President Trump’s 2020 campaign used Attorney General William P. Barr’s testimony on the Mueller report as a messaging opportunity Wednesday, firing off an ad that says President Barack Obama, more than anyone, is responsible for Russian meddling in the last campaign.
“There is no doubt: On Russian interference in 2016, Obama dropped the ball,” the reelection campaign said in releasing a two-minute digital ad called “Obama knew.”
The clip pastes together news coverage and testimony suggesting the former administration failed to prioritize Russian intrusion, which favored Mr. Trump and proved damaging to Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton.
The ad was blasted out during a lunch break in the dramatic Barr hearing before the Senate Judiciary Committee.
Democrats were grilling Mr. Barr over a late-March letter in which special counsel Robert Mueller said the Justice Department’s four-page summary failed to capture “the context, nature and substance” of his report on Russian meddling and whether Mr. Trump obstructed justice.
Mr. Trump tried to soften the ground ahead of the hearing, tweeting his mantra of “NO COLLUSION, NO OBSTRUCTION,” while previewing his campaign’s push to blame Mr. Obama.
“Why didn’t President Obama do something about Russia in September (before November Election) when told by the FBI?” he tweeted. “He did NOTHING, and had no intention of doing anything!”
• Tom Howell Jr. can be reached at thowell@washingtontimes.com.
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