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| Warren calls for Barr to resign as he testifies on Mueller report – live | Warren calls for Barr to resign as he testifies on Mueller report – live |
| (32 minutes later) | |
| Asked repeatedly by Sen. Mazie Hirono whether he thinks various actions by Donald Trump are “OK” - as opposed to just non-criminal - William Barr does not give a direct answer. | |
| “I’m willing to talk about what’s criminal,” he said, after she asked whether it was OK for the president to tell the White House counsel to lie. | |
| Hirono’s questioning came after she delivered a lengthy attack on Barr in her opening. Chairman Lindsey Graham cut in and told her, “You slandered this man,” and cut off the line of questioning. | |
| Senator Hirono: Do you think it is OK for the president to ask his WH counsel to lie?AG Barr: I am willing to discuss what is criminal... "Which event are you talking about?"Hirono: "Give us some credit for knowing what the hell is going on around here." | |
| “You slandered this mom from top to bottom,” Graham says to Hirono, turning the questioning to Blackburn | |
| And he repeatedly asked what event she was talking about, even though she was referring to something clearly described in the Mueller report. https://t.co/SpaarB8fD9 | |
| Sen. Mazie Hirono tells Attorney General William Barr he has chosen to act as the president’s lawyer. | |
| “You used every advantage of your office to create the impression that the president was cleared of misconduct,” she said. | |
| “You lied to Congress,” she said of Barr’s testimony that he did not know what objections Mueller’s team had to his summary. “You knew. You lied. And now we know.” | |
| Mazie Hirono opens her question saying Barr is like Rudy and Kellyanne who “sacrificed their reputations” for the “liar” in the Oval Office | |
| She tells him he should resign. | |
| Yet another Democrat is about to get into the presidential race: Montana Gov. Steve Bullock will announce his bid in two weeks, MTN News reports. | |
| AG William Barr declines to say whether Donald Trump lied to the American people when he denied telling the White House counsel to have Robert Mueller fired, and gave a false accounting of a meeting with a Russian national at Trump Tower. | |
| “I’m not in the business of determining when lies are told to the American people. I’m in the business of determining whether a crime was committed,” he said. | |
| BARR: "I'm not in the business of determining when lies are told to the American people. I'm in the business of determining when a crime has been committed." pic.twitter.com/ueJvsLNnsQ | |
| William Barr says he can’t recall whether he provided information about ongoing federal investigations by US attorneys in New York and Virginia that stemmed from the Russia investigation. | |
| “I just don’t recall providing any substantive information about a case,” he said. | |
| He declined to recuse himself from those investigations. | |
| “I don’t recall having any substantive discussions with the White House,” Barr saying to Blumenthal when asked if he’s spoken to the WH about the probes spun off from the Mueller investigation. He acknowledges he may have said a name of one of them. He says he WON’T recuse | |
| NOTABLE: Barr dodges questions from @SenBlumenthal about whether he's been in communication with the White House about ongoing criminal investigations pertaining to Trump and his business pic.twitter.com/Si5jK3ZYHY | |
| Senator Richard Blumenthal told William Barr history will judge him harshly. | |
| "History will judge you harshly," @SenBlumenthal tells the AG, in opening remarks. | |
| Senator Blumenthal bringing the heat says history will judge AG Barr "harshly." | |
| Senator Chris Coons says Barr’s summary served to “obscure” Donald Trump’s inappropriate actions rather than giving the American people the full truth. | Senator Chris Coons says Barr’s summary served to “obscure” Donald Trump’s inappropriate actions rather than giving the American people the full truth. |
| Trump’s demands to the White House counsel to fire Mueller were “alarming and unacceptable,” he said, and “None of that was in your letter.” | Trump’s demands to the White House counsel to fire Mueller were “alarming and unacceptable,” he said, and “None of that was in your letter.” |
| “A critical three weeks passed” before the report was released and revealed a “whole range of inappropriate actions by the president and his core team,” Coons said. | “A critical three weeks passed” before the report was released and revealed a “whole range of inappropriate actions by the president and his core team,” Coons said. |
| Barr again offers this rationale on why the president’s behavior did not add up to a pattern of obstruction: “It would be difficult for the government to prove that beyond a reasonable doubt.” | Barr again offers this rationale on why the president’s behavior did not add up to a pattern of obstruction: “It would be difficult for the government to prove that beyond a reasonable doubt.” |
| The siren moment of this hearing may already have happened: Barr acknowledged he used his judgment to decide that it would have been difficult to establish “beyond a reasonable doubt” to a jury that the president obstructed justice, not that leaning on McGahn isn’t obstruction. | The siren moment of this hearing may already have happened: Barr acknowledged he used his judgment to decide that it would have been difficult to establish “beyond a reasonable doubt” to a jury that the president obstructed justice, not that leaning on McGahn isn’t obstruction. |
