Rep. Adam Schiff, D-Calif., said Sunday that House Democrats will subpoena special counsel Robert Mueller III to testify before Congress if his report on Russian interference in the 2016 campaign is not made public.
Schiff, chairman of the House Intelligence Committee, said on ABC News' "This Week" that Democrats will also subpoena Mueller's report and are prepared to go to court against the Trump administration.
"Well, we will obviously subpoena the report. We will bring Bob Mueller in to testify before Congress. We will take it to court if necessary," Schiff said. "And in the end, I think the Department (of Justice) understands they're going to have to make this public. I think (Attorney General William) Barr will ultimately understand that, as well."
Rumors swirled last week that the report could be delivered before the end of the month. But a senior Justice Department official said Friday that the report will not be coming this week.
Justice Department regulations call for Mueller's report to be a confidential account of the individuals charged, as well as those who were not charged. Barr, who was confirmed earlier this month, will then summarize the work for Congress.
Schiff also took aim at Barr, saying that if the new attorney general withholds any part of the report, his legacy will be "tarnished." Ultimately, the Democratic lawmaker added, Trump should welcome the report's release, given his repeated claims that there was no collusion between his campaign and the Russian government.
"We are going to share this information with the public, and if the president is serious about all of his claims of exoneration, then he should welcome the publication of this report," Schiff said.
On CBS News' "Face the Nation," Sen. Roy Blunt, R-Mo., voiced uncertainty about whether Democrats could enforce a subpoena against Mueller.
"I don't know that you can," he told host Margaret Brennan.
Blunt also declined to say whether the Senate Intelligence Committee, of which he is a member, may pursue its own effort to have Mueller testify."I think we'll have to wait and see what's in the report," he said.