House Democrats consider holding Barr in contempt of Congress
By Rachael Bade Rachael Bade Congressional reporter Email Bio Follow May 1 at 1:13 PM Democrats on the House Judiciary Committee are discussing holding Attorney General William P. Barr in contempt of Congress, according to several lawmakers and officials familiar with the plan.
Barr on Friday threatened to ignore the Judiciary Committee hearing over objections to the format in which a counsel would question him along with lawmakers. As of noon Wednesday, the committee has yet to receive an answer about whether he is coming, panel officials said. In back-to-back congressional hearings in early April, Barr claimed to have no knowledge of Mueller’s concerns with his four-page summary of the report’s findings. But Mueller’s March 27 letter of discontent calls Barr’s testimony into question, Democrats say.
“That was not a truthful response,” Hoyer said, declining to say what steps should be taken to address it. “I think the first effort ought to be to have Barr explain the discrepancy. And so, we need to find out what Barr’s explanation for what clearly appears to be on its face a untrue statement, that Barr either knew or certainly should have known was not true, and I think we ought to proceed from there — get that explanation.
“I think it’s going to depend on how he handles the questions. … We might,” said a panel member, Rep. Ted Lieu . At the closed-door meeting Tuesday evening, Rep. Eric Swalwell suggested the committee impeach Barr if it subpoenas him for testimony and he refuses to show.
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