Attorney General William P. Barr speaks about the release of a redacted version of special counsel Robert S. Mueller III's report during a news conference on April 18 at the Justice Department in Washington. Justice Department officials have threatened that Barr may not appear for the hearing under such conditions, while House Democratic staffers have countered that the attorney general may be subpoenaed if he refuses. “The Attorney General of the United States should be capable of appearing on Capitol Hill and responding to any questions,” says former prosecutor Joyce Vance White. First, this should be a clue to every House committee to ask committee counsel to conduct witness interviews of administration or former administration figures in connection with the Mueller report. The same factors that counseled in favor of general hearings (e.g., public opposition to impeachment, the need to air the full factual record, the potential for discovering more evidence) still pertain.

Source: Washington Post April 30, 2019 13:45 UTC