US Attorney General William Barr on Wednesday said that he thinks “spying did occur” against US President Donald Trump’s campaign, suggesting the origins of the Russia investigation might have been mishandled in remarks that aligned him with the president at a time when Barr’s independence is under scrutiny.
Barr, appearing before a US panel, did not say what “spying” could have taken place, but seemed to be alluding to a surveillance warrant that the FBI obtained on a Trump aide.
He later said that he was not sure there had been improper surveillance, but wanted to make sure proper procedures were followed.
Photo: EPA-EFE
Still, his remarks give a boost to Trump and his supporters who insist his 2016 campaign was unfairly targeted by the FBI.
Barr was testifying for a second day at congressional budget hearings that were dominated by questions about US Special Counsel Robert Mueller’s investigation into Trump’s links to Russia.
The attorney general said that he expects to release a redacted version of Mueller’s report on Russian interference in the campaign next week.
Democrats have expressed concern that his version could conceal wrongdoing by the president and are frustrated by the four-page summary letter he released last month that they say paints Mueller’s findings in an overly favorable way for the president.
Barr’s testimony on Wednesday further inflamed the Democrats.
In an interview, US House of Representatives Speaker Nancy Pelosi said that she did not trust Barr and suggested his statements undermined his credibility as the US’ chief law enforcement officer.
US House Committee on the Judiciary Chairman Jerrold Nadler tweeted that Barr’s comments “directly contradict” what the US Department of Justice previously has said.
US House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence Chairman Adam Schiff said that Barr’s comments were sure to please Trump, but strike “another destructive blow to our democratic institutions.”
Meanwhile, Republicans praised Barr’s testimony.
US Representative Mark Meadows, a Trump confidant who has raised concerns about the Department of Justice’s conduct investigating Trump, tweeted that Barr’s willingness to step in is “massive.”
At the US Capitol hearing, senators appeared taken aback by his use of the word “spying.”
Asked by US Senator Brian Schatz, a Democrat, if he wanted to rephrase his language, Barr said: “I’m not sure of all the connotations of that word that you’re referring to, but you know, unauthorized surveillance.”
Barr is an experienced public figure who chooses his words carefully, and it is not clear if he realized what a political storm he would create in using the word “spying.”
While it could be used to describe lawful and necessary intelligence collection activities, for Trump and his supporters in this case it has an inherently negative meaning.
In an interview on Fox Business News, White House spokesman Hogan Gidley said: “People were wiretapped. People were looked into and spied upon. That should be a serious question that the American people should demand answers for and quite frankly so should Congress.”
Trump has repeatedly said the investigation of his campaign is an illegal “witch hunt.”
On Wednesday he said: “It was started illegally. Everything about it was crooked. Every single thing about it. There were dirty cops.”
Although Barr said at his January confirmation hearing that he did not believe Mueller would be involved in a witch hunt, he struck a different tone on Wednesday and said that it “depends on where you’re sitting.”
“If you are somebody who’s being falsely accused of something, you would tend to view the investigation as a witch hunt,” he said.
The spying discussion started when Barr was asked by US Senator Jeanne Shaheen, a Democrat, about his plans to review his department’s actions in investigating Trump. A separate investigation is being conducted by the department’s inspector general.
Barr said that he considered spying on a political campaign to be a “big deal,” invoking the surveillance of civil rights protesters and then of anti-war protesters during the Vietnam War.
Asked by Shaheen if he was suggesting “spying” had occurred, Barr replied: “spying did occur. Yes, I think spying did occur. The question is whether it was predicated, adequately predicated,” meaning whether it was legally justified.
Barr later said that although he did not have specific evidence of wrongdoing, “I do have questions about it.”
“I feel I have an obligation to make sure that government power was not abused,” he said.
Asked again about spying at the end of the hearing, Barr tempered his tone. “I am not saying improper surveillance occurred. I am saying I am concerned about it, and I am looking into it,” he said.
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