President Donald Trump's nominee for attorney general strove at his confirmation Tuesday to assert his independence from the White House, saying he believed Russia had interfered with the 2016 presidential election, that a special counsel investigation shadowing Trump needs to move forward and that his predecessor made the correct call by recusing from the probe.

Those comments departed from Trump's own views and underscored Barr's efforts to reassure Democrats that he will not be a loyalist to a president who has appeared to demand it from law enforcement.

Trump has repeatedly castigated special counsel Robert Mueller's Russia investigation, calling it a "witch hunt," and lambasted and ultimately pushed out his first attorney general, Jeff Sessions, for his recusal because of his work with the campaign.

"I will not be bullied into doing anything that I think is wrong, whether it be by editorial boards, Congress or the president," Barr said.

Barr repeatedly praised Mueller, who has been investigating whether the Trump campaign coordinated with the Kremlin to sway the election, and sought to provide assurance he would not undermine his work. He called him a friend of 30 years and saying he couldn't imagine that Mueller would do anything that would justify his firing.

Barr would oversee the final stages of the investigation, and said that though he would consult with ethics officials on whether he would need to recuse because of a critical unsolicited memo to the Justice Department last year, the decision would be ultimately his.

He also disclosed having discussed Mueller with Trump during a meeting in 2017 when Barr declined to join his legal team.

Trump wanted to know what Mueller, who worked for Barr when he led the Justice Department between 1991 and 1993, was like.

Barr said he told Trump Mueller "is a straight shooter and should be dealt with as such."

The nominee also said former FBI Director James Comey made the wrong decision by holding a news conference announcing he wasn't recommending charges in the Hillary Clinton email investigation.

Barr said if authorities aren't going to bring charges, then there should not be a news conference to detail derogatory information uncovered during the probe. Comey has defended his decision.

"That's not the way the Department of Justice does business," Barr said.

POOL

Washington, DC - 15 January 2019

1. Wide side shot of Barr testifying at confirmation hearing

2. SOUNDBITE (English) William Barr, Attorney General Nominee:

"I have a very good life. I love it, but I also want to help in this circumstance and I am not going to do anything that I think is wrong and I will not be bullied into doing anything I think is wrong by anybody, whether it be editorial boards or Congress or the president. I'm going to do what I think is right."

3. Cutaway of committee members

4. Cutaway of Sen. Lindsey Graham

5. SOUNDBITE (English) William Barr, Attorney General Nominee:

"It was a very brief meeting where essentially the president wanted to know, he said, 'Oh, you know Bob Mueller. How well do you know Bob Mueller?' And I told him how well I knew Bob Mueller and how you know the Barrs and Muellers were good friends and would be good friends when this is all over and so forth. And he was interested in that, wanted to know you know what I thought about, you know, Mueller's integrity and so forth and so on. And I said Bob is a, is a straight shooter and should be dealt with as such. And he said something to the effect like, 'So are you envisioning some role here?' And I said, 'No actually, Mr. President, right now I couldn't do it. You know, I just, my personal and my professional obligations are such that I'm unable to do it.' So he asked me for my phone number, I gave it to him and I never heard from him again until..."

6. Wide shot of hearing

7. SOUNDBITE (English) Sen. Patrick Leahy, Democrat, Vermont:

"So will you commit, if confirmed, to both seeking and following the advice of the department's career ethics officials on whether you must recuse from the special counsel's investigation?"

8. SOUNDBITE (English) William Barr, Attorney General Nominee:

"I will seek the advice of the career ethics personnel. But under the regulations, I make the decision as the head of the agency as to my own recusal. So, I certainly would consult with them and at the end of the day, I would make a decision in good faith based on the laws and the facts that are evident at that time."

9. SOUNDBITE (English) Sen. Patrick Leahy, Democrat, Vermont:

"Are there any circumstances that would cause you to terminate the investigation, a component of or significantly restricted funding?"

10. SOUNDBITE (English) William Barr, Attorney General Nominee:

"Under the under the regulations, Bob Mueller could only be terminated for good cause and I frankly, it's unimaginable to me that Bob would ever do anything that gave rise to good cause. But in theory, if something happened that was good cause, for me it would actually take more than that, it would have to be pretty grave and the public interest would essentially have to compel it. Because I believe right now the overarching public interest is to allow him to finish."

