Calling out House Judiciary Democrats for putting Attorney General William Barr in a legal and political Catch-22 on releasing special counsel Robert Mueller's report, the top Republican on the committee is daring Dems to move on impeachment or bring in Mueller to testify publicly.

"Today, I write encouraging you to invite special counsel Robert S. Mueller, III to testify before our committee without delay," Rep. Doug Collins, R-Ga., wrote in a letter Monday to House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jerrold Nadler, D-N.Y.

"If you seek both transparency and for the American public to learn the full contours of the special counsel's investigation, public testimony from special counsel Mueller himself is undoubtedly the best way to accomplish this goal."

Collins' letter comes after Democrats rejected a GOP amendment to release a redacted version of the Mueller report, instead issuing a subpoena for the full report and underlying evidence, putting AG Barr in a Catch-22.

"In rejecting this amendment and supporting the subpoena, you and your fellow Democrats created an untenable but politically convenient situation: force Attorney General William P. Barr to break the law to comply with your subpoena or label him as part of a cover-up if he does not," Collins wrote.

Collins issued a dare for the House Judiciary to begin impeachment proceedings or bring in Mueller the week of April 22 during House recess.

". . . you refuse to head down that path for political reasons, and have chosen the path of greatest resistance, and least legality — attacking the attorney general for refusing to break the law while misleading the American public about what the law requires or allows," he wrote. "If you decline to launch an impeachment inquiry, which is your clear legal path to the 6(e) grand jury information, I suggest instead inviting special counsel Mueller in to testify before the committee as soon as possible.

". . . it is special counsel Mueller who is best-positioned to testify regarding the underlying facts and material in which you are so interested."