Rep. Jim Jordan (R-Ohio), a member of the House Judiciary Committee, blasted House Democrats’ treatment of Attorney General William Barr as “craziness.”
In an exclusive interview with Hill.TV, Jordan slammed proposed format changes by committee Chairman Rep. Jerrold Nadler (D-N.Y) to allow committee staff to question Barr after members in a now-canceled House testimony on his handling of special counsel Robert Mueller’s investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 election.
Jordan pushed back on Nadler’s assertion that Barr is “afraid” to testify, pointing to the official’s Wednesday appearance in front of the Senate Judiciary Committee.
“Think about how crazy that is,” Jordan said. “The very moment [Nadler] is making that statement, Bill Barr is testifying in front of Congress, he’s in front of the Senate Judiciary Committee. That is craziness.”
Barr notified Nadler Wednesday evening that he will not appear before the committee on Thursday after Democrats and the Justice Department failed to reach a deal on the terms of his testimony.
Jordan told Hill.TV that the attorney general is “not afraid to come testify,” but said Barr is rightfully opposed to Democrats’ efforts to change the format of the hearing. Earlier Wednesday, Democrats on the committee approved a motion to allow members of its staff to question Barr during his testimony, over the fierce objection of Jordan and other Republicans.
“What he doesn’t like, and I don’t blame him, is being trashed by Democrats for the past three weeks and having then format changed days before he’s supposed to come in and testify,” Jordan told Hill.TV.
The Justice Department and committee Republicans pushed back firmly on the proposal, with the DOJ saying Sunday: “The attorney general agreed to appear before Congress. Therefore, members of Congress should be the ones doing the questioning. He remains happy to engage with members on their questions.”
Following reports that Barr may refuse to attend the hearing, Nadler pushed back and threatened to issue a subpoena.
“The witness is not going to tell the committee how to conduct its hearing, period,” Nadler said Sunday.
He added Wednesday: “Committee staff questioning has long been an important, if underutilized, aspect of Congressional oversight that is in accordance with House rules and past precedent.”
-Saagar Enjeti
–Updated at 6:28 p.m.
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