House Democrats have reached an agreement with the Department of Justice, staving off criminal contempt proceedings against Attorney General William Barr.

House Judiciary Chairman Jerry Nadler, D-N.Y., announced on Monday that the DOJ would comply with House subpoenas to hand over documents and evidence underlying former special counsel Robert Mueller’s investigation.

The DOJ "has agreed to begin complying with our committee's subpoena by opening Robert Mueller’s most important files to us, providing us with key evidence that the special counsel used to assess whether the president and others obstructed justice or were engaged in other misconduct,” Nadler said in a statement.

The documents, the first of which will be turned over on Monday, will be available to for all members of the Judiciary Committee to view.

"Given our conversations with the department, I will hold the criminal contempt process in abeyance for now," Nadler said. "If the department proceeds in good faith and we are able to obtain everything that we need, then there will be no need to take further steps. If important information is held back, then we will have no choice but to enforce our subpoena in court and consider other remedies."

Nadler has a deal with DOJ. Criminal contempt put off. pic.twitter.com/lueiCWndW0 — Jake Sherman (@JakeSherman) June 10, 2019

Rep. Doug Collins, the ranking Republican member on the Judiciary committee, said the DOJ deal undercuts Democratic claims that the Trump's administration is "stonewalling" Congress.

"The Justice Department has yet again offered accommodations to House Democrats, and I am glad Chairman Nadler — for the first time in months — has finally met them at the negotiating table," Collins said in a statement. "Today’s good faith provision from the administration further debunks claims that the White House is stonewalling Congress, which Chairman Schiff's successful negotiations with the Justice Department already showed."

