BREAKING: Attorney General William Barr has told House Judiciary Committee members he will not testify Thursday, two people familiar with the matter tell the AP.
The House Judiciary Committee chairman says Attorney General William Barr is declining to appear before the panel Thursday because he’s “terrified.”
That’s according to two people familiar with the matter who spoke to The Associated Press. The people weren’t authorized to discuss the matter publicly and spoke on condition of anonymity.The attorney general was asked to testify before the committee about special counsel Robert Mueller’s report. “The letter’s a bit snitty,” Barr said. He said he thinks it was probably written by someone on Mueller’s staff.
Barr said, “I didn’t exonerate. I said that we didn’t believe that there was sufficient evidence to establish an obstruction offense.” Hirono also asked Barr if it was OK for a president to ask one of his aides to lie, referencing the report’s examination of whether President Donald Trump obstructed justice.
Nadler speculated that Barr “is afraid” of testifying, adding, “he apparently does not want to answer questions.” Barr made the comment in April during testimony to the House Appropriations Committee. He provided no details about what “spying” may have taken place but appeared to be alluding to a surveillance warrant the FBI obtained on a former Trump associate.
Barr says that if Mueller “felt he shouldn’t go down the path taking a traditional prosecutive decision” then he shouldn’t have investigated. He says, “That was the time to pull up.” Barr says he called Mueller after receiving his complaints and Mueller told him “he was not suggesting that we had misrepresented his report.”
A Justice Department legal opinion says sitting presidents cannot be indicted. Barr says Mueller told him he wouldn’t have recommended indicting the president even without that opinion from the Office of Legal Counsel. Barr testified Wednesday about his handling of the Mueller report before the Senate Judiciary Committee. The testimony comes after the release of a letter from Mueller. That letter reveals the special counsel had prepared the summaries of his two-volume report for immediate public release but Barr chose not to release them.
Graham said in his opening statement he’s ready to move on from the report. He says that for him “it’s over.”Special counsel Robert Mueller told Attorney General William Barr that Barr’s summary of the Russia probe’s findings caused “public confusion about critical aspects” of the investigation. Mueller’s letter is likely to be a central focus at Wednesday’s Senate Judiciary Committee hearing with Barr.President Donald Trump is claiming “NO COLLUSION, NO OBSTRUCTION” as Attorney General William Barr prepares to appear before Congress for the first time since releasing special counsel Robert Mueller’s Russia report.
Barr is to testify Wednesday before the Senate Judiciary Committee. His appearance comes hours after it was revealed that Mueller had sent the Justice Department a letter objecting to the way his findings were portrayed.
Malaysia Latest News, Malaysia Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
Attorney General William Barr declines to testify before House panel, says Judiciary Committee aideDuring closed-door meetings, Judiciary Committee Democrats discussed how to respond if Barr refuses to show for a hearing or ignores a subpoena for the full Mueller report.
Read more »
Barr threatens to skip House Judiciary Committee hearing over proposed formatAG Barr is threatening not to testify before the House Judiciary Cmte. this week because of concerns about the hearing's format, a senior Democratic aide on the committee told NBCNews.
Read more »
House Intelligence chair calls on Barr to resignHouse Intel Chairman RepAdamSchiff says Attorney General Barr should step down. “He should have never been given the job under these circumstances, now he...in the interest of the department should step down, but I have no expectation that he will”
Read more »
AG Barr will not testify Thursday before House panel, source saysBREAKING: The Justice Department has informed the House Judiciary Committee that Attorney General William Barr would decline to testify before the panel on Thursday amid disagreements over the hearing's format, according to committee aide.
Read more »
AG Barr will not testify Thursday before House panel, sources sayAG Barr will not testify Thursday before House panel, sources say originally appeared on abcnews.go.comThe Justice Department on Wednesday informed the House Judiciary Committee that Attorney General William Barr would decline to testify before the panel on Thursday amid disagreements over the hearing
Read more »
House panel chairman says Barr must testify ThursdayU.S. House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jerrold Nadler said on Monday that Attor...
Read more »
Read Attorney General William Barr's written testimony before Senate Judiciary CommitteeAttorney General William Barr is set to testify before the Senate Judiciary Committee on Wednesday. This will be the first time Barr is questioned by lawmakers about his summary. Barr's written statement before the committee, addressed to Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., and Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif.,
Read more »
Read AG William Barr's written testimony before Senate Judiciary CommitteeGet breaking national and world news, broadcast video coverage, and exclusive interviews. Find the top news online at ABC news.
Read more »
Attorney General Bill Barr and House Dems spar over House hearingThe Attorney General of the United States says he’ll talk to the House Judiciary Committee about the Mueller report – but he has conditions. Former federal prosecutor Berit Berger joins Ali Velshi and Stephanie Ruhle to discuss how Barr’s conditions could lead to a fight that pits the top of the Justice Department against the justice system.
Read more »