Washington, DC - 22 May 2019

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1. Wide of Rep. Adam Schiff walking toward reporters in hallway

2. SOUNDBITE (English) Rep. Adam Schiff, (D) California / Chairman House Intelligence Committee

"So, late last night the Department of Justice agreed to begin a rolling production of documents to our committee, starting with initial set of twelve categories of documents we had requested that contain intelligence and counterintelligence information that was alluded to in the report. These are part of the underlying documents that we've been seeking. So that production should begin this week. We should have the full 12 sets of documents by the end of next week. This does not obviate the need for the subpoena. We're going to keep that in force until we get all the documents that we're seeking. But that production is going to start now, and we hope that it will continue by the department."

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SOUNDBITE (English) Rep. Adam Schiff, (D) California / Chairman House Intelligence Committee

"This, I should also mention, however is no substitute, in any way shape or form, for the appearance of Bob Mueller before our committee and the Judiciary Committee. It's no substitute for the appearance of Don McGahn and the other witnesses that have been subpoenaed to come into committee. But we are pleased that we are finally going to start receiving documents that we are entitled to from the Department of Justice."

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3. SOUNDBITE (English) Rep. Adam Schiff, (D) California / Chairman House Intelligence Committee

"The entire FBI probe began as a counterintelligence investigation. We have yet to determine what that investigation found, in terms of counter-intelligence findings, or even whether it is ongoing. But those are issues that potentially could compromise our national security. So, our first priority is to get to the bottom of what the counter-intelligence has to show whether there are any steps that our committee or the Congress needs to take to protect the country. And that's the first use that we'll put it to, but this is part of our continuing investigation into Russia's interference in our affairs."

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4. SOUNDBITE (English) Rep. Adam Schiff, (D) California / Chairman House Intelligence Committee

"We have every expectation that he is going to appear before our committee as well as the Judiciary Committee. It's important that that testimony, as much as possible, be in open session. So we're going to insist on that being the case as well. (Moves to allow colleague to go behind him.) Let me let my colleague to get by. But it's also vitally important that the department not try to censor what he can say to our committee. It is one thing to have him testify in public it's another if the Justice Department to sit behind him and tell him that he cannot answer this question, or that question, or do more than just read his own report. That won't fly. There is, I think, the most important part of this would be accomplished. There were certainly certain aspects involving classified information."

5. Wide of Schiff exiting

House Intelligence Committee Chairman Adam Schiff postponed a meeting to enforce a subpoena against the Justice Department after the department agreed to turn over a cache of documents related to special counsel Robert Mueller's report.

The House Judiciary Committee recently voted to hold Attorney General William Barr in contempt of Congress after negotiations broke down with the department over similar materials.

Schiff said the department "will begin turning over to the committee twelve categories of counterintelligence and foreign intelligence materials as part of an initial rolling production."

"Our first priority is to get to the bottom of what the counter-intelligence has to show, whether there are any steps that our committee or the Congress needs to take to protect the country," he said.

Schiff also said the subpoena that was issued regarding the attorney general will remain until all the documents are received.

And he says he still expects former White House Counsel Don McGahn and Robert Mueller to testify before the committee.

Trump's former White House counsel is the most-cited witness in Mueller's Trump-Russia investigation report, recounting the president's attempts to interfere with the probe.