Attorney General William Barr will testify before Congress on May 1 about the recently concluded federal Russia investigation.
The Senate Judiciary Committee put out a press release Wednesday that listed him as a witness for a hearing titled “The Department of Justice’s Investigation of Russian Interference with the 2016 Presidential Election."
Barr’s testimony is scheduled for 10 a.m. Barr will answer senators' questions on special counsel Robert Mueller’s investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 election.
The Justice Department released a redacted version of Mueller’s nearly 450-page report Thursday, which said President Trump's campaign had “numerous links” to the Russians but “the evidence was not sufficient to support criminal charges.” The special counsel also described several instances of possible obstruction of justice but did not make a conclusion on whether Trump obstructed the investigation.
Barr and Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein instead made the conclusion, determining the president did not obstruct justice.
The attorney general was criticized last week for holding a news conference before the release of Mueller’s report. Barr defended Trump’s actions during the investigation, saying the president was “frustrated and angered by a sincere belief that the investigation was undermining his presidency, propelled by his political opponents and fueled by illegal leaks” to the media.
Barr testified earlier this month after he sent out a summary on the Mueller report but before its redacted release last week. He appeared before two appropriations panels about the Justice Department budget, but was asked questions about the Mueller report and said "spying did occur" on the Trump campaign.