House Judiciary Chairman Jerry Nadler sent a letter to former FBI Director and special counsel Robert Mueller requesting he testify before Congress by May 23.

Nadler made the request moments after Attorney General William Barr held a press conference on the status and conclusion of the special counsel investigation.

Members of Congress and the public are slated to see a copy of Mueller's final report later on Thursday.

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WASHINGTON — House Judiciary Chairman Jerry Nadler sent a letter Thursday to former FBI Director and special counsel chief Robert Mueller requesting he testify before Congress.

Nadler made the request within minutes of the conclusion of Attorney General William Barr's press conference on Mueller's final report, signaling Democrats on Capitol Hill are not at all eager to put the special counsel investigation behind them.

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"As I have already communicated to the Department of Justice, I request your testimony before the Judiciary Committee as soon as possible—but, in any event, no later than May 23, 2019," Nadler wrote. "I look forward to working with you on a mutually agreeable date."

Nadler's request did not specify whether a potential Mueller testimony would be public or in a closed session, though it would be common for the committee to hold both.

The letter to Mueller comes just hours after House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer issued a joint statement calling for a public testimony from the special counsel chief.

"Attorney General Barr's regrettably partisan handling of the Mueller report, including his slanted March 24th summary letter, his irresponsible testimony before Congress last week, and his indefensible plan to spin the report in a press conference later this morning — hours before he allows the public or Congress to see it — have resulted in a crisis of confidence in his independence and impartiality," the two Democratic leaders said. "We believe the only way to begin restoring public trust in the handling of the Special Counsel's investigation is for Special Counsel Mueller himself to provide public testimony in the House and Senate as soon as possible."

"The American people deserve to hear the truth," they added.

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And Rep. Doug Collins of Georgia, the ranking Republican on the Judiciary Committee, wrote to Nadler earlier in April asking him to invite Mueller to testify.

"I urge you to do the right thing, follow the law, and invite the Special Counsel to testify before the Committee immediately," Collins wrote. "Doing so ensures we will all hear the unfiltered truth from a man who conducted his investigation with integrity and professionalism."

After Nadler's request, House Intelligence Committee Chairman Adam Schiff sent a letter to Mueller asking him to testify in May.

"The House Intelligence Committee has formally invited Special Counsel Mueller to testify on the counterintelligence investigation," Schiff said in a statement. "After a two year investigation, the public deserves the facts, not Attorney General Barr's political spin."

At the press conference on Thursday, Barr said he would not object to a public testimony from Mueller. And Barr himself is slated to testify before Congress in May.