Barr reportedly warns Democrats he might not attend House Judiciary hearing

Attorney General William Barr, unhappy with the format of an upcoming House Judiciary Committee hearing, has told Democrats he won't show up to testify unless changes are made, a person with knowledge of the matter told CNN on Sunday.
For Thursday's hearing regarding Special Counsel Robert Mueller's report, House Judiciary Chair Jerrold Nadler (D-N.Y.) plans on giving each member of the panel five minutes to question Barr, CNN reports. Each side — including both parties' committee counsels — will then have 30 minutes to ask Barr additional questions. The Department of Justice has told Nadler's office that Barr doesn't think the committee counsels should have the opportunity to question him, and he won't show up if that format is followed, CNN reports.
"The attorney general agreed to appear before Congress," Justice Department spokeswoman Kerri Kupec said. "Therefore, members of Congress should be the ones doing the questioning. He remains happy to engage with members on their questions regarding the Mueller report."
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.
Nadler told CNN on Sunday that Barr will not "dictate the format of the Judiciary Committee. The witness is not going to tell the committee how to conduct its hearing, period." If Barr doesn't appear, he added, his committee "will have to subpoena him, and we will have to use whatever means we can to enforce the subpoena."
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.
-
Trump seeks to end New York's congestion pricing
Speed Read The MTA quickly filed a lawsuit to stop the move
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Trump officials try to reverse DOGE-led firings
Speed Read Mass firings by Elon Musk's team have included employees working on the H5N1 bird flu epidemic and US nuclear weapons programs
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Trump blames Ukraine for war after US-Russia talks
Speed Read The US and Russia have agreed to work together on ending the Ukraine war — but President Trump has flipped America's approach
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Musk's DOGE seeks access to IRS, Social Security files
Speed Read If cleared, the Department of Government Efficiency would have access to tax returns, bank records and other highly personal information about most Americans
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Senate confirms RFK Jr. as health secretary
Speed Read The noted vaccine skeptic is now in charge of America's massive public health system
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Trump lays out plans for broad 'reciprocal' tariffs
Speed Read Tariffs imposed on countries that are deemed to be treating the US unfairly could ignite a global trade war and worsen American inflation
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Top US prosecutors resign rather than drop Adams case
speed read The interim US attorney for the Southern District and five senior Justice Department officials quit following an order to drop the charges against Mayor Eric Adams
By Rafi Schwartz, The Week US Published
-
Senate confirms Gabbard as intelligence chief
Speed Read The controversial former Democratic lawmaker, now Trump loyalist, was sworn in as director of national intelligence
By Rafi Schwartz, The Week US Published