Barr says Pelosi's charge that he lied to Congress is 'laughable'

Attorney General William Barr on Friday dismissed allegations that he lied to Congress, speculating Democrats are accusing him of doing so to undermine his election review.

Barr spoke with Fox News in an interview that aired Friday morning and said that the charge from House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) and others that he lied to Congress is "laughable."

"I think it's largely being made to try to discredit me, partly because they may be concerned about the outcome of a review of what happened during the election," he said.

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Barr is conducting a review into the origins of the Russia probe, which he told The Wall Street Journal could bring about rule changes. President Trump has repeatedly claimed that his 2016 campaign was improperly "spied on" and that this amounts to "treason," while FBI Director Christopher Wray testified that he has seen no evidence that illegal spying occurred.

Pelosi had previously accused Barr of lying to Congress, and Democrats took issue with his testimony that he was unaware of concerns from Special Counsel Robert Mueller's team with his summary of their findings, even though he received a letter from Mueller expressing concern. Barr has argued his testimony was accurate because he only heard from Mueller himself and because he claims Mueller privately told him his summary didn't misrepresent the report's findings.

Barr during this Fox News interview also dismissed Democrats on the House Judiciary Committee voting in favor of holding him in contempt of Congress, The Hill reports, saying it's "part of the usual game" and calling it a "political circus" while adding, "I don't feel threatened." Brendan Morrow