Attorney General William Barr, flanked by Edward O'Callaghan and Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein, at a news conference to discuss Special Counsel Robert Mueller's report in Washington, D.C. on April 18, 2019. (Photo: Jonathan Ernst/Reuters)
'We Cannot Stand for This Deception': Democrats Demand Probe Into Barr Amid News of Mueller Criticism
"Barr's spin on the Mueller report shows he's acting like the president's lawyer, not the American people's lawyer."
Amid news that Special Counsel Robert Mueller objected to how Attorney General William Barr presented the findings of the Russia probe, Democrats on Tuesday demanded an immediate investigation into Barr's "possible effort to mislead the public."
"This was a giant cover up and we cannot stand for this deception"
--Rep. Pramila Jayapal
As the Washington Post reported, Mueller sent a letter to Barr in March expressing concern that the Attorney General's widely criticized four-page memo about the investigation into President Donald Trump "did not fully capture the context, nature, and substance" of the findings.
"There is now public confusion about critical aspects of the results of our investigation," Mueller wrote. "This threatens to undermine a central purpose for which the Department appointed the Special Counsel: to assure full public confidence in the outcome of the investigations."
News of Mueller's letter came just hours ahead of Barr's scheduled testimony before the Senate Judiciary Committee on Wednesday.
"No wonder he's scared to answer questions," tweeted Sen. Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.), apparently referring to Barr's threat to cancel his planned appearance before the House Judiciary Committee on Thursday.
Sen. Mazie Hirono (D-Hawaii)--who led a dozen Senate Democrats in calling for an investigation into Barr's conduct just before details of Mueller's letter emerged Tuesday--said the Special Counsel's concerns strongly confirmed the need for a probe.
"Barr's spin on the Mueller report shows he's acting like the president's lawyer, not the American people's lawyer," Hirono, a member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, tweeted Wednesday. "That's why I called on the DOJ Inspector General and Office of Professional Responsibility to look into how he misled the public to protect Donald Trump."
In a statement late Tuesday, Rep. Jerry Nadler (D-N.Y.)--chair of the House Judiciary Committee--demanded a copy of Mueller's letter to Barr and said the "Special Counsel's concerns reflect our own."
"The Attorney General should not have taken it upon himself to describe the Special Counsel's findings in a light more favorable to the president," said Nadler. "It was only a matter of time before the facts caught up to him."
Rep. Pramila Jayapal (D-Wash.), co-chair of the Congressional Progressive Caucus and member of the House Judiciary Committee, said the Special Counsel's letter "makes it clear" that Barr "tried to misdirect the American people."
"This was a giant cover up and we cannot stand for this deception," Jayapal tweeted. "It is clearer than ever that Barr is acting as Trump's personal lawyer, not the Attorney General for the people. Unacceptable."
Urgent. It's never been this bad.
Dear Common Dreams reader, It’s been nearly 30 years since I co-founded Common Dreams with my late wife, Lina Newhouser. We had the radical notion that journalism should serve the public good, not corporate profits. It was clear to us from the outset what it would take to build such a project. No paid advertisements. No corporate sponsors. No millionaire publisher telling us what to think or do. Many people said we wouldn't last a year, but we proved those doubters wrong. Together with a tremendous team of journalists and dedicated staff, we built an independent media outlet free from the constraints of profits and corporate control. Our mission from the outset was simple. To inform. To inspire. To ignite change for the common good. Building Common Dreams was not easy. Our survival was never guaranteed. When you take on the most powerful forces—Wall Street greed, fossil fuel industry destruction, Big Tech lobbyists, and uber-rich oligarchs who have spent billions upon billions rigging the economy and democracy in their favor—the only bulwark you have is supporters who believe in your work. But here’s the urgent message from me today. It’s never been this bad out there. And it’s never been this hard to keep us going. At the very moment Common Dreams is most needed and doing some of its best and most important work, the threats we face are intensifying. Right now, with just three days to go in our Spring Campaign, we're falling short of our make-or-break goal. When everyone does the little they can afford, we are strong. But if that support retreats or dries up, so do we. Can you make a gift right now to make sure Common Dreams not only survives but thrives? There is no backup plan or rainy day fund. There is only you. —Craig Brown, Co-founder |
Amid news that Special Counsel Robert Mueller objected to how Attorney General William Barr presented the findings of the Russia probe, Democrats on Tuesday demanded an immediate investigation into Barr's "possible effort to mislead the public."
