lawmakers she worried the Justice Department would seek to disclose Mueller's conclusions to the so-called Gang of Eight — the top Democrats and Republicans in the House and Senate — which handles the nation’s most sensitive secrets. The substance of Gang of Eight briefings are heavily guarded.
During the call, Pelosi said she would not take any private briefings on the report. Instead, she wants Mueller's findings to be made public.
Speaker Pelosi told colleagues today that she'd reject any classified briefing on the Mueller report. She wants it public so members can discuss it. Summary from AG Barr and/or DOJ briefing seen as insufficient. Release the report publicly. That was her msg, per Ds on 3 pm call.
— Robert Costa (@costareports) March 23, 2019
Democrats continue to push Barr to make the full report public. Six Democratic Committee Chairmen sent a letter saying they expected to have the report provided to them when requested.
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