Jerry Nadler Reaches Deal with Justice Department Ahead of Barr Contempt Vote

House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jerry Nadler (D-NY) announced Monday that he has reached a deal with the Justice Department, heading off a House vote Tuesday to hold Attorney General William Barr in contempt.

“I am pleased to announce that the Department of Justice has agreed to begin complying with our committee’s subpoena by opening Robert Mueller’s most important files to us, providing us with key evidence that the Special Counsel used to assess whether the President and others obstructed justice or were engaged in other misconduct,” Nadler wrote in a statement.

“Given our conversations with the Department, I will hold the criminal contempt process in abeyance for now. We have agreed to allow the Department time to demonstrate compliance with this agreement,” he wrote.

Nadler said the Justice Department will share the first of the documents later Monday and that both Democrats and Republicans would be able to view them.

“These documents will allow us to perform our constitutional duties and decide how to respond to the allegations laid out against the President by the Special Counsel,” he added.

The House had planned to hold a vote on Tuesday on whether to hold Barr in contempt for refusing to testify in April before the House Judiciary Committee. The committee had wanted staff lawyers to question Barr in addition to members of Congress, but Barr refused and Republicans accused Democrats of trying to simulate impeachment hearings.

Democrats on the House Judiciary Committee have also demanded that the Justice Department turn over an unredacted version of Special Counsel Robert Mueller’s report and the underlying materials his team collected for the report. They have also subpoenaed former White House counsel Don McGahn and former aides Hope Hicks and Annie Donaldson to testify. The White House has instructed them not to comply.

Nadler said in his statement that if the department proceeds “in good faith and we are able to obtain everything that we need, then there will be no need to take further steps.”

“If important information is held back, then we will have no choice but to enforce our subpoena in court and consider other remedies. It is critical that Congress is able to obtain the information we need to do our jobs, ensuring no one is above the law and bringing the American public the transparency they deserve.”

Kristina Wong is Breitbart News’ Pentagon correspondent. You can follow her at @kristina_wong.