U.S. Justice Department defends Trump's executive privilege assertion

The U.S. Justice Department on Wednesday defended Trump's use of executive privilege to withhold U.S. Special Counsel Robert Mueller's full report from House Democrats, but said it should not prevent Mueller from testifying before lawmakers.

"It is not true the president waived the executive privilege by sharing materials with the Special Counsel's office," a department official said, adding that a prior attorney general opinion made "clear there is no waiver when the White House cooperates with DOJ (Department of Justice) by providing materials to law enforcement."

(With inputs from agencies.)