Barr misrepresented a report before

I don’t expect him to give us an objective, complete version of the Mueller report. He has misled Congress before concerning an earlier report.

When he was earlier at DOJ, Barr wrote a summary of a redacted document. Turns out, he omitted and mischaracterized key facts.

The truth came out because Congress demanded to see the complete document.

We must accept nothing less.

History does have a way of repeating itself. https://t.co/pAioce4lQB
— Adam Schiff (@AdamSchiff) April 16, 2019

For today’s #RealityCheck, @JohnAvlon takes a trip back to 1989 and revisits another Bill Barr memo with "principal conclusions."

“When all the information finally came out, Congress found out that some pretty critical information was missing.” https://t.co/vVl7hKaj1r pic.twitter.com/Kx5DEdQg2Q
— New Day (@NewDay) April 17, 2019

Would Barr offer a misleadingly incomplete version of the Mueller report? Thirty years ago, he did something similar. https://t.co/HufsLhDPUi
— Philip Bump (@pbump) April 16, 2019

Great job unearthing Barr's disingenuous 1989 memo, @rgoodlaw! https://t.co/PB40j8434c
— Asha Rangappa (@AshaRangappa_) April 15, 2019

Barr was never a straight shooter. Not at OLC. Not at his first gig as Attorney General. Not now. A shifty, dishonest partisan. https://t.co/mY0UPDlRgH
— Norman Ornstein (@NormOrnstein) April 16, 2019

As this @rgoodlaw report reveals, we’re reliving the duplicity Barr practiced 30 years ago. As @RonaldKlain put it, he’s building a wall around Trump not brick by brick, but Barr by Barr. Trump really has found his Roy Cohn. They deserve each other.https://t.co/ybo8TpOEQt
— Laurence Tribe (@tribelaw) April 16, 2019

I can’t tell you exactly what the pages of the report AG Barr delivers to Congress & releases to the public will contain, but I can say w/ confidence that you’ll know more than you do today, it surely won’t answer all of your questions & it will be but one part of the narrative.
— Carrie Cordero (@carriecordero) April 15, 2019

"Redacted" is Barr-speak for "Coverup"
— Rick Wilson (@TheRickWilson) April 15, 2019

Spoke with @rgoodlaw about his extensive look at how Barr in 1989 bury key details from a legal opinion that he was summarizing. https://t.co/pK34nLSVzf
— Philip Bump (@pbump) April 15, 2019

Barr has briefed the White House on the Mueller report but has stonewalled Congress in its request for the full report.

Barr appears more concerned with pleasing Trump than with the transparency he promised or the constitutional role of Congress. https://t.co/sxKxN5U16b
— Renato Mariotti (@renato_mariotti) April 14, 2019

What you won't see in the Mueller report https://t.co/SBo1pk94uA
— Zeke Miller (@ZekeJMiller) April 16, 2019

A federal judge has said that Barr created public distrust about whether DOJ is committed to sharing as much as possible about Mueller's findings.

"The A.G. has created an environment that has caused a significant part of the public … to be concerned."https://t.co/h3tLT6Wy5x
— Kyle Griffin (@kylegriffin1) April 16, 2019

Trump’s dangerous “coup” and “treason” talk

He’s gone completely into conspiracy theory territory. This undermines our country and sabotages law enforcement. It’s an attempt to obscure all the bad things Trump and his team did. My idea of treason: Trump, Jr./Manafort/Kushner meeting with Russians. They should have reported the contact to the FBI instead.

According to Trump, winning the election means the public absolved him of everything. That’s not true. Even if you agree with his “logic”, how could voters absolve him of stuff we didn’t know about at the time of the election (because Trump lied about Russian contacts)?

This is what Planet Fox has been saying for months and months and… https://t.co/uJDzIFez2C
— Brian Stelter (@brianstelter) April 10, 2019

The President is calling a Justice Department Investigation as an attempted “coup.”

