'He needs to resign tomorrow': Democrats tell Attorney General William Barr to resign after damning report

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'He needs to resign tomorrow': Democrats tell Attorney General William Barr to resign after damning report

William Barr

AP Photo/Andrew Harnik

Attorney General William Barr.

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  • Democrats are telling Attorney General William Barr to resign, following the news reports that indicate the special counsel Robert Mueller had misgivings about Barr's characterization of his report on the Russia investigation.
  • Mueller reportedly wrote a letter saying that Barr and his four-page summary of the Russia investigation "did not fully capture the context, nature, and substance of this office's work and conclusions."
  • Barr concluded in his summary that Trump did not obstruct justice - despite Mueller being unable to draw a conclusion on the matter, and numerous potential examples of obstruction.
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Democrats are incensed at Attorney General William Barr following news reports that indicate the special counsel Robert Mueller had misgivings about Barr's characterization of its Russia investigation.

On Tuesday, The New York Times first reported that the special counsel wrote to Barr saying he disagreed with the attorney general's summary of its nearly two-year investigation.

Days after Barr submitted his "principal conclusions" on the investigation, Mueller wrote a letter saying he "did not fully capture the context, nature, and substance of this office's work and conclusions," according to The Washington Post.

"There is now public confusion about critical aspects of the results of our investigation," the letter continued. "This threatens to undermine a central purpose for which the Department appointed the Special Counsel: to assure full public confidence in the outcome of the investigations."

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Read more: Video shows William Barr denying knowledge of Mueller's objections to his summary of the Russia probe days after Mueller sent him a letter about it

In March, Barr summarized Mueller's 448-page report with a four-page letter. In the summary, Barr deduced that the special counsel could not prove a conspiracy between members of Donald Trump's 2016 presidential campaign and Russia.

Barr also concluded in the summary that Trump did not obstruct justice - despite Mueller being unable to draw a conclusion on the matter and numerous potential examples of obstruction that lawmakers have scrutinized.

Following the reports of Mueller's frustration, Democratic lawmakers have amped their calls for Barr to resign. Here's what they had to say:

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Sen. Chris Van Hollen of Maryland

Sen. Chris Van Hollen of Maryland

Sen. Van Hollen referenced a previous Senate hearing on Barr's principal conclusions.

"I asked Barr, 'Did Bob Mueller support your conclusion?' His answer was, 'I don't know whether Mueller supported my conclusion,'" Van Hollen said on Twitter.

"We now know Mueller stated his concerns on March 27th, and that Barr totally misled me, the Congress, and the public," Van Hollen added. "He must resign."

Rep. Maxine Waters of California

Rep. Maxine Waters of California

"I think that Barr should resign," Rep. Maxine Waters said during an MSNBC interview on Tuesday. "And if he does not resign, he should be facing impeachment proceedings also. He has abdicated on his responsibility. He has lied, he has used the very words coming right out of the president's mouth: 'no collusion.'"

"It is outrageous and he needs to go," Waters added.

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Rep. Ro Khanna of California

Rep. Ro Khanna of California

"Bill Barr needs to resign," Rep. Ro Khanna, a member of the House Oversight Committee, said on Twitter. "He needs to resign tomorrow. At some point we need to distinguish fact from spin."

Rep. Ted Lieu of California

Rep. Ted Lieu of California

"Why would Bill Barr flush his reputation & credibility down the toilet? I don't care," Rep. Ted Lieu said on Twitter. "What we should care about is that he is still in charge of [the Justice Department].

"Bill Barr should resign and then apply to be the next White House press secretary, where he can lie all he wants," Lieu said.

Lieu also said he wants to hold a hearing and interview Mueller. The attorney general is scheduled to testify before the Senate Judiciary Committee on Wednesday.

"We certainly want to give Bill Barr the opportunity to perjure himself," Lieu said during a CNN interview on Tuesday. "But we're also going to want to hear from Robert Mueller."

"But at this point, based on what I know, Bill Barr needs to resign," he added on CNN. "He took an oath to the Constitution, not to Donald Trump. He is supposed to be America's attorney, not Trump's stooge."

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Sen. Mazie Hirono of Hawaii

Sen. Mazie Hirono of Hawaii

"Clearly Barr has lied to both the House and Senate Committees," Sen. Mazie Hirono said during an MSNBC interview on Tuesday.

"It's a lie, let's call it what it is," she added.

Hirono described Barr's description of Mueller's report as "spin" and accused him of "acting like the president's lawyer."

She also called on the Justice Department's inspector general to investigate whether Barr "misled the public to protect [Trump].

Rep. Kathleen Rice of New York

Rep. Kathleen Rice of New York

"[Attorney General] Barr clearly and deliberately misled the American people about the results of the Special Counsel's investigation – more than once," Rep. Kathleen Rice tweeted. "He needs to resign or be impeached."

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Former Housing and Urban Development secretary and 2020 Democratic candidate Julián Castro

Former Housing and Urban Development secretary and 2020 Democratic candidate Julián Castro

"Attorney General Barr willfully misled the American people to cover up attempted crimes by Donald Trump," Former Housing and Urban Development secretary Julián Castro tweeted. "He should resign his position or face an impeachment inquiry immediately."

Next StoryVideo shows William Barr denying knowledge of Mueller's objections to his summary of the Russia probe days after Mueller sent him a letter about it