US attorney-general Barr defends clearing Trump on obstruction of justice following Mueller report
Trump appointee in his first congressional testimony since releasing a redacted version of the Mueller reportUS attorney-general William Barr testifies before the Senate judiciary committee in Washington, DC, the US, May 1 2019. Picture: ALEX WONG/GETTY IMAGES
"I don't think the government had a prosecutable case," Barr, the top US law enforcement official and a Trump appointee, testified. Barr seemed to minimize the incident and said Trump believed"he never outright directed the firing of Mueller".Barr told senator Dianne Feinstein, the top Democrat on the committee,"There is a distinction between saying to someone, 'Go fire him, go fire Mueller,' and saying, 'Have him removed based on conflict.' The difference between them is if you remove someone for a conflict of interest, then there would be —presumably — another person appointed.
Barr was also critical of Mueller for not reaching a conclusion himself on whether Trump obstructed the probe. Democratic senator Patrick Leahy said Barr misled Congress when he testified in April he did not know whether Mueller was happy with his initial characterisation of his findings.Democrats are now debating whether the report serves as a suitable basis to begin impeachment proceedings in Congress to try to remove Trump from office.
United States Latest News, United States Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
Trump says sending 'armed soldiers' to US-Mexico borderPresident Donald Trump said the US is sending armed soldiers to the southern border after Mexican soldiers recently 'pulled guns' on US troops.
Read more »
Newsdeck: Former U.S. deputy attorney general: If Trump was not president, he would be indictedWASHINGTON, April 28 (Reuters) - Former top Justice Department official Sally Yates said on Sunday that if Donald Trump were not president, he would have been indicted on obstruction charges in Special Counsel Robert Mueller's Russia investigation.
Read more »
Samuel L. Jackson blasts Trump’s AmericaThe 70-year-old Hollywood star believes racial tensions in the US have increased since Trump began his presidency in 2017.
Read more »
Donald Trump denies telling White House counsel to fire Mueller | IOL NewsUS President DonaldTrump said he had never ordered his WhiteHouse counsel at the time, Donald McGahn, to fire Special Counsel Robert Mueller.
Read more »
North Korean leader warns of a return to tension, blames US 'bad faith'A second summit between Kim Jong Un and President Trump in Vietnam in February collapsed with no progress on a US demand that the North give up its nuclear programme.
Read more »
Trump rejects UN arms trade treatyTrump said the US Senate had never ratified the 2013 Arms Trade Treaty despite his predecessor Barack Obama having endorsed it, and said he would never ratify it.
Read more »
Trump rejects UN arms trade treatyTrump said the US Senate had never ratified the 2013 Arms Trade Treaty despite his predecessor Barack Obama having endorsed it, and said he would never ratify it.
Read more »
Trump, 72, says he's a 'young, vibrant man' compared to Biden, 76 | IOL NewsWhen asked how old was too old to be president, US president DonaldTrump said the other candidates makes him look like 'very young'.
Read more »
British opposition leader to boycott Trump dinnerTheresa May invited Trump for a state visit when she visited him in January 2017 - just days after he took office.
Read more »
Gloves off as Biden eyes Trump knockout in 2020'I don't see Joe Biden as a threat.'
Read more »