Rep. Jim Jordan, R-Ohio, accused the Democrats of committing obstruction of justice in their dealings with Attorney General William Barr.
During an interview Sunday on Fox News, Jordan said his Democratic colleagues are “scared” about Barr’s talking about “spying” on President Trump’s 2016 campaign.
“The real obstruction of justice is what Democrats are trying to do to the attorney general,” Jordan told host Maria Bartiromo, a nod to the instances of possible obstruction of justice by Trump that special counsel Robert Mueller examined in his Russia investigation. “They are trying to stop him by all these things: this contempt and not having him come testify. They are trying to stop him from getting the answers.”
Barr says he is “reviewing the conduct” of the FBI’s initial investigation into the Trump campaign in the summer of 2016. He sparked an uproar among Democrats last month when he said “spying did occur” on the Trump team. House Intelligence Committee Chairman Adam Schiff, D-Calif., who insists there is “evidence in plain sight” of collusion, called Barr’s spy remark “another destructive blow to our democratic institutions.”
The attorney general had two hearings on Mueller’s investigation last week, but he blew off the second one with the House Judiciary Committee over a disagreement with the Democratic majority over the format which would have allowed panel lawyers to ask questions.
Republicans on the committee, including Jordan, encouraged Barr to back out because they said the Democrats were initiating covert impeachment proceedings against Trump. On Sunday, Jordan said Barr’s “spying” hunt makes them uneasy because of how far it could go up the chain of command at the FBI.
The Justice Department has also been resistant to hand over Mueller’s full, unredacted report to the Judiciary Committee, defying a subpoena that set a deadline for May 1. Chairman Jerrold Nadler, D-N.Y., wrote to Barr on Friday giving a new deadline of 9 a.m. on Monday, after which he said he would move forward with holding the attorney general in contempt of Congress for defying the committee.
Bartiromo said her sources told her Nadler plans to mark up a contempt resolution on Wednesday. Jordan wouldn’t confirm this was true — only saying, “probably so.” A committee spokesperson did not immediately return the Washington Examiner’s request for confirmation.
