WASHINGTON – Attorney General William Barr is expected to face questions on Mueller investigation and the release of his final redacted report during a hearing on the Department of Justice budget with the Commerce, Justice, Science, and Related Agencies Subcommittee of the Senate Appropriations Committee.
Watch the hearing live at 10 a.m. below:
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Barr to testify before the Senate as Mueller’s report looms
Attorney General William Barr is returning to Capitol Hill for a second time this week as lawmakers, the White House and the American public anxiously await his release of special counsel Robert Mueller’s Russia report .
Barr will speak to a Senate appropriations subcommittee Wednesday, the second of two days of hearings about his department’s budget. Like members of the House on Tuesday, senators are expected to be more interested in the nearly 400-page document than the budget details. Barr told the House lawmakers that he expects to release a redacted version “within a week.”
Justice Department officials are scouring the report to remove grand jury information and details relating to pending investigations, among other materials. Democrats have escalated criticism over Barr’s handling of the document and say they will not accept any redactions. The House Judiciary Committee has approved, but not sent, subpoenas for the report , and top Democrats have said they are willing to take the battle to court.
At the House hearing, Barr bluntly defended himself, arguing that portions of the document need to be redacted to comply with the law. He said he’s open to eventually releasing some of the redacted material after consulting with congressional leaders, but he drew a line at releasing grand jury material, which would require court approval. He said Democrats are “free to go to court” themselves and ask for the grand jury information.