Who better than hard-left partisan Adam Schiff to speculate on the Attorney General’s motives and Robert Mueller’s complaints about the summary of the Mueller report? CBS This Morning turned to Schiff on Wednesday as co-host John Dickerson wondered, “Do you think the Attorney General lied to Congress?”
Co-host Gayle King fretted that, regardless of what William Barr says on Wednesday, the moment has been lost: “Are you concerned, Congressman, that Barr and the White House have now shaped the narrative on this story and that what really will change? What will really come out of this hearing today no matter what he is asked?”
Though Mueller’s complaints were about the “context” of Barr’s report, Dickerson noted earlier that “the Justice Department says that Mueller also said, quote, ‘Nothing in the Attorney General’s March 24 letter was inaccurate or misleading.’”
Talking to Schiff, Dickerson seemed to think the Washington Post scoop wasn’t that big a deal, calling it a “quibble.”
But the report was released. And Mueller did not appear to have any -- didn't think there was anything inaccurate or misleading in the summary that Barr put out. So isn't this just kind of a quibble here when you've got 488 pages to look at from the actual report?
A transcript of the questions is below. Click “expand” to read more:
CBS This Morning
5/1/198:04AM ET
JOHN DICKERSON: Democratic Congressman Adam Schiff, Chairman of the House Intelligence Committee says Attorney General Barr is, quote, “proven to be unreliable and misleading.” The chairman is with us this morning from Capitol Hill. Good morning, Mr. Chairman.
CONGRESSMAN ADAM SCHIFF: Good morning, John.
DICKERSON: Let me pick up from Nancy's report there. So, there's a discrepancy, which we're learning between Mueller and Barr, but as the Department of Justice says, the entire report was released with some redactions. But the report was released. And Mueller did not appear to have any -- didn't think there was anything inaccurate or misleading in the summary that Barr put out, so isn't this just kind of a quibble here when you've got 488 pages to look at from the actual report?
SCHIFF: No, not at all. And, frankly, after getting now two or three misleading summaries from the Justice Department through the Attorney General, I don't think we can rely on the Justice Department to be summarizing what Bill Barr.
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DICKERSON: So, I’ll ask it this way. Do you think the Attorney General lied to Congress?
SCHIFF: I think his statement was false and misleading and most people would consider that a lie.
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GAYLE KING: Are you concerned, Congressman, that Barr and the White House have now shaped the narrative on this story and that what really will change? What will really come out of this hearing today no matter what he is asked?
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MARGARET BRENNAN: Chairman, you have asked for Bob Mueller, Special Counsel, to testify. The Attorney General has said he has no problem with that. Do you have a date set for that. What’s holding that up and when will you be given the underlying evidence?
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DICKERSON: All right, Chairman Schiff. We’re going to have to leave it there.
