III 
116TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION 
H. CON. RES. 24 
IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES 
MARCH 14, 2019 
Received 
CONCURRENT RESOLUTION 
Expressing the sense of Congress that the report of Special 
Counsel Mueller should be made available to the public 
and to Congress. 
Whereas, on January 6, 2017, the Office of the Director of 
National Intelligence released a report concluding that 
‘‘Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered an influence 
campaign in 2016 aimed at the US presidential election’’, 
that the goal of this campaign was ‘‘to undermine public 
faith in the US democratic process’’ , and that ‘‘Putin 
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HCON 24 RDS 
and the Russian Government developed a clear preference 
for President-elect Trump’’; 
Whereas, on March 20, 2017, the Director of the Federal 
Bureau of Investigation (FBI) testified that he was au-
thorized by the Department of Justice to confirm that 
the FBI is investigating whether ‘‘there was any coordi-
nation’’ between individuals associated with the Trump 
presidential campaign and the Russian Government; 
Whereas part 600 of title 28, Code of Federal Regulations, 
as in effect on March 7, 2019 (in this resolution referred 
to as ‘‘Special Counsel Regulations’’), provides for the 
appointment of a Special Counsel when the Attorney 
General or Acting Attorney General ‘‘determines that 
criminal investigation of a person or matter is warranted 
and—(a) That investigation * * * by a United States At-
torney’s Office or litigating Division of the Department 
of Justice would present a conflict of interest for the De-
partment or other extraordinary circumstances; and (b) 
That under the circumstances, it would be in the public 
interest to appoint an outside Special Counsel to assume 
responsibility for the matter’’; 
Whereas the Special Counsel Regulations call for any indi-
vidual named as Special Counsel to be a ‘‘lawyer with a 
reputation for integrity and impartial decision making 
and with appropriate experience to ensure that both the 
investigation will be conducted ably, expeditiously and 
thoroughly, and that investigative and prosecutorial deci-
sions will be supported by an informed understanding of 
the criminal law and Department of Justice policies’’; 
Whereas, on May 17, 2017, the Acting Attorney General ap-
pointed former FBI Director Robert S. Mueller III to 
serve as Special Counsel ‘‘to ensure a full and thorough 
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investigation of the Russian government’s efforts to inter-
fere in the 2016 presidential election’’, including an ex-
amination of ‘‘any links and/or coordination between the 
Russian government and individuals associated with the 
campaign of President Donald Trump’’, ‘‘any matters 
that arose or may arise directly from the investigation’’, 
and ‘‘any other matters within the scope of 28 CFR 
600.4(a)’’; 
Whereas the Acting Attorney General explained that he had 
appointed Special Counsel Mueller because he ‘‘deter-
mined that it is in the public interest * * * to * * * ap-
point a Special Counsel to assume responsibility for this 
matter * * * based upon the unique circumstances, the 
public interest requires [him] to place this investigation 
under the authority of a person who exercises a degree 
of independence from the normal chain of command * * 
* [and that] a Special Counsel is necessary in order for 
the American people to have full confidence in the out-
come. Our nation is grounded on the rule of law, and the 
public must be assured that government officials admin-
ister the law fairly’’; 
Whereas Special Counsel Mueller has previously served in the 
Department of Justice as a prosecutor, United States At-
torney, and Director of the FBI under both Republican 
and Democratic administrations, and his selection as the 
Special Counsel elicited bipartisan praise recognizing his 
reputation for competence, fairness, and nonpartisanship; 
Whereas the Special Counsel’s investigation has thus far re-
sulted in the public indictment of 34 individuals and 3 
companies, 7 guilty pleas, and 1 conviction following a 
jury trial; 
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Whereas the Special Counsel Regulations provide that ‘‘[a]t 
the conclusion of the Special Counsel’s work, he or she 
shall provide the Attorney General with a confidential re-
port explaining the prosecution or declination decisions 
reached by the Special Counsel’’; 
Whereas, on January 15, 2019, at his confirmation hearing 
before the Senate Committee on the Judiciary, Attorney 
General William Barr testified ‘‘I * * * believe it is very 
important that the public and Congress be informed of 
the results of the special counsel’s work. For that reason, 
my goal will be to provide as much transparency as I can 
consistent with the law’’; 
Whereas, on February 22, 2019, the chairs of six committees 
of the House of Representatives wrote to Attorney Gen-
eral Barr to inform him of their expectation that he will 
make Special Counsel Mueller’s report public ‘‘to the 
maximum extent permitted by law’’; 
Whereas transparency is consistent with the overall purpose 
and intent of the Special Counsel Regulations and the ac-
companying Department of Justice commentary, which 
notes the importance of ‘‘ensur[ing] congressional and 
public confidence in the integrity of the process’’; 
Whereas the need for transparency is most pronounced with 
regard to investigations that involve the President or in-
dividuals associated with his campaign as the President 
is responsible for the appointment of the senior leader-
ship of the Department of Justice; 
Whereas the Department of Justice’s United States Attor-
ney’s Manual indicates that in public filings and pro-
ceedings, prosecutors ‘‘should remain sensitive to the pri-
vacy and reputation interests of uncharged third-parties’’, 
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that is, of persons who the Department considers may be, 
but are not yet criminally charged; 
Whereas this general nonstatutory policy of sensitivity to the 
‘‘interests of uncharged third-parties’’ should be inappli-
cable to a sitting President because the Department of 
Justice’s Office of Legal Counsel has previously written 
that ‘‘a sitting President is constitutionally immune from 
indictment and criminal prosecution’’; 
Whereas the Department of Justice has on numerous recent 
occasions provided investigatory information to Congress 
and the public concerning investigations of high-level 
public officials in both pending and closed cases; 
Whereas in the only other instance where a Special Counsel 
was appointed under the Special Counsel Regulations (in 
1999, concerning the 1993 confrontation in Waco, 
Texas), both the interim and final reports, including find-
ings, provided by the Special Counsel were released to the 
public by the Attorney General; and 
Whereas the allegations at the center of Special Counsel 
Mueller’s investigation strike at the core of our democ-
racy, and there is an overwhelming public interest in re-
leasing the Special Counsel’s report to ensure public con-
fidence in both the process and the result of the inves-
tigation: Now, therefore, be it 
Resolved by the House of Representatives (the Senate 
concurring), That Congress— 
(1) calls for the public release of any report, in-
cluding findings, Special Counsel Mueller provides to 
the Attorney General, except to the extent the public 
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