Nadler Blasts Bill Barr in Scathing NY Times Opinion Letter

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Democratic Rep. Jerry Nadler of New York on Monday published an editorial in the New York Times telling Attorney General Bill Barr that he must release special counsel Robert Mueller’s report on Russian interference in the 2016 presidential election by Tuesday or face legal action from Congress.

Nadler is the chairman of the powerful House Judiciary Committee.

In the scathing editorial, Nadler called out Barr for writing a very short summary of the Mueller report’s conclusions even though that was not required of him. Barr has come under attack from many different directions for publishing his conclusions with no backup, and with no indication that Mueller himself reached the same conclusions.

Nadler also blasted Barr for claiming that he will need several weeks to release a complete (but redacted) copy of the full special counsel’s report.

“We — the members of the Judiciary Committee, the House of Representatives and the entire American public — are still waiting to see that report,” Nadler wrote. “We will not wait much longer. We have an obligation to read the full report, and the Department of Justice has an obligation to provide it, in its entirety, without delay.”

The committee chair then criticized Barr for usurping congressional authority and unilaterally declaring President Donald Trump innocent of obstruction of justice before lawmakers even had the opportunity to see Mueller’s evidence.

“By offering us his version of events in lieu of the report, the attorney general, a recent political appointee, undermines the work and the integrity of his department,” he argued. “He also denies the public the transparency it deserves. We require the full report — the special counsel’s words, not the attorney general’s summary or a redacted version.”

In his conclusion, Nadler said that Trump’s actions surrounding the Russia investigation may not have been illegal — but that didn’t mean they should be seen as acceptable.

“We must make it harder for future presidents to behave this way,” he wrote. “If President Trump’s behavior wasn’t criminal, then perhaps it should have been.”

House Democrats Are Tired of Bill Barr’s Games

Jerry Nadler, along with other powerful Democratic committee chairs such as Adam Schiff, Maxine Waters, and Elijah Cummings, are serious people. They are not playing games, although Barr and his boss Donald Trump appear to be doing so.

House Democrats are already tired of the games Barr is playing by both covering up the Mueller report and misleading the American people as to its conclusions.

Nadler’s editorial today shows that time has run out on Bill Barr and Donald Trump. If they don’t make moves this week to release Mueller’s report then the wheels of justice will start moving. And when they do, Barr and Trump will find themselves in their path, and the wheels will crush them. Justice will be served, and the truth cannot be denied.

The day of reckoning for Donald Trump — and William Barr — is coming soon.

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Leo Vidal

I am a lifelong Democrat with a passion for social justice and progressive issues. I have degrees in writing, economics and law from the University of Iowa.