"This was a giant cover up and we cannot stand for this deception"
--Rep. Pramila Jayapal
As the Washington Post reported, Mueller sent a letter to Barr in March expressing concern that the Attorney General's widely criticized four-page memo about the investigation into President Donald Trump "did not fully capture the context, nature, and substance" of the findings.
"There is now public confusion about critical aspects of the results of our investigation," Mueller wrote. "This threatens to undermine a central purpose for which the Department appointed the Special Counsel: to assure full public confidence in the outcome of the investigations."
News of Mueller's letter came just hours ahead of Barr's scheduled testimony before the Senate Judiciary Committee on Wednesday.
"No wonder he's scared to answer questions," tweeted Sen. Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.), apparently referring to Barr's threat to cancel his planned appearance before the House Judiciary Committee on Thursday.
Sen. Mazie Hirono (D-Hawaii)--who led a dozen Senate Democrats in calling for an investigation into Barr's conduct just before details of Mueller's letter emerged Tuesday--said the Special Counsel's concerns strongly confirmed the need for a probe.
"Barr's spin on the Mueller report shows he's acting like the president's lawyer, not the American people's lawyer," Hirono, a member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, tweeted Wednesday. "That's why I called on the DOJ Inspector General and Office of Professional Responsibility to look into how he misled the public to protect Donald Trump."
In a statement late Tuesday, Rep. Jerry Nadler (D-N.Y.)--chair of the House Judiciary Committee--demanded a copy of Mueller's letter to Barr and said the "Special Counsel's concerns reflect our own."
"The Attorney General should not have taken it upon himself to describe the Special Counsel's findings in a light more favorable to the president," said Nadler. "It was only a matter of time before the facts caught up to him."
Rep. Pramila Jayapal (D-Wash.), co-chair of the Congressional Progressive Caucus and member of the House Judiciary Committee, said the Special Counsel's letter "makes it clear" that Barr "tried to misdirect the American people."
"This was a giant cover up and we cannot stand for this deception," Jayapal tweeted. "It is clearer than ever that Barr is acting as Trump's personal lawyer, not the Attorney General for the people. Unacceptable."
Amid news that Special Counsel Robert Mueller objected to how Attorney General William Barr presented the findings of the Russia probe, Democrats on Tuesday demanded an immediate investigation into Barr's "possible effort to mislead the public."
"This was a giant cover up and we cannot stand for this deception"
--Rep. Pramila Jayapal
As the Washington Post reported, Mueller sent a letter to Barr in March expressing concern that the Attorney General's widely criticized four-page memo about the investigation into President Donald Trump "did not fully capture the context, nature, and substance" of the findings.
"There is now public confusion about critical aspects of the results of our investigation," Mueller wrote. "This threatens to undermine a central purpose for which the Department appointed the Special Counsel: to assure full public confidence in the outcome of the investigations."
News of Mueller's letter came just hours ahead of Barr's scheduled testimony before the Senate Judiciary Committee on Wednesday.
"No wonder he's scared to answer questions," tweeted Sen. Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.), apparently referring to Barr's threat to cancel his planned appearance before the House Judiciary Committee on Thursday.
Sen. Mazie Hirono (D-Hawaii)--who led a dozen Senate Democrats in calling for an investigation into Barr's conduct just before details of Mueller's letter emerged Tuesday--said the Special Counsel's concerns strongly confirmed the need for a probe.
"Barr's spin on the Mueller report shows he's acting like the president's lawyer, not the American people's lawyer," Hirono, a member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, tweeted Wednesday. "That's why I called on the DOJ Inspector General and Office of Professional Responsibility to look into how he misled the public to protect Donald Trump."
In a statement late Tuesday, Rep. Jerry Nadler (D-N.Y.)--chair of the House Judiciary Committee--demanded a copy of Mueller's letter to Barr and said the "Special Counsel's concerns reflect our own."
"The Attorney General should not have taken it upon himself to describe the Special Counsel's findings in a light more favorable to the president," said Nadler. "It was only a matter of time before the facts caught up to him."
Rep. Pramila Jayapal (D-Wash.), co-chair of the Congressional Progressive Caucus and member of the House Judiciary Committee, said the Special Counsel's letter "makes it clear" that Barr "tried to misdirect the American people."
"This was a giant cover up and we cannot stand for this deception," Jayapal tweeted. "It is clearer than ever that Barr is acting as Trump's personal lawyer, not the Attorney General for the people. Unacceptable."