In scheduled back-to-back congressional hearings this week, Democrats will have their first chance to grill Barr since he stood at the Justice Department podium and repeatedly declared that Mueller had found no “collusion” between Trump and Russia.
“It permanently tarnishes his reputation,” said Rep. Gerald E. Connolly , a member of the House Oversight Committee. “I'm not sure why somebody wants to do this after a long career.”
Barr has not withdrawn, but aides said he might not attend because the panel’s leadership wants to allow committee lawyers to do some of the questioning, rather than just lawmakers. Republicans have praised Barr’s handling of the special counsel investigation and defended his summary of Mueller’s report as fair.
The 22-month investigation “did not establish that members of the Trump Campaign conspired or coordinated with the Russian government in its election interference activities,” Mueller wrote, though he noted those campaign officials expected to benefit from Moscow’s assistance. In his news conference before releasing the report, Barr said Trump’s actions should be viewed in “context.”
Barr also appeared to mischaracterize Mueller’s rationale for not reaching a determination on whether Trump had obstructed justice, a crime.
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