Barr says he won't redact Mueller report to protect Trump's reputation

Attorney General William Barr won't redact information from Special Counsel Robert Mueller's report just because it would damage President Trump's reputation, he told Congress on Wednesday.

During his testimony before the Senate Appropriations Committee, Barr was asked about the reasons he has provided for redacting the report. One type of information he's concealing is content that would "unduly infringe on the personal privacy and reputational interests of of peripheral third parties," and Sen. Jeanne Shaheen (D-N.H.) asked if this means Barr will redact information to protect Trump's reputational interests.

"No," Barr responded. "I'm talking about people in private life, not public office holders."

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Barr later in his testimony said it would be "unfair" to release information that harms the reputation of people who are not being charged with a crime — but only if they're private citizens. He added that he has not discussed any redactions with the White House, and he has not overruled Mueller on any redactions.

Outside of the reference to reputational interests, Barr previously told Congress he would redact grand jury materials, materials that intelligence agencies say reveal "sources and methods," and materials that affects ongoing criminal cases, per NBC News. CNN's Jim Sciutto described Barr's comment about not protecting the president's reputation as "bad news for Trump." Brendan Morrow