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Trump administration appeals order to turn over unredacted Mueller report

President Donald Trump’s administration on Monday said it has appealed a judge’s ruling ordering it to turn over an unredacted copy of former Special Counsel Robert Mueller’s report detailing Russian meddling in the 2016 US election to a Democratic-led congressional committee.
The Justice Department simultaneously asked US District Judge Beryl Howell as well as an appellate court to put on hold her Friday order while the appeal is pending.
Howell’s ruling directed the administration to turn over the unredacted report to the House of Representatives Judiciary Committee by Wednesday, while also validating the legality of the impeachment inquiry against Trump.
The department previously tried to block Democrats from accessing the full Mueller report, saying that doing so would require the disclosure of secret grand jury materials and potentially harm ongoing investigations. The Judiciary Committee issued a subpoena seeking the full report.
“A stay is warranted because, without a stay, the department will be irreparably harmed,” the department wrote in a notice to the court. “Once that information is disclosed, it cannot be recalled, and the confidentiality of the grand jury information will be lost for all time.”
The department also wrote that Howell’s ruling represented “an extraordinary abrogation of grand jury secrecy.”
The judge ordered the House Judiciary Committee to respond to the department’s requested stay by noon (1600 GMT) on Tuesday.
The administration’s appeal of the ruling went to the US Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia circuit.
The Justice Department said in one of its court filings that the Judiciary Committee plans to oppose its request to stay the judge’s ruling, but that lawmakers on that panel agreed to a pause until they make their filing on the matter by Friday afternoon.
Last week’s scathing 75-page opinion by Howell, the chief judge in her federal judicial district, blasted the White House and Justice Department for “stonewalling” House subpoenas for information in the impeachment inquiry and declared that there was no need for the House to pass a resolution formally launching the probe.
The House did not vote on such a resolution before Speaker Nancy Pelosi launched the impeachment inquiry in September - drawing the ire of Republicans - but plans to bring a resolution to the House floor this week affirming the probe.
The department argued to the appellate court that Howell “erroneously decided” that the committee’s investigation was part of a lawful impeachment inquiry that justifies the demand for access to the full Mueller report.
Mueller submitted his report to US Attorney General William Barr in March after completing a 22-month investigation that detailed Russia’s campaign of hacking and propaganda to boost Trump’s candidacy in the 2016 election as well as extensive contacts between Trump’s campaign and Moscow.
Barr, a Trump appointee who Democrats have accused of trying to protect the president politically, in April released the 448-page report with some parts blacked out, or redacted.
The current impeachment inquiry centers not on the findings of the Mueller report, but on Trump’s request that Ukraine investigate a domestic political rival, Democrat Joe Biden, a move that House Democrats have described as an improper solicitation of foreign interference in a US election.
source:Reuters
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BENEFIT Sponsors BuildHer...
- April 23, 2025
BENEFIT, the Kingdom’s innovator and leading company in Fintech and electronic financial transactions service, has sponsored the BuildHer CityHack 2025 Hackathon, a two-day event spearheaded by the College of Engineering and Technology at the Royal University for Women (RUW).
Aimed at secondary school students, the event brought together a distinguished group of academic professionals and technology experts to mentor and inspire young participants.
More than 100 high school students from across the Kingdom of Bahrain took part in the hackathon, which featured an intensive programme of training workshops and hands-on sessions. These activities were tailored to enhance participants’ critical thinking, collaborative problem-solving, and team-building capabilities, while also encouraging the development of practical and sustainable solutions to contemporary challenges using modern technological tools.
BENEFIT’s Chief Executive Mr. Abdulwahed AlJanahi, commented: “Our support for this educational hackathon reflects our long-term strategic vision to nurture the talents of emerging national youth and empower the next generation of accomplished female leaders in technology. By fostering creativity and innovation, we aim to contribute meaningfully to Bahrain’s comprehensive development goals and align with the aspirations outlined in the Kingdom’s Vision 2030—an ambition in which BENEFIT plays a central role.”
Professor Riyadh Yousif Hamzah, President of the Royal University for Women, commented: “This initiative reflects our commitment to advancing women in STEM fields. We're cultivating a generation of creative, solution-driven female leaders who will drive national development. Our partnership with BENEFIT exemplifies the powerful synergy between academia and private sector in supporting educational innovation.”
Hanan Abdulla Hasan, Senior Manager, PR & Communication at BENEFIT, said: “We are honoured to collaborate with RUW in supporting this remarkable technology-focused event. It highlights our commitment to social responsibility, and our ongoing efforts to enhance the digital and innovation capabilities of young Bahraini women and foster their ability to harness technological tools in the service of a smarter, more sustainable future.”
For his part, Dr. Humam ElAgha, Acting Dean of the College of Engineering and Technology at the University, said: “BuildHer CityHack 2025 embodies our hands-on approach to education. By tackling real-world problems through creative thinking and sustainable solutions, we're preparing women to thrive in the knowledge economy – a cornerstone of the University's vision.”
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