11. Wide shot of hearing

12. SOUNDBITE (English) William Barr, Attorney General Nominee:

"I think Jim Comey is, as I've said, is an extremely gifted man who's served the country with distinction in many roles. But I thought that to the extent he, he actually announced a decision, was wrong. And the other thing is if you're not going to indict someone then you don't stand up there and unload negative information about the person. That's not the way the Department of Justice does business."

13. Wide shot of hearing

The incoming chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee says Attorney General nominee William Barr has confidence in special counsel Robert Mueller (MUHL'-ur) and will let Mueller finish his Russia investigation.

Sen. Lindsey Graham says Barr has a "very, very high opinion" of Mueller.

The South Carolina Republican was among the members of the Senate Judiciary Committee who met with Barr on Wednesday as Barr made the rounds on Capitol Hill before his confirmation hearing next week.

President Donald Trump pushed out Attorney General Jeff Sessions last year and nominated Barr to replace him.

Trump's critics have warned that Barr may try to curtail Mueller's investigation, given that the president has repeatedly called it a "witch hunt."

And Barr wrote an unsolicited memo to the Justice Department last year critiquing Mueller's investigation

Graham also commented on President Trump's speech Tuesday night from the Oval office.

"I thought the president did a good job of explaining the humanitarian problem," said Graham.

"I think the president is open minded to a deal, he's firm on the idea he needs border security money, including money for barriers, but I believe and hope he's open to a deal."

Washington DC - 9 January 2019

1. Cutaway of Attorney General nominee William Barr walking down the hall and into Sen. Lindsey Graham's office

++SILENT++

2. SOUNDBITE (English) Sen. Lindsey Graham, (R) South Carolina, Incoming Chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee:

"I think the main thing people want to know is what's his view of the Mueller investigation. And I can assure you based on what I've heard, that he has a high opinion of Mr. Mueller, believes that Mr. Mueller is doing a professional job, will do a professional job. Be fair to the president of the country as a whole and has no reason for Mr. Mueller to stop doing his job and is commited to allowing Mr. Mueller to finish."

++SEPARATED BY BLACK++

3. SOUNDBITE (English) Sen. Lindsey Graham, (R) South Carolina, Incoming Chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee:

"As to President I ask him, he said some pretty tough things. Mr. Barr said he's the one on the receiving end of this, he is sort of the accused and from the president's point of view, I think he believes it is a witch hunt and doesn't believe he did anything wrong and I can remember the Clinton days, when Ken Starr was part of a right-wing conspiracy. That is just sort of the way these things go."

++SEPARATED BY BLACK++

4. SOUNDBITE (English) Sen. Lindsey Graham, (R) South Carolina, Incoming Chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee:

"He had absolutely no indication he was going to tell Bob Mueller what to do, or how to do it. He is confident that Mr. Mueller will pursue the facts and the law."

++SEPARATED BY BLACK++

5. SOUNDBITE (English) Sen. Lindsey Graham, (R) South Carolina, Incoming Chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee:

"The memo, that was his opinion about the slippery slope of obstruction of justice charges against a president who wants to terminate a political appointee. He has got to believe that is a dangerous precedent to set and his memo was shared

with other people, he wanted their input. And we will share with the committee all the folks that Mr. Barr talked to and shared the memo with and we will give you an explanation to the committee as why he wrote it."

++SEPARATED BY BLACK++

6. SOUNDBITE (English) Sen. Lindsey Graham, (R) South Carolina, Incoming Chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee:

"He has a high opinion of Rod, they talked. Mr. Rosenstein mentioned him when they first met, I think that two years would probably be enough. He has some ideas of a deputy. I told him to pick somebody you are comfortable with and the president can approve and I trust his judgment to find a worthy successor to Mr. Rosenstein."

++SEPARATED BY BLACK++

7. SOUNDBITE (English) Sen. Lindsey Graham, (R) South Carolina, Incoming Chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee:

"I thought the president did a good job of explaining the humanitarian problem on both sides, those who are coming here, the abuse that women go through, the children to get to the country, what happens when the criminal illegal immigrants are allowed to come back time and time again. And I thought it was a pretty persuasive case that we need to secure our border and we need to realize illegal immigration is a human tragedy at multiple levels."

++SEPARATED BY BLACK++

8. SOUNDBITE (English) Sen. Lindsey Graham, (R) South Carolina, Incoming Chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee:

"To my Democratic colleagues I don't believe you're going to get much traction that the president is manufacturing a crisis because all of you, including me have voted for billions of dollars to secure the border very much like the president is proposing."

