DOJ pushes back at Dem gloating over Mueller report deal: ‘This isn’t a blank check’

Justice Department officials are pushing back on the suggestion that a recently struck deal with House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jerrold Nadler will give Democrats unfettered access to documents pertaining to former Special Counsel Robert Mueller’s Russia probe.

A source familiar with the negotiations told Fox News on Tuesday that while the agreement with Nadler, D-N.Y., would allow members of his committee to review certain underlying evidence associated with the Mueller report, he is not going to get access to “whatever documents he wants.”

“This is not a blank check. They can’t just see whatever they want,” the source told Fox News. “They have to tell us what they want to see and then we will consider that legitimate request. This is just the start of a process.”

The source also told Fox News that when Nadler requests a document, the White House will have the ability to review the files to see if any White House equities are implicated. At that point, President Trump would have the opportunity to assert executive privilege in a bid to protect them from release.

The pushback comes after Nadler on Monday announced the deal with the Justice Department for documents and evidence related to Mueller’s inquiry on whether the president obstructed justice -- an agreement that prompted him to hit pause on efforts to hold Attorney General Bill Barr in contempt, though his House colleagues are still pursuing contempt against Barr on two separate fronts this week.