Attorney General William Barr said that his handling of the Mueller report and its aftermathis rooted in a desire to defend the power of the executive branch rather than personal support for President Trump.
“I felt the rules were being changed to hurt Trump, and I thought it was damaging for the presidency over the long haul,” Barr told The Wall Street Journal in El Salvador in an interview published Monday, where he traveled last week to boost support for Trump’s policies toward the violent street gang MS-13.
“At every grave juncture the presidency has done what it is supposed to do, which is to provide leadership and direction,” Barr added. “If you destroy the presidency and make it an errand boy for Congress, we’re going to be a much weaker and more divided nation.”
Democrats have accused Barr and Trump of trying to stonewall and obstruct Congress’ oversight duties a charge that was repeated Monday after Trump directed former White House Counsel Don McGahn to defy a congressional subpoena to testify before the House Judiciary Committee. That committee voted earlier this month to hold Barr in contempt after he defied a subpoena for an unredacted version of Special Counsel Robert Mueller’s report into Russian activities during the 2016 presidential campaign. – READ MORE