++SEPARATED BY BLACK++

9. SOUNDBITE (English) Sen. Lindsey Graham, (R) South Carolina, Incoming Chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee:

"Toward the end of the week, there'll be some ideas emerging from the Senate that would have some bipartisan buy-in. But here's what the Democrats are going to ask, this is a good question - will the president sign it? And I think the president is open minded to a deal, he's firm on the idea he needs border security money, including money for barriers, but I believe and hope he's open to a deal on the wall."

10). Cutaway of Graham and Barr in his office ++SILENT++

The incoming chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee says Attorney General nominee William Barr has confidence in special counsel Robert Mueller (MUHL'-ur) and will let Mueller finish his Russia investigation.

Sen. Lindsey Graham says Barr has a "very, very high opinion" of Mueller.

The South Carolina Republican was among the members of the Senate Judiciary Committee who met with Barr on Wednesday as Barr made the rounds on Capitol Hill before his confirmation hearing next week.

President Donald Trump pushed out Attorney General Jeff Sessions last year and nominated Barr to replace him.

Trump's critics have warned that Barr may try to curtail Mueller's investigation, given that the president has repeatedly called it a "witch hunt."

And Barr wrote an unsolicited memo to the Justice Department last year critiquing Mueller's investigation

Graham also commented on President Trump's speech Tuesday night from the Oval office.

"I thought the president did a good job of explaining the humanitarian problem," said Graham.

"I think the president is open minded to a deal, he's firm on the idea he needs border security money, including money for barriers, but I believe and hope he's open to a deal."

Washington DC - 9 January 2019

1. Cutaway of Attorney General nominee William Barr walking down the hall and into Sen. Lindsey Graham's office

++SILENT++

2. SOUNDBITE (English) Sen. Lindsey Graham, (R) South Carolina, Incoming Chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee:

"I think the main thing people want to know is what's his view of the Mueller investigation. And I can assure you based on what I've heard, that he has a high opinion of Mr. Mueller, believes that Mr. Mueller is doing a professional job, will do a professional job. Be fair to the president of the country as a whole and has no reason for Mr. Mueller to stop doing his job and is commited to allowing Mr. Mueller to finish."

++SEPARATED BY BLACK++

3. SOUNDBITE (English) Sen. Lindsey Graham, (R) South Carolina, Incoming Chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee:

"As to President I ask him, he said some pretty tough things. Mr. Barr said he's the one on the receiving end of this, he is sort of the accused and from the president's point of view, I think he believes it is a witch hunt and doesn't believe he did anything wrong and I can remember the Clinton days, when Ken Starr was part of a right-wing conspiracy. That is just sort of the way these things go."

++SEPARATED BY BLACK++

4. SOUNDBITE (English) Sen. Lindsey Graham, (R) South Carolina, Incoming Chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee:

"He had absolutely no indication he was going to tell Bob Mueller what to do, or how to do it. He is confident that Mr. Mueller will pursue the facts and the law."

++SEPARATED BY BLACK++

5. SOUNDBITE (English) Sen. Lindsey Graham, (R) South Carolina, Incoming Chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee:

"The memo, that was his opinion about the slippery slope of obstruction of justice charges against a president who wants to terminate a political appointee. He has got to believe that is a dangerous precedent to set and his memo was shared

with other people, he wanted their input. And we will share with the committee all the folks that Mr. Barr talked to and shared the memo with and we will give you an explanation to the committee as why he wrote it."

++SEPARATED BY BLACK++

6. SOUNDBITE (English) Sen. Lindsey Graham, (R) South Carolina, Incoming Chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee:

"He has a high opinion of Rod, they talked. Mr. Rosenstein mentioned him when they first met, I think that two years would probably be enough. He has some ideas of a deputy. I told him to pick somebody you are comfortable with and the president can approve and I trust his judgment to find a worthy successor to Mr. Rosenstein."

++SEPARATED BY BLACK++

7. SOUNDBITE (English) Sen. Lindsey Graham, (R) South Carolina, Incoming Chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee:

"I thought the president did a good job of explaining the humanitarian problem on both sides, those who are coming here, the abuse that women go through, the children to get to the country, what happens when the criminal illegal immigrants are allowed to come back time and time again. And I thought it was a pretty persuasive case that we need to secure our border and we need to realize illegal immigration is a human tragedy at multiple levels."

