Senate Minority Leader Charles E. Schumer on Monday accused Attorney General William Barr of mischaracterizing special counsel Robert Mueller’s report on Russian meddling in the 2016 election and whether President Trump obstructed the investigation.
Mr. Schumer, New York Democrat, said the attorney general will have to answer for it Wednesday when he is grilled by the Senate Judiciary Committee.
“The Senate will hear from Attorney General Barr this week, where he must answer for his mischaracterization of the special counsel’s findings, his outrageously partisan press conference and, in general, his failure to behave with the impartiality demanded of the Office of Attorney General,” Mr. Schumer told reporters.
Democrats have lambasted Mr. Barr for holding a press conference to discuss Mr. Mueller’s final conclusions hours before the report was sent to Congress. They are also enraged that Mr. Barr cleared Mr. Trump of obstructing justice, even though the special counsel’s team did not reach a conclusion on the matter.
Mr. Schumer said it is imperative Mr. Mueller appear before Congress and explain whether his findings diverged from Mr. Barr’s characterization.
“Special counsel Mueller must testify before Congress to further explain the findings in his report and provide clarity on areas where the attorney general twisted his words,” he said. “And Congress must be given access to an unredacted version of the report.”
• Jeff Mordock can be reached at jmordock@washingtontimes.com.
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