For the first time since the release of a redacted version of the 448 page report on Russian interference in the 2016 elections, U.S. Attorney General William Barr goes before Congress to answer questions about his handling of the report, with Democrats certain to press Barr over fresh reports that Special Counsel Robert Mueller had expressed frustration about early summaries of his findings.
Here's how the day's proceedings have unfolded, as Democrats and Republicans have questioned Barr about his handling of the Mueller Report:
4:05 pm - The White House was obviously pleased with the Attorney General's testimony.
3:45 pm - If Robert Mueller is going to testify about his report, it's not going to happen before the Senate Judiciary Committee evidently, as Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC) makes clear after the hearing that the pursuit of answers on the Russia investigation is over.
3:14 pm - The hearing is over. It ends on an interesting note, as Barr says the Mueller letter complaining about how the Barr summary was being received was a 'bit snitty.'
3:05 pm - Last week, President Trump said the Mueller investigation had reviewed his tax returns. Barr was asked if that was true. The Attorney General said he did not know.
3:00 pm - More Democrats continue to call for Barr to resign. This from Rep. Val Demings D-FL.
2:55 pm - AG Barr further fleshes out his answer about the question of why there was no hint of obstruction of justice involving the President's efforts to fire Robert Mueller. In an answer to Sen. Patrick Leahy (D-VT), Barr seemed to argue that even if President Trump had fired Mueller, there would have been no 'corrupt intent' by the President, because the Attorney General said Mr. Trump had been 'falsely accused' in the Russia investigation.
2:50 pm - Not one Senator has asked about what was in the first letter sent by Robert Mueller to AG Barr on March 25, a day after Barr issued his four page summary of the Mueller conclusions. That was followed up by a March 27 letter by Mueller. The first letter has not yet been released by the Justice Department.
2:30 pm - Sen. Kamala Harris (D-CA) asks Barr repeatedly if anyone at the White House had asked Barr to open an investigation on someone. There were some distinct pauses, as Barr said he was 'grappling' with the answer.
2:20 pm - AG Barr gives a small hint about the Inspector General investigation at the Justice Department about the origins of the Russia investigation; Barr says it will focus mainly on the FISA process which was used to gather information about people with ties to the Trump Campaign.
2:00 pm - Sen. Mazie Hirono (D-HI) bluntly tells Barr that he should resign.
1:55 pm - One thing which should be noted was a correction that AG Barr gave at the start of the afternoon portion of the hearing, acknowledging that the Trump Campaign did get a general security briefing during the 2016 elections.
1:45 pm - AG Barr again saying over and over that there is 'not enough evidence' to bring any charges against President Trump.
1:30 pm - Democrats continue to zero in on how Barr treated the charge by former White House Counsel Don McGahn that President Trump repeatedly ordered him to fire Special Counsel Robert Mueller.
1:10 pm - Democrats have pretty much made up their mind on today's hearing.
1:00 pm - Attorney General Barr starts the afternoon session by correcting himself, and acknowledging that the Trump Campaign was given a briefing in August of 2016 about investigative concerns related to Russia. Barr - and many Republicans - who had claimed this had never happened. Barr just admitted that a briefing did take place.
12:50 pm - Democrats are not impressed with the testimony of the Attorney General (as you might expect). Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) several times cited what he referred to as 'hair splitting' by Barr in his responses.
12:30 pm - If you're just tuning in, it's been an interesting morning in the Senate Judiciary Committee.
11:50 am - Because of Senate votes - and lunch time - the Senate Judiciary Committee will take about a one hour break.
11:45 am - Other reporters noted the echoes of past investigations in this hearing.
11:40 am - The House Judiciary Committee has voted to let committee counsel ask questions of the Attorney General during scheduled testimony on Thursday. It's not clear if Barr will appear at the hearing because of that.
11:30 am - So far in the Barr hearing, each GOP Senator has brought up Hillary Clinton, and questions about investigating the original Russian investigators. Sen. Dick Durbin (D-IL) says it's a coordinated effort by Republicans to talk about what he labeled, the “Lock Her Up” defense.
