House committee chairs demand Barr cancel Mueller report press conference


Five Democratic House committee chairs are calling on Attorney General William Barr to cancel his press conference scheduled for Thursday morning to discuss Special Counsel Robert Mueller's report, saying it will be "unnecessary and inappropriate."
In a joint statement released Wednesday night, House Judiciary Committee Chair Jerrold Nadler (D-N.Y.), House Intelligence Committee Chair Adam Schiff (D-Calif.), House Oversight Committee Chair Elijah Cummings (D-Md.), House Financial Services Chair Maxine Waters (D-Calif.), and House Foreign Affairs Committee Chair Eliot Engel (D-N.Y.) said the presentation, announced by Barr on Wednesday afternoon, "appears designed to shape public perceptions of the report before anyone can read it."
The press conference is set to start at 9:30 a.m., hours before the report is released to the public or sent to Congress. It will not involve Mueller or any members of his team. Barr's press conference, as well as a New York Times report that the Justice Department has been speaking with White House lawyers about Mueller's findings, "reinforce our concern that [Barr] is acting to protect President Trump," the chairs said, adding that Barr should "let the full report speak for itself. The attorney general should cancel the press conference and provide the full report to Congress, as we have requested."
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.
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Catherine Garcia has worked as a senior writer at The Week since 2014. Her writing and reporting have appeared in Entertainment Weekly, The New York Times, Wirecutter, NBC News and "The Book of Jezebel," among others. She's a graduate of the University of Redlands and the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism.
-
Team Trump brings the MAGA playbook to Albania's elections
TODAY'S BIG QUESTION The architects of the president's 2024 victory are looking east to extend their populist reach
-
Narco subs are helping fuel a global cocaine surge
The Explainer Drug smugglers are increasingly relying on underwater travel to hide from law enforcement
-
Fed leaves rates unchanged as Powell warns on tariffs
speed read The Federal Reserve says the risks of higher inflation and unemployment are increasing under Trump's tariffs
-
Nobody seems surprised Wagner's Prigozhin died under suspicious circumstances
Speed Read
-
Western mountain climbers allegedly left Pakistani porter to die on K2
Speed Read
-
'Circular saw blades' divide controversial Rio Grande buoys installed by Texas governor
Speed Read
-
Los Angeles city workers stage 1-day walkout over labor conditions
Speed Read
-
Mega Millions jackpot climbs to an estimated $1.55 billion
Speed Read
-
Bangladesh dealing with worst dengue fever outbreak on record
Speed Read
-
Glacial outburst flooding in Juneau destroys homes
Speed Read
-
Scotland seeking 'monster hunters' to search for fabled Loch Ness creature
Speed Read