Shortly after Attorney General Bill Barr gave a press conference about Special Counsel Robert Mueller’s report on Russian interference in the 2016 election, Democrats running for president in 2020 slammed the press conference as a “farce” and a “disgrace.” Barr had declared that the Mueller report found no evidence of collusion between the Trump campaign and Russia, and his analysis found no evidence of obstruction of justice in the Mueller investigation.
“Barr is acting more like Trump’s defense attorney than the nation’s Attorney General. His press conference was a stunt, filled with political spin and propaganda,” Sen. Kamala Harris (D-Calif.) tweeted. “ Americans deserve the unvarnished truth. We need Special Counsel Mueller to testify publicly in Congress.”
Barr is acting more like Trump’s defense attorney than the nation's Attorney General. His press conference was a stunt, filled with political spin and propaganda.⁰ ⁰Americans deserve the unvarnished truth. We need Special Counsel Mueller to testify publicly in Congress.
— Kamala Harris (@KamalaHarris) April 18, 2019
“AG Barr’s press conference was a farce and an embarrassing display of propaganda on behalf of President Trump,” Rep. Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.) tweeted shortly after the event. “Barr works for the people, not the president. They deserve to know Mueller’s full findings because nobody—especially not the president—is immune from accountability.”
AG Barr’s press conference was a farce and an embarrassing display of propaganda on behalf of President Trump. Barr works for the people, not the president. They deserve to know Mueller’s full findings because nobody—especially not the president—is immune from accountability.
— Kirsten Gillibrand (@SenGillibrand) April 18, 2019
She called for the immediate release of “the full, unredacted Mueller report,” even though such a release would be illegal. Democrats have the power to demand the release of an unredacted Mueller report — if they file articles of impeachment. It seems they are unwilling to take the political risk, so it is disingenuous for them to blame Barr and Trump for the redactions.
Yet this truth did not stop the Democrats from demanding an unredacted report, suggesting that Barr’s speech and any redactions involve “spin.”
“The American people deserve the truth. Not spin from a Trump appointee. Release Mueller’s full report now,” Sen. Cory Booker (D-N.J.) declared.
The American people deserve the truth.
Not spin from a Trump appointee.
Release Mueller's full report now.
— Cory Booker (@CoryBooker) April 18, 2019
“It’s a disgrace to see an Attorney General acting as if he’s the personal attorney and publicist for the President of the United States,” Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) tweeted.
It's a disgrace to see an Attorney General acting as if he's the personal attorney and publicist for the President of the United States.
— Elizabeth Warren (@ewarren) April 18, 2019
Gov. Jay Inslee (D-Wash.) also slammed Barr for carrying water for Trump. “The Attorney General should be the nation’s top law enforcement officer – not a spokesman for the president. This press conference was a disgrace,” Inslee tweeted.
The Attorney General should be the nation’s top law enforcement officer – not a spokesman for the president. This press conference was a disgrace.
— Jay Inslee (@JayInslee) April 18, 2019
Rep. Eric Swalwell (D-Calif.) went even further. “If Barr believed in the rule of law, he’d let the report speak for itself, not hold a news conference to spin it on the President’s behalf,” he tweeted.
If Barr believed in the rule of law, he’d let the report speak for itself, not hold a news conference to spin it on the President’s behalf.
— Eric Swalwell (@ericswalwell) April 18, 2019
When Trump tweeted a Game of Thrones-themed message celebrating the conclusions “no collusion” and “no obstruction,” Swalwell attacked him, tweeting, “This is not a game. This is not a TV show. This is our government and we need to fix it.”
This is not a game. This is not a TV show. This is our government and we need to fix it. https://t.co/8N78Dr29Dn
— Eric Swalwell (@ericswalwell) April 18, 2019
Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.) published a video with the statement, “We want to hear directly from Director Mueller himself.”
We want to hear from Director Mueller himself. pic.twitter.com/O1DYnsAKlm
— Amy Klobuchar (@amyklobuchar) April 18, 2019
When the redacted Mueller report does come out, these Democrats will continue to complain. They will allege that the most damning evidence of obstruction of justice has been redacted. They won’t let the Russian collusion narrative die.
If they really want that report unredacted, they can get it. Don’t let them get off the hook. If they want the report, they should impeach the president. Anything short of that is posturing.
Even if the unredacted Mueller report does come out, do not expect the collusion and obstruction cries to die away. If Democrats cannot make Trump’s presidency illegitimate this way, the will find another.
Follow Tyler O’Neil, the author of this article, on Twitter at @Tyler2ONeil.
Join the conversation as a VIP Member