11:25 am - One thing that Attorney General Barr was surprised by was the reluctance of Special Counsel Mueller on the issue of obstruction of justice.
11:15 am - Referring to the letter revealed last night by Special Counsel Robert Mueller to Attorney General William Barr, Sen. Patrick Leahy (D-VT) accuses Barr of 'purposefully misleading' lawmakers about the question of whether the Mueller team had expressed reservations about the initial summary made public by Barr of the Mueller Report, referring to this exchange between Barr and Rep. Charlie Crist (R-FL).
11:05 am - Republicans are spending much of their time asking questions of Barr about both the Hillary Clinton investigation and questions about bias involving Peter Strzok, Lisa Page, and others who were part of the original Russia investigation. Barr tells Sen. Charles Grassley (R-IA) there was 'multiple' leak investigations ongoing.
11:00 am - Some of you might remember back during the Whitewater/Monica Lewinsky investigation, when there was a debate about the meaning of the word 'is' - the updated version of that might be over the definition of firing someone, as AG Barr says there is a legal difference between the President telling aides to fire Mueller and telling aides to get Mueller removed because of certain conflicts of interest.
10:55 am - Barr says that President Trump's orders to White House Counsel Don McGahn to fire the Special Counsel would not amount to obstruction of justice which could be prosecuted successfully by the Justice Department.
10:50 am - While Barr is testifying, Democrats are lobbing arrows at him from all parts of Capitol Hill. Here was Senate Democratic Leader Charles Schumer on the floor of the Senate.
10:45 am - Barr describes some of his communications in late March with Mueller, saying Mueller was concerned with how the summary (issued by Barr) had been reported by the news media, and was not representative of the actual findings. “He was very clear with me that he was not suggesting that we had misrepresented his report,” Barr said.
10:35 am - Attorney General Barr is giving his opening statement, but is not following his prepared remarks. Over in the House, Democrats are jabbing at Barr from across Capitol Hill. “I don't know what he's afraid of from questions by staff counsel,” said Rep. Jerry Nadler (D-NY).
10:30 am - The opening statements continue in the Senate Judiciary Committee. Meanwhile, in the House Judiciary Committee, Republicans are already forcing procedural votes over the effort by Democrats to allow committee counsel to ask questions of Attorney General Barr on Thursday. (That hearing remains TBD.)
10:15 am - Will there be politics today? Of course! Both sides will do their best, and there will be three 2020 hopefuls on the Democratic side as well.
10:10 am - Reading the Mueller letter on March 27, he references a second letter sent on March 25.
10:06 am - Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC), Chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, praises the work presented in the Mueller Report. Graham says he's read most of it. (One would bet most lawmakers in Congress have not read it all.) “Mr. Mueller was right guy to do this job,” Graham said.
10:04 am - With cries of "Gavel," from the staff. The hearing is getting underway. Attorney General Barr's prepared statement is now available on line.
9:50 am - Part of that Mueller letter to the Attorney General reads as follows: "There is now public confusion about critical aspects of the results of our investigation."
9:45 am - And the Mueller letter to Barr has now been released to the House Judiciary Committee.
9:35 am - Another example that if Barr does show up at the House Judiciary Committee hearing tomorrow, he will likely face multiple calls for his resignation. We might hear some of that from Democratic Senators today as well.
9:30 am - Just a reminder that there will be two events going on at once today regarding Attorney General Barr - not only will he be testifying before the Senate Judiciary Committee at 10 am EDT, but at the same hour, the House Judiciary Committee will be debating a motion which would allow committee counsel to question Barr during a hearing set for Thursday. The Justice Department has refused to say if Barr will show up for that hearing, because of the chance that a committee lawyer might ask him a question.
9:15 am - President Trump has been up and tweeting since before 6 am today, and is now getting around to expressing his frustration with the Russia investigation.
9:10 am - What do Democratic Senators want to know from Barr? The news last night of a letter from Robert Mueller to Barr has certainly sparked a different line of questioning.
9:00 am - Democrats have been calling on Barr to resign. This is from Rep. Adam Schiff (D-CA), the Chairman of the House Intelligence Committee.
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