Attorney General William Barr told the House he will not testify before the Judiciary Committee as planned on Thursday.
A Justice Department spokesperson explained Barr cancelled his appearance because of Chairman Jerry Nadler’s demand that staff be allowed to question the attorney general.
NEW: DOJ confirms Barr is bailing on House Judiciary Committee tomorrow.
“Chairman Nadler’s insistence on having staff question the Attorney General, a Senate-confirmed Cabinet member, is inappropriate.” pic.twitter.com/3oFaERyn06
— Ryan J. Reilly (@ryanjreilly) May 1, 2019
Per CBS News, a House Judiciary Committee spokesperson confirmed the news:
JUST IN: According to a House Judiciary Committee spokesperson, AG Barr will not appear at the hearing tomorrow https://t.co/aYIcGo5zvO pic.twitter.com/DBLVDtbcBQ
— CBS News (@CBSNews) May 1, 2019
“Per a congressional source, the House Judiciary Committee has been notified by the DOJ that Attorney General Barr is NOT coming to testify tomorrow,” PBS reporter Yamiche Alcindor reported on Twitter. “DOJ has told the committee to expect a letter officially stating that shortly, according to my source.”
BREAKING: Per a congressional source, the House Judiciary Committee has been notified by the DOJ that Attorney General Barr is NOT coming to testify tomorrow. DOJ has told the committee to expect a letter officially stating that shortly, according to my source.
— Yamiche Alcindor (@Yamiche) May 1, 2019
CNN confirmed that Barr is not expected to testify on Thursday, even reporting that the attorney general was “refusing” to appear before the House.
Barr faced off with members of the Senate Judiciary Committee on Wednesday. The attorney general was grilled by furious Senate Democrats over his handling of Special Counsel Robert Mueller’s investigation, particularly in light of reports Mueller was dissatisfied with his public statements on the report.
This story is developing.
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