There’s bad history behind that word being used by people in power.

It’s important that senators ask Barr today if he endorses – or denounces – the description of special counsel as a “coup.”
— John Avlon (@JohnAvlon) April 10, 2019

JUST NOW: @realDonaldTrump says “I have not read the Mueller report, I have not seen the Mueller report,” adds that he doesn’t care about the report because “[he] won.”
— Andrew Feinberg (@AndrewFeinberg) April 10, 2019

In one breath, Trump calls the Mueller probe:

-“an illegal investigation”
-“crooked”
-“an attempted coup”
-“illegal witch-hunt”
-“treason”
— Jim Sciutto (@jimsciutto) April 10, 2019

"This was an attempted coup. This was an attempted takedown of a president," says @POTUS of the Mueller investigation. Pres says he's "most interested" in seeing Atty Gen Barr investigate the origins of the the probe. Says it was "treason" and "against the Constitution." pic.twitter.com/jsPkIUpfji
— Mark Knoller (@markknoller) April 10, 2019

here’s the president casually tossing out words like “coup” and “treason” when describing an investigation conducted under law and regulations https://t.co/wLctKnmtu5
— Carrie Cordero (@carriecordero) April 10, 2019

President Trump called Russia probe "an attempted coup."

"This was an attempted takedown of a president," he added. "We beat them." https://t.co/y9kyb02XFN pic.twitter.com/WjJWlPj0dc
— CBS News (@CBSNews) April 10, 2019

Trump claims he was the target of "an attempted coup" with Mueller investigation https://t.co/wNwloKf5sf
— The Washington Post (@washingtonpost) April 10, 2019

Schiff on Barr's 'spying' remark: "This type of partisan talking point may please Donald Trump, who rails against a 'deep state coup,' but it also strikes another destructive blow to our democratic institutions.

"The hardworking men and women at the DOJ and FBI deserve better."
— Kyle Griffin (@kylegriffin1) April 10, 2019

18 claims Republicans made about the Mueller report that are likely to be false

Here are 19 claims Republicans have made about the mueller report that are almost certainly false. File and save. Excellent work by @saletan: https://t.co/nztkbdHR86
— Jonathan Chait (@jonathanchait) April 6, 2019

More on the leaks on the Mueller report

We really do need to see what the report says before we judge it. Still, it looks like Barr did cover up conclusions damaging to Trump. Congress, not Barr, should have made the obstruction determination (which Mueller really should have made).

Barr is way out of line when he indicated he doesn’t want to release embarrassing material about people not charged with crimes. This sounds like it will protect Trump and his family. Republicans had no qualms about releasing material about Strzok, Page and Hillary Clinton. This is just another Republican double standard.

March 4: Mueller tells Barr he's not going to exonerate Trump, leaving it up to Congress

March 24: Barr releases a panicked summary usurping Congress' power, all while pretending transparency

April 4: Barr now scrambling as it becomes clear his March 24 memo is a coverup
— emptywheel (@emptywheel) April 4, 2019

Staff on both sides of the aisle have been saying, for a while now, that they are confounded as to why Barr (ala Trump) opted to win a news cycle as opposed to getting ahead of the bad stuff.
— Glenn Thrush (@GlennThrush) April 4, 2019

The 5 questions I (still) have after reading the @washingtonpost and @nytimes reporting on the Mueller report/Barr memohttps://t.co/bcB8EakcMq
— Chris Cillizza (@CillizzaCNN) April 4, 2019

One thing that struck me. Our sources say Mueller team really upset that Barr hasn't shared full story on the obstruction evidence they gathered. https://t.co/X9Vu5spBhm
— Carol Leonnig (@CarolLeonnig) April 4, 2019

New from me in @POLITICOMag on the cloud Barr has thrust over the Justice Department: https://t.co/O0Qnv1Wdsp
— Matthew Miller (@matthewamiller) April 4, 2019

