From the minute Donald Trump nominated Bill Barr as attorney general, there were questions about his impartiality. Not only did Bill Barr oversee the cover-up of the Iran-Contra affair during his first stint in the AG role in the 1980s, in June 2018, Barr (then a private citizen) penned an unsolicited letter to Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein, arguing the Mueller investigation had overstepped its bounds and had no right to investigate Donald Trump for obstruction. Given that at the time he had not seen one shred of evidence, it was extraordinary he would take such a stance. Disqualifying. But, Bill Barr half-ass assured Senate Republicans like Sen. Susan Collins that he would act impartially, and they confirmed him anyway.
Now, just more than two months later, the Mueller investigation has been shut down, and Robert Mueller himself is nowhere to be seen. In an incredibly inappropriate move, Bill Barr decided to hold a press conference announcing Donald Trump had been exonerated, fully spinning the report before it has even been released to the public. Even worse, he shared the report with the White House before he even let members of Congress see it.
The press conference was even worse than anticipated. Needless to say, the reaction has been universal outrage over how inappropriate and biased Bill Barr has acted from the minute he took office, and especially today. Here is a look at how key Democrats are reacting to Barr’s press conference.
Democratic Senator Ron Wyden of Oregon is calling for the full, unredacted report to be delivered immediately, saying "No one should have to trust this man’s word when it comes to the special counsel’s report."
Independent Sen. Angus King of Maine:
Speaker Pelosi and Rep. Nadler are not wasting time and intend to subpoena Robert Mueller.
Democrats should immediately take action to begin impeachment proceedings against Bill Barr. The Department of Justice is supposed to operate freely and impartially. Bill Barr and Donald Trump are crossing new ethical and legal lines each day, endangering the foundations of law and order in this country.
Stay tuned for more reactions after the redacted version of the Mueller Report is released later today.