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Speaker of the House of Representatives Nancy Pelosi said Thursday that US Attorney General William Barr had committed a "crime" when he told lawmakers at a hearing before Congress, that he did not know that the special advocate, Robert Mueller, was not satisfied with the way it was described. conclusions of his investigation into the Russian interference.
"What is extremely serious is that the Attorney General of the United States did not tell the truth to the US Congress," Pelosi said Thursday morning at his weekly press conference with reporters. "And it's a crime."
Pelosi's comments were heard in the middle of a growing battle between the executive and the US congressional powers, as Democrats threatened to condemn Barr in defiance of Congress after failing to appear before the House Judiciary Committee on Thursday morning.
Justice Ministry spokeswoman Kerri Kupec called Pelosi's remarks "unfounded".
"President Pelosi's baseless attack on the Attorney General is irresponsible, irresponsible and false," she said.
The Justice Ministry also refused to comply with a Congressional summons requesting an unredacted version of Mueller's report, made public in redacted form last month, as well as the underlying source that helped the government's case. special advocate to reach his conclusions.
Last month, Mueller first submitted the report to the Attorney General, before Barr published a summary of his findings, concluding that there was not enough evidence to convict Donald Trump or his conspiracy campaign with Russia, but failed to determine whether the president is hindering justice.
The House Judiciary Committee chairman, Jerry Nadler, a New York Democrat, said he would continue to negotiate with the Department of Justice for "one or two more days" to comply with the quote to appear before commencing the process to condemn Barr in contempt of Congress.
At a press conference on Thursday, Nadler said that Barr's absence represented a "growing attack on American democracy" and that Congress needed to "do everything in its power on behalf of the people." to ensure that when the Trump government comes to an end, we have such a strong democracy, to give back to our children as we were given. "
Some Democratic lawmakers and presidential candidates in the 2020 presidential election demand the resignation of Barr, accused by critics of his role as Donald Trump's personal advocate and not in the best interests of the entire country. At a Senate hearing on Wednesday, Barr defended the handling of the Mueller report and publication of it, despite a complaint by the special advocate by letter stating that the initial summary of his findings by the Attorney General had "sown confusion".
Nadler continued the hearing Thursday morning highlighting the empty seat of the witness with a sign indicating Barr. A member of the committee brought fried chicken, a gadget to make it clear that the Democrats think Barr was a "chicken" for not appearing.
"The challenge we face is also bigger than the Mueller report. If all we knew about President Trump was in the four corners of this report, there is reason to question his ability to sit in power, "Nadler said. "But the report is not the place where the story ends."
Barr refused to appear Thursday before the House Judiciary Committee due to an unresolved dispute over the Democratic's decision to allow a staff lawyer to question him in addition to his members.
One member of the ranking, Republican Georgian Doug Collins, called the Democrats' demands "ridiculous" and attacked them for perpetrating a "circus" and a "political coup".
"The reason Bill Barr is not here today is because the Democrats decided that they did not want it here today," he said. Collins.
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