Appropriations chair to criticize Barr for cherry-picking from Mueller report

Rep. Nita Lowey (D-N.Y.), the chairwoman of the House Appropriations Committee, plans to criticize Attorney General Barr for his “unacceptable handling” of special counsel Robert Mueller’s report when Barr appears before her panel on Tuesday. 

Lowey will tell Barr that his summary of Mueller’s report “seems to cherry pick from the report to draw the most favorable conclusion possible” for President Trump, according to an excerpt from her opening remarks released Monday evening.

{mosads}”I want to address a serious oversight matter — your unacceptable handling of Special Counsel Robert Mueller’s report. It’s been reported that the report is 300-400 pages, and I use the term ‘reported’ because we have no idea how long it actually is,” Lowey plans to say.

“All we have is your four-page summary letter, which seems to cherry pick from the report to draw the most favorable conclusion possible for the President. In many ways, your letter raises more questions than it answers,” she will add.

Barr is scheduled to appear before the House Appropriations Committee on Tuesday for a Department of Justice budget hearing and is likely to face multiple questions regarding the Mueller report.

Mueller, who investigated Russia’s interference in the 2016 election, last month submitted the final report from his investigation to Barr.

Barr has yet to publicly release the report but summarized it last month in a four-page letter to lawmakers.

Barr said in his summary that Mueller determined the Trump campaign did not conspire with Russia but did not decide whether Trump committed obstruction of justice. Barr wrote that he and Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein decided there was insufficient evidence to accuse Trump of obstruction. 

Barr’s summary was sent to lawmakers two days after Mueller submitted his report, something that Lowey will also criticize Tuesday, according to the prepared remarks. 

“I must say, it is extraordinary to evaluate hundreds of pages of evidence, legal documents, and findings based on a 22-month long inquiry and make definitive legal conclusions in less than 48 hours. Even for someone who has done this job before, I would argue it is more suspicious than impressive,” Lowey is set to say.

Lowey plans to add that she looks forward “to reviewing the Mueller report myself, and I know my constituents do as well.”