Barr claims Mueller didn't actually think the DOJ misrepresented his report

William Barr.
(Image credit: Alex Wong / Getty Images)

Attorney General William Barr on Wednesday testified that Special Counsel Robert Mueller told him his summary did not misrepresent the findings of the investigation.

Barr testified before the Senate Judiciary Committee after Mueller wrote to Barr in March expressing concern that his summary of the investigation released to Congress "did not fully capture the context, nature, and substance of this office's work and conclusions."

Barr told Congress that after receiving this letter, he called Mueller and asked if he was suggesting the summary was inaccurate, to which Mueller responded, "No." Barr claimed that Mueller's only concern was that the "press reporting had been inaccurate" and that "the press was reading too much into it."

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Specifically, Barr said that Mueller was concerned about his explanation of why he did not reach a conclusion on obstruction of justice, wanting "more put out," including summaries of each volume. But Barr said he was not "not interested in putting out summaries."

Barr added, "but he made clear with me that he was not suggesting we had misrepresented his report."

Mueller, The New York Times reports, wrote two separate letters to Barr expressing concern and urging him to release more information, in one writing that there "is now public confusion about critical aspects of the results of our investigation.” Barr's testimony on Wednesday will likely spark additional calls for Mueller himself to testify before Congress. Brendan Morrow

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Brendan Morrow

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.