Mueller letter to Barr criticizing summary released

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The letter special counsel Robert Mueller wrote to Attorney General William Barr complaining about his summary of the Russia investigation report was released to the public on Wednesday.

In the letter dated March 27, Mueller objected to Barr’s March 24 summary because it “did not fully capture the context, nature, and substance” of the 22-month investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 election and possible obstruction of justice by President Trump.

Mueller called on Barr to alleviate public confusion by releasing the report’s introduction and executive summary for each volume.

The Washington Post reported the existence of the letter Tuesday evening — the night before Barr was scheduled to answer questions about Mueller’s investigation before the Senate Judiciary Committee.

[Related: Lindsey Graham reads f-bomb text from Peter Strzok during Barr hearing]

The letter, released by House Judiciary Chairman Jerry Nadler, D-N.Y., is the first known instance of Mueller commenting on Barr’s controversial rollout of his report, which has been heavily criticized by Democrats.

In the summary, Barr said Mueller found no evidence of conspiracy between the Trump campaign and Russia. The summary also said Mueller did not reach a conclusion about whether Trump obstructed justice, adding that Barr and Rosenstein then concluded there was insufficient evidence to establish such a charge. Trump and his allies seized on the summary, claiming the president was completely exonerated. The full Mueller report was released earlier this month, with redactions.

The Post report said after Mueller sent the letter to Barr, the two talked on the phone. While Mueller said the summary was not inaccurate, he stressed that it was misleading and was being misinterpreted by the media. “After the Attorney General received Special Counsel Mueller’s letter, he called him to discuss it. In a cordial and professional conversation, the Special Counsel emphasized that nothing in the Attorney General’s March 24 letter was inaccurate or misleading. But, he expressed frustration over the lack of context and the resulting media coverage regarding the Special Counsel’s obstruction analysis,” a Justice Department official said.

[Also read: Barr: Rush to release Mueller report summary was ‘in the public interest’]

Nadler demanded DOJ turn over the letter after the Post reported its existence Tuesday evening.

Barr is also scheduled to testify to the House Judiciary Committee on Thursday, but Barr has threatened to pull out in objection to having to answer questions from not only members but also the counsel for each party.

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