++SEPARATED BY BLACK++

8. SOUNDBITE (English) Sen. Lindsey Graham, (R) South Carolina, Incoming Chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee:

"To my Democratic colleagues I don't believe you're going to get much traction that the president is manufacturing a crisis because all of you, including me have voted for billions of dollars to secure the border very much like the president is proposing."

++SEPARATED BY BLACK++

9. SOUNDBITE (English) Sen. Lindsey Graham, (R) South Carolina, Incoming Chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee:

"Toward the end of the week, there'll be some ideas emerging from the Senate that would have some bipartisan buy-in. But here's what the Democrats are going to ask, this is a good question - will the president sign it? And I think the president is open minded to a deal, he's firm on the idea he needs border security money, including money for barriers, but I believe and hope he's open to a deal on the wall."

10). Cutaway of Graham and Barr in his office ++SILENT++

President Donald Trump said Friday he is "not reversing course" in Syria with the decision to authorize about 200 U.S. troops to remain there.

In December, Trump announced he was pulling all 2,000 U.S. troops from Syria, but European allies insisted on some U.S. forces remaining on the ground.

Speaking to reporters in the Oval Office during a meeting with the Chinese trade delegation, Trump reiterated his claim that 100 percent of the Islamic State group's caliphate has been defeated and said his administration has "did more in the last three or four weeks than people have done in years."

He said the two-thousand-plus troops that have been stationed in Syria will now go to "different parts of the world," including Iraq.

Asked if he has spoken to Attorney General Robert Barr about Robert Mueller's special counsel report that many believe will be released soon, Trump said he has not, adding that the entire investigation is "one of the greatest hoaxes ever perpetrated on" the U.S.

Trump also pledged a veto if Congress passes a resolution blocking his use of a national emergency declaration to fund a wall along the U.S.-Mexico border.

Trump told reporters he would "100 percent" veto the resolution introduced by House Democrats earlier in the day.

The Democratic-controlled House is sure to pass the measure, and the GOP-run Senate may adopt it as well despite Trump's opposition.

Any Trump veto would likely be sustained, but the upcoming battle will test Republican support for Trump's move.

Asked about Amazon's recent decision to drop its plans for a new headquarters in New York, the president called it "a big loss" for the city.

He also blamed what he's calling "radical left" thinking, which he says isn't good for jobs or the economy.

Amazon abruptly dropped plans last week to build one of its new headquarters in Long Island City, Queens, which could have delivered 25,000 jobs.

On his summit next week with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un in Vietnam, Trump said he expects a successful meeting, saying the U.S. and Pyongyang have "such a great relationship."

Trump said if he were note elected president, "you would have been in a war with North Korea. We now have a situation where the relationships are good."

Washington, DC - 22 February 2019

1. SOUNDBITE (English) Donald Trump, US President:

"Reporter question: What about the charges against (New England Patriots owner) Bob Kraft? He's a friend of yours.

Trump: Well it's very sad. I was very surprised to see it. He's proclaimed his innocence, totally, but I'm very surprised to see it.

Reporter question: Have you spoken to (Attorney General) Bill Barr about the release of the Mueller report? Have you spoken to him about that?

Trump: No. I have not.

Reporter: Do you expect to?

Trump: At some point, I guess I'll be talking about it. But you know the nice part? There was no collusion. There was no obstruction. There was no anything. So that's the nice part. There was no phone calls, no nothing. We have a, I won the race. You want to know why I won the race because I was a better candidate than she was and it had nothing to do with Russia. And everybody knows it's a hoax. It's one of the greatest hoaxes ever perpetrated on this country. So I look forward to seeing the report. If it's an honest report it will say that. If it's not an honest report it won't."

2. SOUNDBITE (English) Donald Trump, US President:

"Reporter question: Mr. President, on troops in Syria, why are you reversing course?

Trump: I'm not reversing course. I have done something that nobody else has been able to do. In another short period of time like hours, you'll be hearing, hours and days, you'll be hearing about the caliphate. It's 100 percent defeated. Nobody's been able to say that that. That doesn't mean there aren't some very bad people walking around and strapping on bombs and all of these things. But we've done a job that nobody else has been able to do. I heard Lindsey Graham this morning congratulating me on having defeated the, you know the caliphate. And frankly, I'm getting a lot of congratulations. At the same time, we can leave a small force along with others in the force, whether it's NATO troops or whoever it might be so that it doesn't start up again and I'm okay. It's a very small tiny fraction of the people we have. And a lot of people like that idea and I'm open to ideas. But the 2,500 people that we've had there will be going to different parts of the world. They may be going over to Iraq where we have a very powerful base, a base that cost billions of dollars to build frankly and that we'll be using. But we have had tremendous success in defeating the caliphate and now everybody's admitting I did more in the last three or four weeks than people have done in years and it's been very successful. But we want to make sure it stays that way."

