Democratic presidential candidates criticized Attorney General William Barr’s press conference ahead of the public release of the Mueller report Thursday, accusing him of trying to spin it to be more favorable to President Trump.
“Barr is acting more like Trump’s defense attorney than the nation’s Attorney General. His press conference was a stunt, filled with political spin and propaganda,” Sen. Kamala Harris, D-Calif., said in a tweet.
[Related: Pelosi condemns ‘staggering partisan effort’ to spin Mueller findings]
Barr is acting more like Trump’s defense attorney than the nation’s Attorney General. His press conference was a stunt, filled with political spin and propaganda.⁰ ⁰Americans deserve the unvarnished truth. We need Special Counsel Mueller to testify publicly in Congress.
— Kamala Harris (@KamalaHarris) April 18, 2019
“It’s a disgrace to see an Attorney General acting as if he’s the personal attorney and publicist for the President of the United States,” Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., tweeted.
It’s a disgrace to see an Attorney General acting as if he’s the personal attorney and publicist for the President of the United States.
— Elizabeth Warren (@ewarren) April 18, 2019
“The American people deserve the truth. Not spin from a Trump appointee. Release Mueller’s full report now,” said Sen. Cory Booker, D-N.J.
The American people deserve the truth.
Not spin from a Trump appointee.
Release Mueller’s full report now.
— Cory Booker (@CoryBooker) April 18, 2019
“One of the things that has really bothered me here is that Attorney General Barr has been so political about this – he does his summary, then he does a press conference,” Sen. Amy Klobuchar, D-Minn., said in a video posted to Twitter. “We want to hear from Director Mueller himself.”
We want to hear from Director Mueller himself. pic.twitter.com/O1DYnsAKlm
— Amy Klobuchar (@amyklobuchar) April 18, 2019
“The Attorney General should be the nation’s top law enforcement officer – not a spokesman for the president. This press conference was a disgrace,” Washington Gov. Jay Inslee tweeted.
The Attorney General should be the nation’s top law enforcement officer – not a spokesman for the president. This press conference was a disgrace.
— Jay Inslee (@JayInslee) April 18, 2019
“If Barr believed in the rule of law, he’d let the report speak for itself, not hold a news conference to spin it on the President’s behalf,” said Rep. Eric Swalwell, D-Calif.
If Barr believed in the rule of law, he’d let the report speak for itself, not hold a news conference to spin it on the President’s behalf.
— Eric Swalwell (@ericswalwell) April 18, 2019
Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand, D-N.Y., referenced Barr’s press conference without specifically mentioning him.
“Congress should get the full, unredacted Mueller report. The American people have the right to know the facts—without the spin,” Gillibrand tweeted.
Congress should get the full, unredacted Mueller report. The American people have the right to know the facts—without the spin.
— Kirsten Gillibrand (@SenGillibrand) April 18, 2019
In the press conference Thursday, Barr mentioned several times that there was no collusion between individuals of the Trump campaign and Russia. At one point, Barr mentioned that “it is important to bear in mind the context” in “assessing the President’s actions discussed in the report.” He said that Trump faced an “unprecedented situation” in facing federal investigations and media speculation about the possibility he colluded with Russia.
Barr also revealed that Mueller examined 10 instances of potential obstruction of justice by Trump, and that Trump did not invoke executive privilege to redact any part of the report.
A redacted version of the report was shared publicly online at around 11 a.m. Thursday.