| Hillary Clinton hits Donald Trump’s move to impose fees on migrants applying for asylum. | Hillary Clinton hits Donald Trump’s move to impose fees on migrants applying for asylum. |
| Seeking asylum is a human right. We shouldn't charge fees to people who are fleeing persecution and violence.“Give me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses yearning to breathe free, but first give us $50?" No. https://t.co/a8sIEChgk7 | Seeking asylum is a human right. We shouldn't charge fees to people who are fleeing persecution and violence.“Give me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses yearning to breathe free, but first give us $50?" No. https://t.co/a8sIEChgk7 |
| Rep. Elijah Cummings, chair of the House Oversight Committee, called the White House’s refusal to turn over documents related to security clearance “the latest example of the President’s widespread and growing obstruction of Congress.” | Rep. Elijah Cummings, chair of the House Oversight Committee, called the White House’s refusal to turn over documents related to security clearance “the latest example of the President’s widespread and growing obstruction of Congress.” |
| “The lengths to which President Trump and his aides are going to keep this information from Congress raise grave concerns about what they are trying to hide—and why,” he said, the Wall Street Journal reports. “The Committee will consider its next step after consulting carefully with our Members.” | “The lengths to which President Trump and his aides are going to keep this information from Congress raise grave concerns about what they are trying to hide—and why,” he said, the Wall Street Journal reports. “The Committee will consider its next step after consulting carefully with our Members.” |
| Attorney General William Barr called the controversy over his handling of the Mueller report “mind-bendingly bizarre.” | Attorney General William Barr called the controversy over his handling of the Mueller report “mind-bendingly bizarre.” |
| “Mind-bending and bizzare,” Barr says of the flap over Mueller’s concerns over the four-page letter. | “Mind-bending and bizzare,” Barr says of the flap over Mueller’s concerns over the four-page letter. |
| AG Barr characterizes hearing over his handling of Mueller's report "mind-bendingly bizarre," saying outstanding concerns were addressed by releasing the full report: "I made clear from the beginning I was putting out as much of the report as I could." https://t.co/t7yVhQY4lM pic.twitter.com/Imj7AReFM5 | AG Barr characterizes hearing over his handling of Mueller's report "mind-bendingly bizarre," saying outstanding concerns were addressed by releasing the full report: "I made clear from the beginning I was putting out as much of the report as I could." https://t.co/t7yVhQY4lM pic.twitter.com/Imj7AReFM5 |
| He’s arguing the controversy over Mueller’s objections to his summary should be moot because he has since released the Mueller report. | He’s arguing the controversy over Mueller’s objections to his summary should be moot because he has since released the Mueller report. |
| “That’s why I think this whole thing is sort of mind-bendingly bizarre. I made clear from the beginning that I was putting out the report, as much of the report as I could, and it was clear it was going to take three weeks or so, maybe four, to do that,” Barr said. | “That’s why I think this whole thing is sort of mind-bendingly bizarre. I made clear from the beginning that I was putting out the report, as much of the report as I could, and it was clear it was going to take three weeks or so, maybe four, to do that,” Barr said. |
| Barr says intense focus on his brief summary of Mueller principal conclusions, given that full report is now available, is 'sort of mind-bendingly bizarre.' | Barr says intense focus on his brief summary of Mueller principal conclusions, given that full report is now available, is 'sort of mind-bendingly bizarre.' |
| Former FBI director James Comey is out with an op-ed arguing that Donald Trump has corrupted William Barr, and others around him who lack “inner strength.” | Former FBI director James Comey is out with an op-ed arguing that Donald Trump has corrupted William Barr, and others around him who lack “inner strength.” |
| “Amoral leaders have a way of revealing the character of those around them. Sometimes what they reveal is inspiring. For example, James Mattis, the former secretary of defense, resigned over principle, a concept so alien to Mr. Trump that it took days for the president to realize what had happened, before he could start lying about the man,” Comey wrote. “But more often, proximity to an amoral leader reveals something depressing. I think that’s at least part of what we’ve seen with Bill Barr and Rod Rosenstein. Accomplished people lacking inner strength can’t resist the compromises necessary to survive Mr. Trump and that adds up to something they will never recover from. It takes character like Mr. Mattis’s to avoid the damage, because Mr. Trump eats your soul in small bites.” | “Amoral leaders have a way of revealing the character of those around them. Sometimes what they reveal is inspiring. For example, James Mattis, the former secretary of defense, resigned over principle, a concept so alien to Mr. Trump that it took days for the president to realize what had happened, before he could start lying about the man,” Comey wrote. “But more often, proximity to an amoral leader reveals something depressing. I think that’s at least part of what we’ve seen with Bill Barr and Rod Rosenstein. Accomplished people lacking inner strength can’t resist the compromises necessary to survive Mr. Trump and that adds up to something they will never recover from. It takes character like Mr. Mattis’s to avoid the damage, because Mr. Trump eats your soul in small bites.” |
