House Democrats seeking redacted grand jury information from former special counsel Robert Mueller Robert (Bob) MuellerCNN's Toobin warns McCabe is in 'perilous condition' with emboldened Trump CNN anchor rips Trump over Stone while evoking Clinton-Lynch tarmac meeting The Hill's 12:30 Report: New Hampshire fallout MORE’s investigation argued in a court filing Friday that the White House’s perceived stonewalling in the case is an effort to “run out the clock on impeachment.”

The Trump administration and Democratic-led House Judiciary Committee are locked in a tense legal fight over access to grand jury materials from Mueller's probe, details that Democrats say are critical to the impeachment inquiry against President Trump Donald John TrumpSteele Dossier sub-source was subject of FBI counterintelligence probe Pelosi slams Trump executive order on pre-existing conditions: It 'isn't worth the paper it's signed on' Trump 'no longer angry' at Romney because of Supreme Court stance MORE.

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The Department of Justice (DOJ), representing the White House, has asked the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit to continue shielding the documents while the court considers the legal issues at hand.

But House Democrats, who have pushed for the materials to be released as quickly as possible, accused the White House of engaging in legal posturing designed to drag out the battle to gain a political advantage.

“The public interest would be irreparably harmed if DOJ succeeds in running out the clock on impeachment through obstruction and delay,” lawyers for the House Judiciary Committee told the appeals court in their Friday filing.

The impeachment inquiry may ultimately cover some of the same ground that Mueller explored in his nearly two-year investigation, including Trump’s possible obstruction of justice and his campaign’s interactions with Russia during the 2016 election.

So far, Democrats have spent much of the past several weeks hearing from various current and former Trump administration officials over the president's dealings with Ukraine, including his push for the country to launch politically charged investigations.

Speaker Nancy Pelosi Nancy PelosiPelosi slams Trump executive order on pre-existing conditions: It 'isn't worth the paper it's signed on' On The Money: Anxious Democrats push for vote on COVID-19 aid | Pelosi, Mnuchin ready to restart talks | Weekly jobless claims increase | Senate treads close to shutdown deadline Trump signs largely symbolic pre-existing conditions order amid lawsuit MORE (D-Calif.) has said the chamber has no particular timeline for the inquiry, and told Bloomberg on Friday she expects public hearings to begin this month. The White House, meanwhile, said it's prepared for Trump to be impeached.

Mueller's 448-page report on his investigation into Russian election meddling and the Trump campaign in 2016 contains redacted passages detailing information obtained from grand jury proceedings, but redactions may be lifted for lawmakers upon a judicial order.

Judge Beryl Howell of the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia, who was appointed by former President Obama, ruled in favor of Democrats last week. The Justice Department, on behalf of the White House, has appealed that ruling.