Campaigners have organized rallies nationwide for Thursday in order to give voice to the widespread public demand the report submitted to the U.S. Department of Justice by Special Counsel Robert Mueller be disclosed to members of Congress and the public—with as little redaction as possible—without further delay.
Spearheaded by a coalition of progressive groups— including MoveOn, Public Citizen, People For the American Way, and Indivisible— more than 300 rapid-response events across the country have been scheduled to make it clear that people want the report made available to lawmakers in the public. Most protests will start at 5 pm local time. Find one near you here.
Congress set last night as the deadline for Barr to release the unredacted Mueller report, and he failed to deliver.
In response, Americans in 300+ towns across the country are mobilizing TOMORROW at 5pm to demand the DOJ #ReleaseTheReport.
Join them: https://t.co/46KaQURwm1 pic.twitter.com/daYYf46dbD
— Public Citizen (@Public_Citizen) April 3, 2019
In addition to the dispersed rallies nationwide, people in Washington, D.C. will demonstrate outside the White House on Thursday afternoon to demand Attorney General William Barr releases the full report to the U.S. House Judiciary Committee and as much information as possible to the public.
"Majorities of Americans believe the full Mueller report should be made public," declared Public Citizen in a statement, referencing polls showing "overwhelming" support for the report's disclosure. "Protesters will demand full transparency so that Congress can conduct responsible oversight of the executive branch."
Exactly. It's time to #ReleaseTheReport. We're hitting the streets TODAY at 5PM local time to demand the #MuellerReport be released immediately! Find an event and join us! https://t.co/xdNIJPN4bZ https://t.co/NIXuOYszL2
— MoveOn (@MoveOn) April 4, 2019
Angel Padilla, Indivisible's national policy director, argued that both Barr and the Trump administration "have drawn unverifiable conclusions from a report no one else has been allowed to see while ignoring the overwhelming majority of Americans who want it to be made public."
On Thursday evening, Padilla added, "the people will make it clear that they want the report and they want it now. We hope Barr listens."
TODAY is the National Day of Action calling for the immediate release of the Mueller report!
300+ events will take place across the country at 5pm local time!
Find one near you at https://t.co/UyFXVB1pwr#ReleaseTheReport #TrumpIsNotAboveTheLaw pic.twitter.com/9W4Ja7k721
— Common Cause (@CommonCause) April 4, 2019
While the DOJ on Thursday said it needs more time to fully redact the Mueller report, Marge Baker, People for the American Way's vice president, explained last week that what has so far been made public—namely Barr's four-page summary of the report's findings—will not suffice.
"A summarizing statement from an attorney general demonstrably hostile to the special counsel investigation—written without consulting Mueller—is not sufficient in any way, especially when the administration's public messaging about the report exonerating Trump seems to directly contradict the text of Barr's letter," said Baker. "The only way to get the truth is for Congress and the public to see the report and its underlying findings."
