Trey Gowdy calls Nadler subpoena vote part of a 'communications war'

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Gowdy: I'll be surprised if Barr ever produces everything in the Mueller report

Former congressman Trey Gowdy appeared on “The Story with Martha MacCallum” on Wednesday and said he’d be “surprised” if Attorney General William Barr produces everything involved in Special Counsel Robert Mueller's Russia probe. And he challenged House Judiciary Committee chairman Jerry Nadler, D-N.Y., to begin investigating “malfeasance by the president.”

“I think he's right in this limited regard, it is Congress' responsibility to investigate malfeasance by the president,” Gowdy said.

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“Go right ahead. Mueller interviewed 500 witnesses, right? Go ahead and start. But the executive branch does not have to produce its work product so Congress can then use it against the executive branch. This subpoena deadline, I'll be surprised if Barr ever produces everything and they can go to court but they will lose in court.”

The House Judiciary Committee voted along party lines Wednesday to authorize subpoenas for Mueller’s full report after the Justice Department missed a Democrat-imposed deadline Tuesday. So far, Barr has produced only a four-page summary.

Gowdy accused Nadler of voting to authorize subpoenas and pressuring Barr to release a full, unredacted report as part of a “communications war.”

“What you saw today is for public consumption. … It’s a communications war. It's not a constitutional war. That's clear. The executive branch does not have to comply with arbitrary deadlines set by a coequal branch,” Gowdy told MacCallum.

Gowdy also commented on a New York Times report that alleges some Mueller investigators believe their findings were more troubling for the president than Barr let on.

“You have 40 agents and almost 20 lawyers. I'd be shocked if they all were of unanimous opinion,” Gowdy said.

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Fox News' Brooke Singman contributed to this report.