Barr Released the Mueller Report. How Is That a Scandal?

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It was only a month ago that many Democrats were hoping Robert Mueller’s investigation into Russia’s interference in the 2016 presidential election would lead to indictments — perhaps even of President Donald Trump’s family and inner circle — for conspiring with the Russians. That did not come to pass, nor will it, so the focus has turned to “the narrative.” The term itself is a sign that this story is now entirely about politics.

The narrative is what the latest scandal regarding Attorney General William Barr is all about: How he summarized Mueller’s report, who he talked to about it, when he released it. Yet there is no disagreement about the central facts of the investigation: It found no conspiracy, and while it did find many possible instances of obstruction of justice, it did not recommend prosecution.



In his March 24 letter to Congress, Barr provided lawmakers and the public with his two “principal conclusions” of Mueller’s report. Three days later, Mueller wrote to Barr that his letter “did not fully capture the context, nature, and substance” of his team’s work. Mueller asked Barr to release summaries he had earlier provided to the Justice Department.

Barr declined. As he told the Senate Judiciary Committee Wednesday, Mueller’s report became “my baby” after the special counsel sent it to him. He also said he did not want to release the redacted report to the public piecemeal.

Had Barr taken the next two years to comb through Mueller’s report to determine what information should be redacted, Democrats would have a point. But that’s not what happened. On April 18, the public and Congress got a chance to read Mueller’s report, with only about 10 percent of it redacted.

Yes, the full report is more damning to the president than the conclusions shared in Barr’s letter. It describes sordid scenes where the president asks subordinates to lie. It says Trump had advance notice of the WikiLeaks disclosure of emails stolen by Russian hackers. It shows how Trump’s campaign built up a communications strategy around those stolen emails.

As Barr’s letter said, “While this report does not conclude that the President committed a crime, it also does not exonerate him.” As my colleague Noah Feldman has noted, Barr was only following Justice Department regulations when he issued his letter. He was not violating any procedures or rules.

Some Democrats have said Barr lied to Congress when he told the House that he did not know why Mueller’s investigators were perturbed about his March 24 letter. But on Wednesday Barr had a plausible, if slippery, answer: He was asked about Mueller’s staff, he said, and Mueller himself had told him in a phone call that he did not believe his letter was inaccurate. Senator Lindsey Graham, the chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, said he would be asking Mueller if Barr accurately described their phone conversation.

So what are Democrats so upset about? Is it that they lost a precious 25 days — from March 24 to April 18 — to spin Mueller’s findings to their liking? This is worse than Watergate! They will never get those news cycles back.

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Barr will not be testifying for the senate underlings tomorrow, they should have had the attorneys write the questions for todays circus.
What a pile of clowns.
The attempted character assassination, down right ignorant questions, no wonder they cant legislate.

@kitt: Games. All Democrats do is play games to entertain their ignorant sycophants.

The coupsters and the demokrats in Congress who are protecting them are worried about real investigations into real crimes and real collusion. They are demonizing Barr so they can claim he is conducting political payback as their defense should indictments start flowing.

I saw an interesting theory yesterday about Sessions and Rosenstein. It argues that neither as members of the DOJ could expose the DS in their positions. Sessions because he was essentially neutered by bogus claims of collusion. Rosenstein because he was the DAG and wasn’t in a position to be a witness especially since he was involved in the FISA process. Now that both will be gone, both will be free to testify as witnesses. Rosenstein could be a very damaging witness against the DS should he reveal he was lied to/misled in order to get the FISA warrants approved. They speculate he may already be talking and providing evidence.

cohen the fat ass disgusting POS from TN brought a bucket of chicken into the hearing. the most disgusting display of juvenile behavior. in other countries, he would have been removed from the room and the food too. the issue is that this PIG represents the people of TN. does not say much for his voting matrix. if the Republicans would have done this they would have been called traitors and pig and the demorats would have wanted an investigation on their conduct

@MOS#8541: The chicken (shits) are the Democrats who were so afraid of facing Barr that they made certain he would reverse himself on his voluntary agreement to appear by changing the rules until he decided not to appear.

@Deplorable Me:

The Anti–Bill Barr Smear Campaign 

Google “Barr cover up”, its disgusting.
He hasnt hid a thing, he didnt find what Mueller and his entire team could not justify.

@kitt: Democrats are the worst of all despicable liars.

@Deplorable Me, #5:

The chicken (shits) are the Democrats who were so afraid of facing Barr that they made certain he would reverse himself on his voluntary agreement to appear by changing the rules until he decided not to appear.

Yeah, right. He’s the one who failed to show up. They’re so afraid of facing him that they’re probably going to hit him with a subpoena.

@Greg:

hit him with a subpoena

oooOOOooo tough guys eh? Let them have the attorneys frame their questions for them and they ask them in a reasonable time frame. Give their time to another congress person so the most articulate one like Mad Max can have more than 5 minutes questioning the AG.
Cant these pigs get slopped their KFC lunch elsewhere?
What a pile of staged nonsense, the height of unprofessional claptrap, camera posers.

@Greg: Why don’t the Democrats abide by the original arrangement? Why did they have to change at the last minute? They didn’t WANT a meeting; they wanted a contentious issue. They are too gutless to hear Barr’s answers to their theatrical questions.

@Greg:

They’re so afraid of facing him that they’re probably going to hit him with a subpoena.

That’s fine. Looks like some other people are going to be hit a subpoena…so your corrupt party is going to try and “hit” Barr with one first?

Good luck with that..

@Nathan Blue: They are scrambling in desperation trying to keep the deep state actions covered. With the knowledge of the weakness of their “collusion” coup, you’d think they would have been better prepared for its failure.