from ZeroHedge:

Update 8: Lindsey Graham has called for an hour-long break in the hearing to accommodate a few Senate votes (and a lunch break for the Senators and Barr).

Here’s a summary of the first half of the hearing (per BBG):

• While Republicans are delving into why an FBI investigation was launched into the Trump campaign, and why Hillary Clinton wasn’t investigated further, Democrats have been focusing on a letter Special Counsel Robert Mueller wrote Barr in March, complaining about the way his report on Russian interference in the 2016 election was summarized.


• Barr told the committee he didn’t want to release the report in a piecemeal fashion, but put it out in full with appropriate redactions.


• Committee Chairman Lindsey Graham says as far as he’s concerned the Mueller probe is over and he wants to focus on the beginning of the FBI investigation.

• For Democrats it’s not over though, and they pressed Barr on his refusal to rule that the president obstructed justice, despite at least 10 instances of that cited in Mueller’s report.


• Barr said he was surprised Mueller didn’t reach a conclusion on obstruction, suggesting that was his job. But after reviewing the evidence, he and his deputy, Rod Rosenstein, concluded the president lacked the corrupt intent necessary to find he obstructed justice.


• Barr said he has no objection to Mueller testifying before Congress.


• But the Attorney General said it’d be up to the president to decide whether former White House Counsel Don McGahn can testify.

Meanwhile, House Judiciary Chairman Jerry Nadler, desperate for attention considering it’s looking extremely likely that Barr is going to blow him off tomorrow, told reporters that Barr has threatened not to appear tomorrow if staff attorneys are allowed to question him. The Committee just voted to allow staff attorneys to ask questions.

* * *

Update 7: In response to questioning from Mike Lee about FBI and DOJ overreach, Barr said he believes it was a few people in senior positions who are ‘no longer there’.

Following that, Lee asked Barr if there is any evidence that Vladimir Putin “has something” on Trump. “None that I am aware of,” he said.

* * *

Update 6: Dick Durbin, a member of the Democratic leadership, is up, and he’s laying into Barr, accusing the Republicans on the committee of trying to distract from Mueller’s findings by bringing up the Clintons, and pressing him on his testimony on April 9 and April 10.

Republicans on the panel and Barr were engaging in a “coordinated” response to focus on Hillary’s emails instead of the Mueller report…what he called a “lock ‘er up” defense.

* * *

Update 5: Asked by John Cornyn about whether the Steele Dossier was a disinformation campaign, Barr said he couldn’t say that it wasn’t, and that this is something he is actively looking into.

That’s not “entirely speculative,” Barr said.

* * *

Update 4: Patrick Leahy, a Democrat, was predictably hostile, accusing Barr of “filibustering” and misleading Congress with his testimony on April 9 and April 10, when he said he hadn’t heard any concerns from Mueller.

“I believe your answer was purposefully misleading, and others do, too.”

* * *

Update 3: Chuck Grassley, who had been chairman of the Judiciary Committee until this year, when he took on another committee leadership role and left the leadership of the Judiciary campaign, jumps right into it: He asked Barr whether Mueller should have looked into whether the Steele Dossier was a Russian disinformation campaign.

He also asked whether Mueller should have looked into the origins of the FBI probe into Russian collusion that ultimately morphed into the Mueller probe.

Barr said he would look into whether Mueller explored this avenue.

* * *

Update 2: In his opening statement, Barr told Congress that he had spoken to Mueller and that the special counsel said press reporting on the letter that the special counsel had written to Barr complaining about certain aspects of Barr’s summary was inaccurate.

• BARR SAYS MUELLER SAID PRESS REPORTING ON LETTER WAS INACCURATE


• BARR SAYS MUELLER DIDN’T SAY DOJ MISREPRESENTED HIS REPORT

Barr added that he was ‘surprised’ when Mueller didn’t rule on obstruction, though he also told said that Comey’s firing didn’t amount to obstruction of justice: Comey’s refusal to tell public what he was telling the president warranted firing.

During his questioning by Feinstein, which focused on what Trump told former White House counsel Donald McGahn II, Barr more than held his own, arguing that it would be impossible to prove the president ever actually directed the firing of Mueller, and it would also be difficult to show corrupt intent beyond a reasonable doubt.

Barr went on to describe Trump as “falsely accused” of Russian conspiracy “and he felt this investigation was unfair and propelled by political opponents.”

“That is not a corrupt motive.”

* * *

Update: As the Barr hearing began, Jerry Nadler, apparently uncomfortable with being out of the spotlight, told reporters that talks with Mueller to appear before Congress had made progress, and that the two sides just needed to agree on a date for the hearing. Right now, it’s looking like that hearing – which could be the biggest Washington media circus since Comey’s testimony in June 2017 – will happen in May.

• NADLER: AGREEMENT ON MUELLER TESTIFYING SUBJECT TO SETTING DATE

During his opening statement, Lindsey Graham, the chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, defended Mueller and his conclusions, and blasted the FBI (even reading off some of Peter Strzok’s text messages) for its bias toward Trump, and for failing to hold Hillary Clinton accountable.

• GRAHAM SAYS CLINTON E-MAIL PROBE DONE BY ANTI-TRUMP PEOPLE


• GRAHAM SAYS `FOR ME IT IS OVER’

And as is his custom, President Trump reminded voters that Mueller found ‘no collusion and no obstruction’ shortly before the hearing began.

Diane Feinstein, the ranking member, excoriated Barr for his purported biases and dissembling, and demanded that the panel must hear from Mueller as well.

• FEINSTEIN SAYS SENATE PANEL NEEDS TO HEAR FROM MUELLER

NO COLLUSION, NO OBSTRUCTION. Besides, how can you have Obstruction when not only was there No Collusion (by Trump), but the bad actions were done by the “other” side? The greatest con-job in the history of American Politics!

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) 1 May 2019

Read More @ ZeroHedge.com