Democrats expected to grill Barr on the Mueller report at appropriations hearing


Attorney General William Barr is likely to face some tough questions about Special Counsel Robert Mueller's report on Capitol Hill on Tuesday.
Barr is set to testify before the House Appropriations Committee, with the scheduled hearing meant to focus on the Justice Department's budget, not the Mueller report. Still, Democrats are expected to grill Barr during the hearing on his handling of the report, per Politico, with Rep. Nita Lowey (D-N.Y.) planning to tear into Barr's handling of the investigation as "unacceptable" in her opening statement. Democratic aides told CNN no topics will be off limits during the hearing.
Barr last month released a four-page summary of the Mueller report, which said that Mueller did not establish a criminal conspiracy between the Trump campaign and Russia, and did not make a determination on obstruction of justice. Several recent news reports have suggested some members of the Mueller team are unhappy with Barr's summary, feeling their findings were more damaging than he made them sound.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Democrats on the House Judiciary Committee have provided members of the House Appropriations Committee a list of suggested questions to ask Barr, per The Washington Post. It's not clear whether Barr will actually answer these questions, and his opening statement does not mention the Mueller report at all, CNN notes. Barr previously told Congress that a version of the report, which he is in the process of redacting, would be released by mid-April, but Democrats have demanded the full, unredacted version.
Barr's testimony is scheduled to begin at 9:30 a.m.
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Brendan worked as a culture writer at The Week from 2018 to 2023, covering the entertainment industry, including film reviews, television recaps, awards season, the box office, major movie franchises and Hollywood gossip. He has written about film and television for outlets including Bloody Disgusting, Showbiz Cheat Sheet, Heavy and The Celebrity Cafe.
-
5 museum-grade cartoons about Trump's Smithsonian purge
Cartoons Artists take on institutional rebranding, exhibit interpretation, and more
-
Settling the West Bank: a death knell for a Palestine state?
In the Spotlight The reality on the ground is that the annexation of the West Bank is all but a done deal
-
Codeword: August 23, 2025
The Week's daily codeword puzzle
-
Judge: Trump's US attorney in NJ serving unlawfully
Speed Read The appointment of Trump's former personal defense lawyer, Alina Habba, as acting US attorney in New Jersey was ruled 'unlawful'
-
Third judge rejects DOJ's Epstein records request
Speed Read Judge Richard Berman was the third and final federal judge to reject DOJ petitions to unseal Epstein-related grand jury material
-
Texas OKs gerrymander sought by Trump
Speed Read The House approved a new congressional map aimed at flipping Democratic-held seats to Republican control
-
Israel starts Gaza assault, approves West Bank plan
Speed Read Israel forces pushed into the outskirts of Gaza City and Netanyahu's government gave approval for a settlement to cut the occupied Palestinian territory in two
-
Court says labor board's structure unconstitutional
Speed Read The ruling has broad implications for labor rights enforcement in Texas, Louisiana and Mississippi
-
Feds seek harsh charges in DC arrests, except for rifles
Speed Read The DOJ said 465 arrests had been made in D.C. since Trump federalized law enforcement there two weeks ago
-
Trump taps Missouri AG to help lead FBI
Speed Read Missouri Attorney General Andrew Bailey has been appointed FBI co-deputy director, alongside Dan Bongino
-
Trump warms to Kyiv security deal in summit
Speed Read Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy called Trump's support for guaranteeing his country's security 'a major step forward'