WASHINGTON — The House Judiciary Committee on Friday said it was asking a federal judge to unseal grand jury secrets related to Robert S. Mueller III's investigation, saying it would use the court filing to make the most explicit declaration yet that lawmakers are weighing whether to impeach President Trump.
In a significant escalation, Representative Jerrold Nadler of New York, the Democratic chairman of the committee, said at a news conference that the application to the court will declare that the panel needs access to Mr. Mueller's grand-jury evidence — such as witness testimony — to decide whether to recommend articles of impeachment against the president.
"Because Department of Justice policies will not allow prosecution of a sitting president, the United States House of Representatives is the only institution of the federal government that can now hold President Trump accountable for these actions," Mr. Nadler quoted the legal filing as telling the judge, Beryl A. Howell, who supervised Mr. Mueller's grand jury.
Referring to the part in the Constitution that gives Congress the power to impeach and remove a president, the application continues, he said: "To do so, the House must have access to all the relevant facts and consider whether to exercise all its full Article I powers, including a constitutional power of the utmost gravity — recommendation of articles of impeachment."
Still, his account of the pending filing, which he said would be filed Friday afternoon, stopped short of explicitly declaring that it has formally opened an impeachment inquiry.
The long-awaited filing comes two days after Mr. Mueller testified before Congress for the first time about the findings of his 22-month investigation into Russian election interference and possible obstruction of justice by Mr. Trump. Now Democrats who control the panel are seeking to add more evidence to the trove of information they are collecting about the case.
