U.S. Rep. Ed Case said he believes it would be “premature” for the U.S. House of Representatives to decide now whether to impeach President Donald Trump, with Case saying he first needs to see an unredacted version of special counsel Robert Mueller’s report, and hear testimony from Mueller himself.
“I have a Mueller report which has huge black holes in it all over the place (from redactions),” Case told reporters gathered at Pearl Harbor on Wednesday. “I have Mr. Mueller, who has not testified to Congress yet, so how can I exercise my oversight responsibility if I don’t have all the facts?”
Hearing from Mueller and other witnesses is “critical to Congress exercising our oversight responsibility. This is not an optional responsibility for Congress. We’re charged under our Constitution as a separate, independent branch of government with effective oversight,” Case said.
Case, who represents urban Honolulu, said the Trump administration should release an unredacted version of the Mueller report to Congress, and if it does not, Congress should go to court to try to force the release of the report.
Case said he assumes Mueller does not wish to testify, but said lawmakers “can and should subpoena him if necessary” to provide more detail.
Case said he would be willing to advance to impeachment “if and when it is warranted, but I think it is premature to make that call right now.”
“My way of doing this is to get the facts, get the analysis, work through the disagreements between the legislative and executive branch over what has to be produced and under what conditions, and then make the call on what the next steps are,” he said.
Case’s comments Wednesday closely track his remarks on April 18, shortly after the redacted 448-page Mueller report was first released to the public.
At the time Case issued a written statement that “the report should be required reading. It carefully documents massive Russian interference in the 2016 elections, with too many Americans participating or turning a blind eye, as well as evidence of obstruction which normally may well have resulted in prosecution.
“This cannot be the end of this very disturbing chapter. The stakes for public trust in our elections, checks and balances and the rule of law are just too high. Congress, as a separate, independent and co-equal branch of government, has an obligation to continue oversight.”
U.S. Rep. Tulsi Gabbard, who represents rural Oahu and the neighbor islands, did not respond Wednesday to a request for comment on the possibility of impeaching Trump.
Star-Advertiser reporter Timothy Hurley contributed to this report.