👠 Shoes are dropping. Keep ‘em coming https://t.co/n8WvrjQaW3
— Jennifer Taub (@jentaub) April 4, 2019

I've really tried to stay away from the Mueller beat. But everyone should realize that the leaks we're now getting about a deeply damaging report have a different standing from usual inside reporting: they have to be presumed true until proven false 1/
— Paul Krugman (@paulkrugman) April 4, 2019

NEW: House Judiciary Chairman requests all communications between the Justice Department and the Special Counsel regarding the Mueller report

—@mkraju reports pic.twitter.com/Cd7nxbtYl9
— Josh Campbell (@joshscampbell) April 4, 2019

NEW: Nadler is calling on AG Barr to clear up discrepancies between Barr’s letter and the reports of Mueller summaries, requesting "all communications between the Special Counsel’s office and the Department regarding the report"
— Jeremy Herb (@jeremyherb) April 4, 2019

I believe three “government officials” did say this to NBC. I don’t for a minute believe Mueller didn’t make a call because his subordinates may have disagreed on certain things. I believe Mueller simply thought the facts should be presented to Congress and the American people. https://t.co/PzqPxFgtPO
— Bill Kristol (@BillKristol) April 4, 2019

OTOH this is not a winners-losers, news-cycle scoreboard situation

this is about truth and reality, right and wrong

this is about what actually happened in 2016 and since

skilled public servants have investigated and produced an exhaustive account

we haven’t seen it yet https://t.co/RL0jnc3U4s
— John Harwood (@JohnJHarwood) April 4, 2019

It’s obvious that Barr twisted the truth to protect his boss. The Trump/Barr plot to suppress the incriminating facts can’t be allowed to succeed. Only releasing the full report will suffice.https://t.co/P5Pj18Y7Js
— Laurence Tribe (@tribelaw) April 4, 2019

Crucial new revelation from WaPo: Mueller team prepared summaries of their findings *for the express purpose* of informing the public.

One official says goal was for findings to be "shared in their own words — and not in the attorney general’s summary."https://t.co/84xxzbWORB pic.twitter.com/r0HWQ8cj0S
— Greg Sargent (@ThePlumLineGS) April 4, 2019

A big deal confirming what has always seemed likely. I will be surprised if there was anyone on the team who expected Barr to insert himself into the process and reach his own conclusion. https://t.co/Z3tdngBG5G
— Matthew Miller (@matthewamiller) April 4, 2019

The only way it makes sense for an attorney like Barr to so gravely and intentionally mischaracterize the contents of Mueller's findings is if he truly had no intention of ever releasing any of it. https://t.co/2uoK56woGV
— Asha Rangappa (@AshaRangappa_) April 4, 2019

CNN matching NYT and WaPo: "Mueller investigators frustrated with Barr's summary of investigation." Live coverage on @JohnKingCNN's show now
— Brian Stelter (@brianstelter) April 4, 2019

Once again, untrue. Neither apologized nor had reason to. As for the Mueller report, one way to clear up what’s in it would be to release it. https://t.co/htv0mlImRX
— Peter Baker (@peterbakernyt) April 4, 2019

Another lie that Trump has told several times. The Times did not apologize.

The Mueller report was prepared with summaries that could be publicly released “immediately,” which is one reason why members of Mueller’s team are upset with Barr’s characterization of their work, according to @washingtonpost. pic.twitter.com/BwCZtm8Naw
— Renato Mariotti (@renato_mariotti) April 4, 2019

Shafer: "All of the cast members now seem to have assumed their predestined role in the Mueller report drama. Barr has summarized in his boss' favor. His boss has screamed exoneration. And the publicity-shy Mueller team has finally shown a little leg…" https://t.co/pkXu6Dcmb0
— Brian Stelter (@brianstelter) April 4, 2019

Yeah this is the thing I can't wrap my head around. I'm supposed to believe that Mueller's team would have put this material that needed to be redacted in the summary portions of the report? https://t.co/2h2qO1fghd
— Daniel W. Drezner (@dandrezner) April 4, 2019

Mueller report may be more damaging to Trump than Barr’s letter indicates

NEW: Some of Mueller’s investigators see their report as more damaging for President Trump than attorney general Barr initially made it out to be. @npfandos @MarkMazzettiNYT https://t.co/pE0oRanUY2
— Michael S. Schmidt (@nytmike) April 3, 2019

Trump said Mueller’s report should be released. House voted 420-0 to release it. But now Trump and his congressional allies are changing their tune.

