U.S. Sen. Marsha Blackburn (R-TN) questioned Attorney General William Barr on Special Counsel Robert Mueller’s report during a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing on Wednesday.
Barr said the investigation was thorough and the allegations against President Donald Trump were proven false.
Barr appeared before the committee to discuss Mueller’s report that showed Trump did not collude with the Russians in the 2016 elections or obstruct justice.
Transcripts from Blackburn’s and Barr’s exchanges follow.
Regarding the politicization of law enforcement agencies:
Blackburn: What seems to have happened at the FBI is that there is a seedy, cynical, political culture within a group that developed, and these individuals, collectively, seemed to think that they could work within the power of their jobs and their roles with the federal government. There was an elitism and an arrogance there and it speaks to a very unhealthy work culture.
The video clip is available here.
The Special Counsel team’s investigation and findings:
Blackburn: Are they meticulous investigators who will hunt down every witness and every piece of evidence?
Barr: I think they are tenacious investigators.
Blackburn: Are they devoted to finding the truth?
Barr: Yes.
Blackburn: Are they masters at taking down hardened criminals foreign and domestic?
Barr: Yes.
Blackburn: If there were evidence to warrant a recommendation for collusion charges against the president do you believe the Special Counsel team would have found it?
Barr: Yes.
Blackburn: And if there were evidence to warrant a recommendation for obstruction of justice charges against the president, do you believe the Mueller team would have found it?
Barr: I think that they canvassed the evidence exhaustively and they didn’t reach a decision on that.
The video clip is available here.
On Americans’ trust in government agencies
Blackburn: People want to see government held accountable. They want to see agencies act with accountability to the American people, and they don’t want to ever see this happen again. It doesn’t matter if a candidate is a Democrat, a Republican, or an Independent. They never want to see this happen again.
The video clip is here.
Regarding the Democrats’ false treatment of President Donald Trump:
Barr: Two years of his administration have been dominated by allegations that have now been proven false.
The video clip is here.
To watch the full clip of the Blackburn’s and Barr’s exchange, click here.
During the hearing, Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Lindsey Graham (R-SC) called out U.S. Sen. Mazie Hirono (D-HI), saying she “slandered” Barr “from top to bottom,” Breitbart reported.
The Hawaii Democrat continued, “You called a press conference to once again clear Donald Trump” and that Barr “used every advantage of your office to create the impression that the president was cleared of misconduct.”
Meanwhile, the House Judiciary Committee has been informed that Barr will not testify at a planned hearing today, Fox News reported. The Democrats who lead the committee swore to hold the hearing anyway. They threatened a possible contempt citation.
– – –
Jason M. Reynolds has more than 20 years’ experience as a journalist at outlets of all sizes.
Photo “Marsha Blackburn” by Marsha Blackburn.
