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."

The Week

Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

SUBSCRIBE & SAVE

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

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."