U.S. Rep. Antonio Delgado (D-Rhinebeck) joined a chorus of Democratic voices in calling on Justice Department officials to release the full contents of the report by Special Counsel Robert S. Mueller III into Russian interference in the 2016 presidential campaign. Delgado’s remarks come after Attorney General William Barr issued a short summary of the report that appeared to absolve President Donald J. Trump of colluding with Russia during the campaign, but left open the question of whether he sought to unlawfully obstruct the investigation. Delgado has long held that a full accounting of the president’s actions was needed before Congressional Democrats could make a decision on whether to pursue impeachment.
“At this point, we have a four-page summary that states some of the findings without much detail beyond that,” said Delgado in a conference call with local media outlets on March 26. “We need to make sure that we have the full report. This is a very involved investigation that led to a number of indictments and convictions.”
Delgado’s remarks came during a call intended to tout his achievements during the second “in-district work week” of his first term. Delgado spent the week visiting hospitals in Sullivan, Delaware and Columbia counties, highlighting one of his signature campaign themes: improved access to quality healthcare for residents of the district’s most rural areas. Delgado also discussed another campaign theme, increasing access to high-speed internet in rural areas. Delgado said that low population density across much of upstate New York meant the private sector had little incentive to provide the service, which he called critical for everything from education to healthcare to economic development. Delgado called for more government action to better map out areas in need of broadband internet and higher speed standards for the service.
Delgado also addressed healthcare one day after Trump signaled support for a lawsuit that seeks to dismantle the Affordable Care Act. Delgado reiterated his support for a government-backed “public option” for health insurance and touted a recent house vote to boost subsidies and increase enrollment under the ACA. Delgado also accused Republicans of attempting to sabotage Obamacare despite its popularity with voters.
“The administration and Republicans for the last two years have in essence attempted to tear apart what can only be described as a critically important step in helping us deal with the reality that our healthcare system is in crisis,” said Delgado.
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