They don’t want the public to see the full report, only parts of it.

That’s not going to fly. Barr must release the full report. https://t.co/xZwoq9AyY0
— Adam Schiff (@RepAdamSchiff) April 3, 2019

That might be why Trump has changed his mind.

I do think endless speculation on TV and Twitter is pointless. Let’s see the report ASAP.

Wow. Mueller’s team went nearly two years without a single leak. They must be quite frustrated with what Barr is doing for this to make it out now. https://t.co/KKhklfA4kA
— Matthew Miller (@matthewamiller) April 3, 2019

Note: Mueller team members did not necessarily talk to the NYT. The sources are "government officials and others familiar with their simmering frustrations."https://t.co/68S8SXy4Z9
— Andrew Prokop (@awprokop) April 3, 2019

This feel like a big moment. Mueller talked to the media maybe four times ever and now we have people talking to the NYT?

We really need to see the Mueller Report. We paid for it!
— Zerlina Maxwell (@ZerlinaMaxwell) April 3, 2019

Just noting: a number of Mueller’s team members are leaving or have left the Justice Department. There’s nothing DOJ can do to stop them from talking to Congress.
— Matthew Miller (@matthewamiller) April 3, 2019

I am SHOCKED that so many in the media fell for the most obvious con https://t.co/nHWHjljKyR
— Dan Pfeiffer (@danpfeiffer) April 3, 2019

More polls on the Barr letter

Overall, the public is not convinced Trump and his team are innocent. It has not improved his ratings.

And what will happen if we ever get to see the actual report (which I doubt)? https://t.co/YhrkRC68RE
— Paul Krugman (@paulkrugman) March 31, 2019

New NBC poll:

Only 29% say Trump has been cleared of wrongdoing:https://t.co/OdfGaSqqaG

New WaPo poll:

Only 32% say Trump has been exonerated on obstruction (but public is evenly split on whether Trump committed wrongdoing re Russian interference):https://t.co/gxvlFXeXgq
— Greg Sargent (@ThePlumLineGS) March 31, 2019

This poll shows again that most Americans believe @realDonaldTrump is bad for lots of reasons. Just because he didn't meet the definition of criminal conspiracy doesn't mean he didn't do 27 other bad things.

Like taking away preexisting conditions coverage.#SundayThoughts https://t.co/RXSWyURxIt
— Ted Lieu (@tedlieu) March 31, 2019

So five days after Barr….I think it's looking pretty safe to say there's no significant Barr polling bump. Trump remains 2nd worst to this point in approval, worst in disapproval, and worst in net approval of any president in the polling era.
— Jonathan Bernstein (@jbview) March 30, 2019

DO YOU BELIEVE TRUMP ACTED ILLEGALLY?
64% Probably
32% Probably not

DO YOU BELIEVE TRUMP ACTED UNETHICALLY?
72% Probably
25% Probably not

Pew Research poll
— Kyle Griffin (@kylegriffin1) March 29, 2019

The way Donald Trump is handling his job as president:
Approve 39%
Disapprove 55%
(Quinnipiac U. Poll, RV, 3/21-25/19)
trend: https://t.co/k8PZLcZTly
— PollingReport.com (@pollreport) March 26, 2019

Satire on Barr

This is really funny

William Barr Summarizes Famous Broadways Musicals https://t.co/L6jyvxitNn
— Margaret Sullivan (@Sulliview) March 30, 2019

What’s really in the Mueller report?

