WASHINGTON (AP) — The Justice Department has informed the House Judiciary Committee that Attorney General William Barr may skip a Thursday hearing on special counsel Robert Mueller's report if committee lawyers seek to question him.
The Democratic-run committee plans to allow counsels from both sides to ask Barr about the Russia probe after the traditional round of questioning by lawmakers. Department officials also told the committee that they opposed a plan to go into a closed session if members wanted to discuss redacted portions of Mueller's report, according to a senior Democratic aide on the committee, who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss the confidential communications with the department.
Barr is scheduled to testify before the Senate Judiciary Committee on Wednesday and the House panel on Thursday. The GOP-led Senate committee is expected to have normal rounds of member questioning. The dispute comes as tensions have escalated sharply between House Democrats and the Trump administration over full access Mueller's report and government witnesses who have defied congressional subpoenas to testify. Democrats have been eagerly anticipating the hearing with Barr as they try to build on Mueller's findings with their own investigations into the president.
A spokeswoman for the top Republican on the committee, Rep. Doug Collins of Georgia, noted that Barr's testimony is voluntary and criticized the Democrats for not reading the full report."Democrats have yet to prove their demands are anything but abusive and illogical in light of the transparency and good faith the attorney general has shown our committee," Jessica Andrews said.
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.
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 »
AP FACT CHECK: Trump, AG spread untruths on Mueller reportPresident Donald Trump is still distorting the truth about the Russia investigation , claiming exoneration from a special counsel's report that he is also assailing as hopelessly biased. Confronted with unflattering details in the report about his monthslong effort to undermine federal investigators
Read more »
Busted: Mueller report shows Trump AG Barr did not tell the truthIn a special report, MSNBC Chief Legal Correspondent, Ari Melber, examines how Trump’s Attorney General Bill Barr misrepresented the Mueller report and breaks down how the report itself, reveals why he may have done so, despite knowing the report would be made public. Melber lays out evidence that “builds the case that Donald Trump got the man he wanted to do what he wanted” at the Justice Department.
Read more »
AG won't testify under proposed questioning format, DOJ tells House committee: AideThe DOJ has told the House Judiciary Committee that AG William Barr would not testify this week about the Mueller report if members move ahead with their proposed format of questioning, according to a senior committee aide.
Read more »
Biden ripped as the ‘Hillary Clinton of 2020’ | Mulvaney says he’s ‘losing at the very highest levels’Analysts react to former Vice President Joe Biden’s official entry on Thursday into the 2020 White House race. Meanwhile, Acting White House Chief of Staff...
Read more »
Attorney General William Barr may not attend Mueller report hearing over disagreement with DemocratsAttorney General William Barr may not attend his Thursday hearing due to a disagreement with Democrats over the hearing's format, CNN reported.
Read more »
House Democrats set stage for Barr standoffThe House Judiciary Committee is moving ahead with a Thursday hearing to question Attorney General William Barr about the Mueller report, even if Barr doesn’t show
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 »