Russia Investigation Material to Remain Secret Past Election

House Democrats are unlikely to see secret material from Robert Mueller's Russia investigation before Election Day because of a move by the Supreme Court on Thursday. In what USA Today reports is a victory for the White House, the court said it would take up the case on whether Congress is entitled the see the redacted material in its next term, which doesn't begin until October. A decision isn't expected until 2021. The House Judiciary Committee issued a subpoena for the material as part of its impeachment inquiry last year. After a federal court sided with the Democratic lawmakers, the White House appealed. Committee chief Jerry Nadler on Thursday accused President Trump and Attorney General William Barr of "continuing to try to run out the clock on any and all accountability," per the Washington Post.

SCOTUS temporarily blocked the committee's access to the files in May though the appeals court had ruled in its favor. House Democrats argued the material was "central" to its inquiry and might reveal evidence of impeachable offenses. But Solicitor General Noel Francisco, who resigned last month, argued the House had no "urgent need of the requested materials for a hypothetical second impeachment," per USA Today. The Supreme Court case rests on whether an impeachment inquiry constitutes a "judicial proceeding," as judges are only allowed to disclose grand jury material in such cases, per Bloomberg. The lower court ruled that it does, pointing out that courts allowed lawmakers to review grand jury material during the impeachment inquiries of presidents Richard Nixon and Bill Clinton. (More Mueller report stories.)