I find it hard to believe that Mueller would say that the Trump Tower meeting, the lies, Manafort giving polling data to a Russian, etc. are alright. This could be like the Clinton emails – he did something wrong but it wasn’t criminal.

Barr now says that his 4-page letter last weekend wasn't really a "summary" of Mueller's report and he never intended to summarize 400 pages because that wouldn't have been in the "public interest." The technical legal term for this is "walking back your story." https://t.co/4ZeUkWTnTB
— Tim O'Brien (@TimOBrien) March 29, 2019

Barr realizes that he and Trump carried the nothing to see, just move along WAY too soon and must craft a narrative to defend himself from the legitimate complaint that he inserted himself and tried to exonerate Trump politically. I wonder if Mueller threatened to go public
— Jennifer Rubin (@JRubinBlogger) March 29, 2019

With the narrative now almost entirely set that Mueller produced a nothingburger on collusion, is Barr’s language laying the groundwork for a walk back? I suspect we’ll see that Mueller agreed with @AdamSchiff that Team Trump’s actions were far from “ok,” although not chargeable. https://t.co/mlFAWNcdWs
— Ned Price (@nedprice) March 29, 2019

Crucial point here: https://t.co/MwFCSEHhpZ
— Greg Sargent (@ThePlumLineGS) March 29, 2019

Nadler not satisfied. He says the April 2 deadline "still stands." He says he and Barr should work to request a court order to obtain grand jury info, saying there is "ample precedent" for doing so. And he says Barr should testify sooner than May 2 https://t.co/g8RuRooiiv
— Manu Raju (@mkraju) March 29, 2019

As I’ve been saying, it was unsustainable. Barr walks some of it back today. It’s do over Friday! @OutFrontCNN @CNNTonight later. (I’m most taken by Barr bypassing WH privilege objections, relying on Trump public statements as justification and putting burden on them to raise.) https://t.co/COWvZmtM3e
— Juliette Kayyem (@juliettekayyem) March 29, 2019

1. Fascinating new letter on the Mueller report from Barr

One thing that sticks out to me: Barr asserts that his initial letter is NOT A SUMMARY of the report

Seems to be trying to preempt criticism of the report diverging significantly from the tone of his letter https://t.co/2FYf40PLNK
— Judd Legum (@JuddLegum) March 29, 2019

"What Barr decides to redact and why… Certain to become the subject of scrutiny… Amid calls from the Democrats for maximum transparency… [He] addressed concerns that Trump and his attorneys will use executive privilege to conceal damaging information…" – @NicolleDWallace pic.twitter.com/GpTBYDROgM
— Deadline White House (@DeadlineWH) March 29, 2019

It is inconceivable that the Trump Administration will legally get away with withholding any portion of the Mueller report from the House, given its constitutional role in impeachment. Barr is just stalling for time, and it’s working. https://t.co/Eljufa4wem
— Renato Mariotti (@renato_mariotti) March 29, 2019

Ex-CIA officer: "There is a gray area between 'no collusion' and 'Trump is a foreign agent.' https://t.co/Nlr0N71o0J @alexzfinley @Publici @voxdotcom pic.twitter.com/RIjQKCIVw8
— David Beard (@dabeard) March 29, 2019

At least two area of redactions bound to concern Ds. 1) Information that would "unduly infringe" third parties; 2) Grand jury info. "Congress is entitled to the grand jury material," D aide said, pointing to Watergate as precedent. https://t.co/zESO75G1CN https://t.co/g1S8kV7aaU
— Manu Raju (@mkraju) March 29, 2019

Yes, you’re absolutely right. But given Barr’s insinuation that he made that call based on Trump’s public comment without further consultation, who knows where they’ll land on exec privilege if Trump gets mad. But, Barr can’t assert it for him. It would have to come from POTUS.
— Joyce Alene (@JoyceWhiteVance) March 29, 2019