| He reads into the thought process of Trump aides: “Of course, to stay, you must be seen as on his team, so you make further compromises. You use his language, praise his leadership, tout his commitment to values. And then you are lost. He has eaten your soul.” | He reads into the thought process of Trump aides: “Of course, to stay, you must be seen as on his team, so you make further compromises. You use his language, praise his leadership, tout his commitment to values. And then you are lost. He has eaten your soul.” |
| Elizabeth Warren calls for Attorney General William Barr to resign. | Elizabeth Warren calls for Attorney General William Barr to resign. |
| AG Barr is a disgrace, and his alarming efforts to suppress the Mueller report show that he's not a credible head of federal law enforcement. He should resign—and based on the actual facts in the Mueller report, Congress should begin impeachment proceedings against the President. | AG Barr is a disgrace, and his alarming efforts to suppress the Mueller report show that he's not a credible head of federal law enforcement. He should resign—and based on the actual facts in the Mueller report, Congress should begin impeachment proceedings against the President. |
| Former Massachusetts Gov. Bill Weld, who is running against Donald Trump for the Republican presidential nomination, says that if he were attorney general he would have pursued an indictment of Trump for obstructions of justice based on the evidence set out in the Mueller report. | Former Massachusetts Gov. Bill Weld, who is running against Donald Trump for the Republican presidential nomination, says that if he were attorney general he would have pursued an indictment of Trump for obstructions of justice based on the evidence set out in the Mueller report. |
| Given the evidence laid out by Mr. Mueller, had I been in his place, I would have pursued an indictment of the President of the United States for obstruction of Justice. #BarrHearing #Weld2020 | Given the evidence laid out by Mr. Mueller, had I been in his place, I would have pursued an indictment of the President of the United States for obstruction of Justice. #BarrHearing #Weld2020 |
| Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said US military action in Venezeula is possible amid the escalating crisis there. | Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said US military action in Venezeula is possible amid the escalating crisis there. |
| “The president has been crystal clear and incredibly consistent—military action is possible—if that’s what’s required—that’s what the United States will do,” he told Fox Business Network on Wednesday. “We are trying to do everything we can to avoid violence… We’d prefer a peaceful transition of government there where Maduro leaves and a new election is held.” | “The president has been crystal clear and incredibly consistent—military action is possible—if that’s what’s required—that’s what the United States will do,” he told Fox Business Network on Wednesday. “We are trying to do everything we can to avoid violence… We’d prefer a peaceful transition of government there where Maduro leaves and a new election is held.” |
| Republican senators have been spending a lot of their time at the William Barr hearing talking about Hillary Clinton. | Republican senators have been spending a lot of their time at the William Barr hearing talking about Hillary Clinton. |
| Some context from the Washington Post on the narrative pushed by Senator Lindsey Graham in his opening statement. | Some context from the Washington Post on the narrative pushed by Senator Lindsey Graham in his opening statement. |
| The White House sent a request to Congress for $4.5 billion in emergency spending for the US-Mexico border, the Washington Post reports. | The White House sent a request to Congress for $4.5 billion in emergency spending for the US-Mexico border, the Washington Post reports. |
| The request includes $3.3 billion for humanitarian assistance and $1.1 billion for border operations. | The request includes $3.3 billion for humanitarian assistance and $1.1 billion for border operations. |
| The request is in addition to the billions Trump has vowed to spend on a border wall without Congressional approval through an emergency declaration. | The request is in addition to the billions Trump has vowed to spend on a border wall without Congressional approval through an emergency declaration. |
| Alabama Senator Doug Jones, one of three Democrats who voted to confirm William Barr as attorney general, told CNN he is “incredibly disappointed” in Barr and “getting close” to losing confidence in him. | Alabama Senator Doug Jones, one of three Democrats who voted to confirm William Barr as attorney general, told CNN he is “incredibly disappointed” in Barr and “getting close” to losing confidence in him. |
| Sen. Doug Jones, one of three Dems to vote for Barr, told me that he’s “incredibly disappointed” with Barr’s handling of the Mueller report and that “I’m getting close” to losing confidence in Barr but he wouldn’t say if he regrets his vote yet. | Sen. Doug Jones, one of three Dems to vote for Barr, told me that he’s “incredibly disappointed” with Barr’s handling of the Mueller report and that “I’m getting close” to losing confidence in Barr but he wouldn’t say if he regrets his vote yet. |