AG Barr suggests Mueller should defy Congress and refuse to testify

Special counsel Robert Mueller is scheduled to testify before Congress on July 17, and Attorney General William Barr is suddenly hoping he won’t.

“I’m not sure what purpose is served by dragging him up there and trying to grill him,” Barr told the Associated Press on Monday. “I don’t think Mueller should be treated that way or subject himself to that, if he doesn’t want to.”

Barr went further, according to Politico, saying the Department of Justice would absolutely support Mueller if he decided to defy Congress and not testify, even though Mueller is no longer a DOJ employee.

Barr’s comments on Monday are a far cry from his statements to the press in April. On the day the redacted Mueller report was released to the public, Barr said he had “no objection to Bob Mueller personally testifying” about the report.

But with Mueller set to testify in just over a week, Barr’s about-face highlights the instances Barr misled the public about the contents of the Mueller report.

Even the redacted report showed Barr lied to the public about what Robert Mueller found. Whereas Barr declared Trump did not obstruct justice, the Mueller report gave excruciating details about multiple times Trump attempted to obstruct justice. In one instance, Trump tried to get his staff to fire Mueller, and then demanded they lie about the episode.

The sole reason Mueller gave for not indicting Trump was the Department of Justice policy against indicting a sitting president, whereas Barr made it seem like there were other reasons.

“It’s no surprise Barr doesn’t welcome Mueller’s testimony,” Rep. Adam Schiff (D-CA), chair of the House Intelligence Committee, wrote on Monday. “Barr misled the public about Mueller’s report, and wants his own deception to stand. The public has a right to hear the truth, from Mueller himself, about Trump’s misconduct and ongoing national security risks.”

Barr claims he wants Mueller to avoid congressional testimony because it will be just a “public spectacle.”

But in truth, Mueller’s testimony threatens to further expose Barr as a liar who is willing to mislead the public in order to cover up Trump’s blatant criminal activity, all on national television.

And that’s one spectacle Barr is desperate to avoid.

Published with permission of The American Independent Foundation.