A U.S. judge on Friday granted a request by a House of Representatives committee for access to information that was blacked out of former special counsel Robert Mueller’s report on his investigation of Russian interference in the 2016 U.S. election.
Judge Beryl Howell in Washington gave the Justice Department a deadline of Oct. 30 to hand over the materials to the House Judiciary Committee.
The committee’s need for disclosure of the materials “is greater than the need for continued secrecy,” the judge said.
The ruling is a major victory for House Democrats, who sought access to the redacted materials as part of their effort to build a case for removing U.S. President Donald Trump from office through impeachment proceedings.
A Justice Department spokeswoman could not be immediately reached for comment.
The Mueller probe found that the Russian state ran a hacking and propaganda operation to disrupt the U.S. election and undermine Republican Trump’s Democratic opponent Hillary Clinton.
Mueller found insufficient evidence to establish that Trump and his campaign had engaged in a criminal conspiracy with Russia.
REUTERS