Originally published at: MUELLER MADNESS: Barr Slams Mueller’s ‘Legal Analysis,’ Says ‘Did Not Reflect Views’ of the DOJ | Sean Hannity
Attorney General William Barr directly rebuked Robert Mueller’s “legal analysis” during an interview that aired Friday; saying the special counsel’s final conclusions “did not reflect the views of the Department.”
“Attorney General Bill Barr said in an interview that aired Friday that he does not agree with ‘a lot of the legal analysis’ inside Special Counsel Robert Mueller’s report and said it does ‘not reflect the views’ of the Justice Department, the latest break between President Trump’s attorney general and leader of the Russia probe,” reports Fox News.
“We didn’t agree with the legal analysis, a lot of the legal analysis in the report,” Barr said. “It did not reflect the views of the department. It was the viewpoint of a particular lawyer or lawyers, so we applied what we saw was the right law.”
In an exclusive interview, Attorney General William Barr said Robert Mueller and the Justice Department disagreed over the "legal analysis" in the special counsel's report on Russian interference in the 2016 presidential election. @JanCBS reports. https://t.co/WD5fcCfTip pic.twitter.com/gqtmQmKIRT
— CBS This Morning (@CBSThisMorning) May 31, 2019
In the same interview, Barr also said Mueller could “have reached a decision” on whether the President “obstructed justice” during his two-year long probe.
“We saw the special counsel yesterday make that statement… He then said he really couldn’t make a decision. Do you agree with that interpretation?” asked CBS This Morning.
“I personally feel he could’ve reached a decision… He could’ve reached a conclusion. The opinion says that you can’t indict a President while he’s in office. But he could have reached a decision as to whether it was criminal activity,” said Barr.
NEW: Attorney General Barr tells @JanCBS he “personally felt” Special Counsel Robert Mueller “could've reached a decision” on obstruction of justice by President Trump.
More on @CBSEveningNews tonight and @CBSThisMorning Friday. #CTM pic.twitter.com/b8ik2q32ZK
— CBS This Morning (@CBSThisMorning) May 30, 2019
Former Special Counsel Robert Mueller released a joint statement with Attorney General William Barr Wednesday evening; raising even more questions over his unusual press conference that fueled Democrats’ calls for impeaching President Trump.
“The Attorney General has previously stated that the Special Counsel repeatedly affirmed that he was not saying that, but for the OLC opinion, he would have found the President obstructed justice. The Special Counsel’s report and his statement today made clear that the office concluded it would not reach a determination -one way or the other- about whether the President committed a crime. There is no conflict between these statements,” said a joint press release from Barr and Mueller’s offices.
Attorney General Barr’s office and Special Counsel clarify on OLC guidance re: charging a sitting president. Both say no discrepancy. pic.twitter.com/OVsjHGdzVi
— Katie Pavlich (@KatiePavlich) May 29, 2019
“If we had had confidence that the president clearly did not commit a crime, we would have said that,” Mueller said Wednesday. “We did not determine whether the president did commit a crime.”
“Charging the president with a crime was not an option we could consider,” Mueller explained, adding that “it would be unfair to accuse someone of a crime when there could be no court resolution of the charge.”
