On the day of the scheduled release of a redacted version of the special counsel’s report, Democratic leadership called on special counsel Robert Mueller to testify publicly before the House and Senate, citing the attorney general’s “regrettably partisan handling” of the release of the report on the Russia investigation.
“Attorney General Barr’s regrettably partisan handling of the Mueller report, including his slanted March 24 summary letter, his irresponsible testimony before Congress last week, and his indefensible plan to spin the report in a press conference later this morning — hours before he allows the public or Congress to see it — have resulted in a crisis of confidence in his independence and impartiality,” Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer said in a joint statement Thursday morning. “We believe the only way to begin restoring public trust in the handling of the Special Counsel’s investigation is for Special Counsel Mueller himself to provide public testimony in the House and Senate as soon as possible. The American people deserve to hear the truth.”
Barr will hold a press conference on Thursday morning before the report is delivered to Congress, a move Democrats have criticized as a inappropriate publicity stunt.
