Pelosi Says Barr Has ‘Gone Rogue’ – The New York Times
“I am calling for him to immediately resign from Congress based on this fraud!” Mr. Trump wrote Friday.
Ms. Pelosi and House Democrats are pressing for more details about Mr. Barr, both in what role he might have played in working with Ukraine to help investigate matters that would personally benefit Mr. Trump and what his involvement was in handling the complaint after it was filed.
Earlier this week, the Justice Department said that Mr. Barr was unaware that Mr. Trump had told Mr. Zelensky he would have the attorney general contact the Ukrainian president, and that Mr. Barr had never spoken with Mr. Trump about the Ukrainian investigations.
Mr. Barr learned of the whistle-blower complaint in mid-August, not long after it was formally filed. Later that month, it was reviewed by the Justice Department, which determined it should not be shared with Congress and instead should be referred to the Justice Department as a possible campaign finance law violation. The department then declined to prosecute.
Mr. Barr was briefed on the Justice Department’s decision but was not involved in the considerations over what to do about the complaint.
Ms. Pelosi said Mr. Barr has been rogue “for a long time now.”
Mr. Barr has been widely criticized for his characterization of the conclusions of the special counsel investigation into Russia’s 2016 election interference and whether Mr. Trump tried to obstruct justice.
Mr. Barr released what he described as a summary of the nearly two-year inquiry, led by Robert S. Mueller III, and focused on the conclusion that there was not enough evidence to prove Mr. Trump’s presidential campaign conspired with Russia to interfere in the election. Mr. Barr left out significant details, including that the special counsel found that the Trump campaign welcomed Russia’s help.