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WASHINGTON – Democrats in the House announced Monday that they will continue their plans to have Attorney General William P. Barr questioned Thursday, as he threatened not to hold the long-awaited hearing on the work of Robert S. Mueller III if the Democrats liked it in this format.
The chairman of the Judiciary Committee of the House, Representative Jerrold Nadler of New York, announced Wednesday a vote in committee on the possibility of allowing lawmakers to let the staff lawyers half an hour of questions, an unusual arrangement for such an ambitious audience. , although it is not one that violates any rule. Democrats should easily win the vote, which would prompt Barr to abandon his demand that the questioning should only come from the legislator.
The confrontation between the committee and the attorney general lasted weeks and is part of an escalation of hostilities between the Trump administration and the Democrat-controlled House. The conclusion, in recent weeks, of Mr. Mueller's special advisor's investigation and the extension of the House Democrats' investigations into Mr. Trump's affairs and his presidency has only served to exacerbate tensions. .
Democrats in the Judiciary Committee are trying to launch their investigation into a possible obstruction of justice, abuse of power and corruption perpetrated by the Trump administration and hope that a long block of time granted to staff lawyers will facilitate the hearing of Thursday. Whatever the outcome, Barr should still appear a day earlier on Wednesday before the Senate Committee on the Judiciary, which is more pro-Republican.
The Justice Department declined to comment on Nadler's announcement on Monday, and an aide to the Judiciary Committee said the two parties had not been informed of the hearing since Sunday when Mr. Barr has publicly reiterated his preference for legislators to ask all questions.
Democrats publicly announced the dispute on Sunday after Barr threatened to stay out of court under conditions set by Nadler. The Democrats also said that the Attorney General had opposed Mr. Nadler's plan to allow the committee to move to the executive session – to clean the courtroom and turn off the television cameras – if necessary for other purposes. sensitive material.
Mr. Nadler, who appeared before CNN on Sunday morning, said he would be willing to subpoena Mr. Barr when he refused to appear voluntarily. "The witness is not going to tell the committee how to conduct his hearing, period," he said.
Both parties have reasons to maintain their respective positions.
Democrats believe that by giving questions to professional lawyers with plenty of time, Republican and Democrat staff lawyers would have 30 minutes of continuous questions if they chose not to alternate between Democrats and Republicans in blocks of five minutes, as it is customary. Mr. Barr will be able to extract more information from Mr. Barr and put it more easily with additional questions.
Republicans and Democrats traditionally use this format for in camera interviews with congressional witnesses conducted in the style of a deposition, but they have rarely been used in public hearings, especially for members of the Congress. firm. The Senate Judiciary Committee used a similar format last year to question Christine Blasey Ford, who accused Judge Brett M. Kavanaugh of sexual assault.
The Republicans, however, say that this and other cases are not analogous and that the precedent identified by the Democrats does not apply to the current proposal of the Judiciary Commission. Mr. Barr is not a factual witness in an investigation and they argue that it is disrespectful to ask the Attorney General to answer the questions of the staff members "as he was interviewed. "
Nevertheless, the Democrats sitting on the Judiciary Committee will probably seek to use a similar arrangement in the coming weeks to hold hearings with MM. Mueller and Donald F. McGahn II, a former White House lawyer who has been the central witness to Mr. Mueller's obstruction of justice. justice investigation.
For Barr, maintaining the challenge can be beneficial. When he hears Thursday, the Judicial Committee will most likely issue a subpoena to compel him to testify. But subpoenas are hard to enforce, especially against the Department of Justice, and it could be weeks, if not months, before the Democrats can convince Mr. Barr to appear in court. witness bar. The past period could significantly slow down their investigation and deliberations on Mr. Trump's indictment and spare Mr. Barr at least one session before a hostile group led by the Democrats.
Mr. Barr's testimony is not the only subject of dispute between the investigators of the House and the Trump administration.
Democrats are also struggling to convince the justice department to hold a hearing with Mueller. Mr. Nadler officially invited the special advocate to testify almost two weeks ago, but a committee assistant said the department had reiterated that he was too busy to set a date before the end of the testimony of Mr. Barr. His work as a special advocate completed, Mr. Mueller should leave the Ministry of Justice soon, which could complicate things.
They are also waiting to see what happens with another key witness, Mr. McGahn. Mr. Nadler issued a subpoena last week to compel him to produce documents and to testify, but White House lawyers have announced that they would ask Mr. McGahn and the police to testify. other potential witnesses to challenge the committee.
Then there is the Mueller report itself. On April 18, Barr presented Congress with a copy of the 448-page document. But Democrats have asked for access to the full report, without any necessary details, and the underlying evidence collected by Mr. Mueller, issuing a May 1 deadline for their production.
Members of the staff of Mr. Nadler and the Department of Justice were to speak Monday afternoon on access to the requested equipment.
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