AG Bill Barr believes special counsel Robert Mueller should be allowed to testify

Barr could attempt to block the testimony if he chooses.

ByKatherine Faulders and Mike Levine
May 6, 2019, 6:14 PM

Attorney General William Barr still believes special counsel Robert Mueller should be allowed to testify before Congress, despite President Donald Trump's apparent objection, according to a source familiar with the attorney general's thinking.

As the head of the Justice Department and Mueller's boss, Barr could attempt to block the testimony if he chooses.

The president's tweet over the weekend raised questions about whether he was instructing Barr to stop the special counsel's requested testimony from happening.

PHOTO: U.S. Attorney General William Barr testifies before the Senate Judiciary Committee May 1, 2019 in Washington, D.C. Barr testified on the Justice Department's investigation of Russian interference with the 2016 presidential election.
U.S. Attorney General William Barr testifies before the Senate Judiciary Committee May 1, 2019 in Washington, D.C. Barr testified on the Justice Department's investigation of Russian interference with the 2016 presidential election.
Win Mcnamee/Getty Images

"Bob Mueller should not testify. No redos for the Dems!," the president tweeted in part on Sunday.

....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!

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) May 5, 2019

So far there are no indications that any such order has been delivered to Barr from the White House and the source says Barr has not changed his position.

"I've already said publicly I have no objection to him testifying," Barr said last week before the Senate Judiciary Committee.

The DOJ did not respond to a request for comment. The White House also did not immediately respond.

Democrats on the House Judiciary Committee announced on Monday they will move forward with plans to hold Barr in contempt of Congress for refusing to produce the full, unredacted special counsel report. The committee is scheduled to meet on Wednesday morning to advance the contempt citation. Committee members will hold a markup on the report where they'll debate and vote on the resolution and a supporting report.

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So far there are no indications that any such order has been delivered to Barr from the White House and the source says Barr has not changed his position.

\"I've already said publicly I have no objection to him testifying,\" Barr said last week before the Senate Judiciary Committee.

The DOJ did not respond to a request for comment. The White House also did not immediately respond.

Democrats on the House Judiciary Committee announced on Monday they will move forward with plans to hold Barr in contempt of Congress for refusing to produce the full, unredacted special counsel report. The committee is scheduled to meet on Wednesday morning to advance the contempt citation. Committee members will hold a markup on the report where they'll debate and vote on the resolution and a supporting report.

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