Democrats Plan to Hold Attorney General Barr in Contempt Over Mueller Report

Abigail Robertson
05-06-2019

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CAPITOL HILL - Democrats are taking steps toward holding Attorney General William Barr in contempt of Congress for failing to provide an un-redacted version of Special Counsel Robert Mueller's report.

They had given him a deadline of 9:00 am Monday, but Barr did not comply. 

How are Republicans on the Hill reacting to this move?

The ranking Republican member on the House Judiciary Committee Doug Collins said he believes this is just a move to distract and tear down the president. A few top Democrats with higher security clearances were offered an opportunity to read a less redacted version of Mueller's report. But they turned it down.

Collins released a statement Monday saying Democrats know Attorney General Barr cannot release an unredacted report without breaking the law – he believes if Democrats really want to see this they should be introducing legislation to allow Barr to release grand jury material instead of moving forward with holding him in contempt. 

He added in an interview on Fox News that there's nothing to impeach here and he thinks Democrats are chasing after an election they lost in 2016.

Still, some Democrats have called for efforts to impeach Barr over his recent statements. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi has accused the attorney general of lying and committing an actual "crime" in the process. Justice Department spokeswoman Kerri Kupec said Pelosi's accusations are "reckless, irresponsible and false."

Will we ever see Mueller testify before Congress?

Right now, he's tentatively set to testify about his investigation before the House Judiciary Committee on May 15. President Trump tweeted about this over the weekend. He feels strongly that Robert Mueller does not need to testify writing: 

"After spending more than $35,000,000 over a two year period, interviewing 500 people, using 18 Trump Hating Angry Democrats & 49 FBI Agents - all culminating in a more than 400-page Report showing NO COLLUSION - why would the Democrats in Congress now need Robert Mueller.....to testify. Are they looking for a redo because they hated seeing the strong NO COLLUSION conclusion? There was no crime, except on the other side (incredibly not covered in the Report), and NO OBSTRUCTION. Bob Mueller should not testify. No redos for the Dems!"

But other Republicans say they wouldn't actually mind seeing Mueller testify and having an opportunity to have him clear the air on a few things. They do feel like he'll repeat what's in the report – but even Sen. Lindsey Graham, chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee,  sent Mueller a letter on Friday inviting him to testify and clear up anything that's been misreported about his investigation.

Meanwhile, President Trump is pointing his finger back at his opponents tweeting, "Also, there are 'No High Crimes & Misdemeanors,' No Collusion, No Conspiracy, No Obstruction. ALL THE CRIMES ARE ON THE OTHER SIDE, and that's what the Dems should be looking at, but they won't. Nevertheless, the tables are turning!"

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About The Author

Abigail
Robertson

Abigail Robertson serves as the White House Correspondent for CBN News, where she has worked since 2015. As a reporter, Abigail covers stories from a Christian perspective on American politics and the news of the day. Before her role at the White House, Abigail covered Capitol Hill, where she interviewed notable lawmakers such as Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell and former Speaker of the House Paul Ryan. During her time on the Hill, Abigail loved highlighting how God is moving in the House and Senate by covering different ministries on Capitol Hill and sharing lawmakers’ testimonies and
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