Trump just invoked executive privilege over the entire Mueller report and any other subpoenaed materials related to the Russia probe

Associated Press

President Donald Trump.

• President Donald Trump invoked executive privilege over the entirety of the special counsel Robert Mueller's final report in the Russia investigation, as well as its underlying evidence on Wednesday.
• Trump also asserted privilege over any other materials related to the Russia probe that have been subpoenaed by Congress so far.
• The move comes after the House Judiciary Committee kicked off a vote to hold Attorney General William Barr in contempt of Congress on Wednesday morning.
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President Donald Trump on Wednesday asserted executive privilege over the entirety of the special counsel Robert Mueller's final report in the Russia investigation, as well as its underlying evidence.

The president also invoked privilege over any other materials related to the Russia probe that have been subpoenaed by Congress so far.

"This protective assertion of executive privilege ensures the President's ability to make a final decision whether to assert privilege following a full review of these materials," Assistant Attorney General Stephen E. Boyd said in a letter to the House Judiciary Committee.

The move came after the panel kicked off a hearing Wednesday morning to hold Attorney General William Barr in contempt of Congress for refusing to turn over an unredacted version of Mueller's report to the committee, as well as its underlying evidence and any grand jury material contained within the document.

The Justice Department warned late Tuesday that it would advise Trump to invoke executive privilege if the committee moved forward to hold Barr in contempt.

"The American people see through Chairman Nadler's desperate ploy to distract from the President's historically successful agenda and our booming economy," White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders said in a statement Wednesday. "Neither the White House nor Attorney General Barr will comply with Chairman Nadler's unlawful and reckless demands."

Sanders added that Barr "has been transparent and accommodating throughout this process, including by releasing the no-collusion, no-conspiracy, no-obstruction Mueller Report to the public and offering to testify before the Committee."

"Faced with Chairman Nadler's blatant abuse of power, and at the Attorney General's request, the President has no other option than to make a protective assertion of executive privilege," the statement continued.