Sen. Kamala Harris (D-CA) did not come to play with U.S. Attorney General William Barr, who testified before the Senate Judiciary Committee on May 1 about his brazen misrepresentation of special counsel Robert S. Mueller III’s 448-page report, which detailed the outcome of Mueller’s investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 presidential election.
In a letter dated March 27, Mueller told Barr that his summary “did not fully capture the context, nature, and substance of this Office’s work and conclusions,”
NPR reports. Mueller further urged the Justice Department to release additional information from the report to clear up “public confusion” following the release of Barr’s heavily redacted summary in favor of President Donald Trump.
Barr’s blatant attempts at obfuscation about this issue, and the investigation more broadly, came to a bumbling halt when Harris grabbed the microphone.
“Has the President or anyone at the White House ever asked or suggested that you open an investigation of anyone,” Harris asked Barr. “Yes or no?”
Barr, stammering and clearly lamenting the lack of a “phone a friend” option, asked Harris to repeat the question.
“I will repeat it,” Harris said. “Has the President or anyone at the White House ever asked or suggested that you open an investigation of anyone? Yes or no, please, sir.”
Barr was at a loss for words.
“Seems you’d remember something like that, be able to tell us,” Harris said with nonchalant skepticism.
Barr said he understood the question, but that he was grappling with Harris’ use of the word “suggested.”
“…hinted? Inferred? No—you don’t know?” Harris responded with the air of a person who knows that Barr considers honesty and transparency mortal enemies.
Harris went on to expose the fact that Barr had not even reviewed the evidence in the Mueller report before coming to the determination that no obstruction of justice had taken place.
Watch the full exchange below:
