Mueller's concern over Barr summary not about accuracy, needs context: DOJ
Senate Democrats are expected to grill Attorney General William Barr in a dramatic and explosive hearing on Wednesday morning at 10 a.m. ET, as he faces lawmakers' questions for the first time since releasing Special Counsel Robert Mueller's Russia report amid accusations he sought to present the investigation's findings in President Trump's favor.
In a late-breaking article sure to feature prominently in Wednesday's hearing, the Washington Post reported Tuesday evening that Mueller contacted Barr, both in a letter and in a phone call, to express concerns after Barr released his own public summary of the report in March. Mueller reportedly pushed Barr to release the executive summaries written by the special counsel's office.
However, according to both the Post and the Justice Department, Mueller made clear that he did not feel Barr's summary was inaccurate. Instead, Mueller told Barr that media coverage of the letter had "misinterpreted" the results of the probe concerning obstruction of justice.
“The summary letter the Department sent to Congress and released to the public late in the afternoon of March 24 did not fully capture the context, nature, and substance of this office’s work and conclusions,” Mueller told the DOJ. “There is now public confusion about critical aspects of the results of our investigation. This threatens to undermine a central purpose for which the Department appointed the Special Counsel: to assure full public confidence in the outcome of the investigations.”
In a statement to Fox News, DOJ spokesperson Kerri Kupec noted that Mueller had not faulted the accuracy of Barr's summary, and offered more details on Barr's actions.
“After the Attorney General received Special Counsel Mueller’s letter, he called him to discuss it," Kupec said. "In a cordial and professional conversation, the Special Counsel emphasized that nothing in the Attorney General’s March 24 letter was inaccurate or misleading. But, he expressed frustration over the lack of context and the resulting media coverage regarding the Special Counsel’s obstruction analysis. They then discussed whether additional context from the report would be helpful and could be quickly released."
Kupec added: "However, the Attorney General ultimately determined that it would not be productive to release the report in piecemeal fashion. The Attorney General and the Special Counsel agreed to get the full report out with necessary redactions as expeditiously as possible. The next day, the Attorney General sent a letter to Congress reiterating that his March 24 letter was not intended to be a summary of the report, but instead only stated the Special Counsel’s principal conclusions, and volunteered to testify before both Senate and House Judiciary Committees on May 1st and 2nd.”
A Republican House Judiciary Committee spokesperson told Fox News that "recent media reports give us more reason than ever to have confidence in the attorney general by providing insight into how the attorney general and the special counsel successfully collaborated to navigate a very difficult and historically momentous situation, culminating in the release of the Mueller report, which provides the account of the special counsel’s investigation in the words of Mr. Mueller and his team."
The spokesperson added: "As the Senate Judiciary Committee prepares for tomorrow’s hearing, House Democrats have another opportunity to put partisan politics aside and recognize Attorney General Barr has conducted himself in an exemplary manner.”
But Democrats pushed back hard. In a tweet, House Judiciary Committee chairman Jerry Nadler, D-N.Y., demanded that Mueller testify, and suggested that Barr had misled lawmakers.
"I note with interest AG Barr’s 4/10 Senate testimony," Nadler wrote. "'Q: Did Bob Mueller support your conclusion? A: I don’t know whether Bob Mueller supported my conclusion.' Now it appears that Mueller objected in this 3/27 letter."
Maryland Democrat Sen. Chris Van Hollen agreed, writing on Twitter that Barr "must resign" because he "misled me, the Congress, and the public."
Conservative commentators countered that Nadler was misrepresenting the situation.
"Barr was being asked whether Mueller agreed with his ultimate conclusion on obstruction, not whether he agreed with his summary, his framing, etc.," Washington Free Beacon reporter Alex Griswold wrote.
>>>> Mueller said "MEDIA COVERAGE", Not Barr in regards to Obstruction Of Justice. Plus, Mueller himself said Barr's summary
*IS* ACCURATE.
So I don't get why the Dipshits here are posting 50 posts a second celebrating when Mueller basically confirmed that he has zero issue with Barr's Summary? <Lmaoo><Lmaoo><Lmaoo>
(andnowIDontKnowShit says : "Enjoy the defense"? There's nothing to for us to defend against. Mueller said there was no issue as to the accuracy of Barr's summary and this was more about the Media Coverage than what Barr did. You all lost and don't even know it)
You sure do know how to ruin a party just as it's getting started.
![{<hhh]](http://i.imgur.com/qoAggsG.png "hhh {<hhh]")