3. SOUNDBITE (English) Donald Trump, US President:

"Reporter: Will you veto that resolution that was introduced today that would block the national emergency if it passes?"

Trump: On the wall? Will I veto it? 100 percent. 100 percent. And I don't think it survives a veto. We have too many smart people that want border security so I can't imagine it could survive a veto. But I will veto it. Yes."

4. Cutaway of Chinese delegation and Cabinet officials

5. SOUNDBITE (English) Donald Trump, US President:

"Reporter: We haven't gotten your response yet to Amazon pulling out of New York City, your home city, your home state...

Trump: I think it's a tremendous loss to New York City. I think it's a big loss. I think it's, if you look at the deal, the deal was not a great deal from the standpoint of they could have made a better deal than that, a much better deal. But still, I think it's a loss for New York City. And the three billion dollars wasn't a check, it was a form of taxes over a period of time that now they'll never see because you know, they were going to take in a lot of jobs, they were going to take in a lot of taxes. So I think it's a big loss for New York City. It's the kind of thinking that our country is going to on the left, on the radical left, but ultimately it's not good for jobs and it's not good for the economy but it was a big loss for New York City. I come from New York City, I love New York City. I think it was a big loss for New York City."

6. Wide shot of Trump listening to reporter question

7. SOUNDBITE (English) Donald Trump, US President:

"Reporter: On North Korea, your own administration officials say that Kim Jong Un has not actually decided yet whether he wants to denuclearize. So how can you meet with him if he doesn't even want to...

Trump: "We have had such a great relationship and China has helped us a lot with North Korea and with Kim Jong Un since I got to office. If I were not elected president, you would have been in a war with North Korea. We now have a situation where the relationships are good, where there's been no nuclear testing, no missiles, no rockets. We got our hostages back. We have many of the remains back and coming back rapidly, the remains of our great warriors from many, many years ago and the families are so thrilled and so happy. We've had a great relationship. The Singapore was a tremendous success. Only the fake news likes to portray it otherwise. We would have gone, we would have been, we would have literally been in a war with North Korea in my opinion had I not been elected."

8. Wide shot of Trump ending spray

President Donald Trump said Friday he is "not reversing course" in Syria with the decision to authorize about 200 U.S. troops to remain there.

In December, Trump announced he was pulling all 2,000 U.S. troops from Syria, but European allies insisted on some U.S. forces remaining on the ground.

Speaking to reporters in the Oval Office during a meeting with the Chinese trade delegation, Trump reiterated his claim that 100 percent of the Islamic State group's caliphate has been defeated and said his administration has "did more in the last three or four weeks than people have done in years."

He said the two-thousand-plus troops that have been stationed in Syria will now go to "different parts of the world," including Iraq.

Asked if he has spoken to Attorney General Robert Barr about Robert Mueller's special counsel report that many believe will be released soon, Trump said he has not, adding that the entire investigation is "one of the greatest hoaxes ever perpetrated on" the U.S.

Trump also pledged a veto if Congress passes a resolution blocking his use of a national emergency declaration to fund a wall along the U.S.-Mexico border.

Trump told reporters he would "100 percent" veto the resolution introduced by House Democrats earlier in the day.

The Democratic-controlled House is sure to pass the measure, and the GOP-run Senate may adopt it as well despite Trump's opposition.

Any Trump veto would likely be sustained, but the upcoming battle will test Republican support for Trump's move.

Asked about Amazon's recent decision to drop its plans for a new headquarters in New York, the president called it "a big loss" for the city.

He also blamed what he's calling "radical left" thinking, which he says isn't good for jobs or the economy.

Amazon abruptly dropped plans last week to build one of its new headquarters in Long Island City, Queens, which could have delivered 25,000 jobs.

On his summit next week with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un in Vietnam, Trump said he expects a successful meeting, saying the U.S. and Pyongyang have "such a great relationship."

Trump said if he were note elected president, "you would have been in a war with North Korea. We now have a situation where the relationships are good."

Washington, DC - 22 February 2019

1. SOUNDBITE (English) Donald Trump, US President:

"Reporter question: What about the charges against (New England Patriots owner) Bob Kraft? He's a friend of yours.

Trump: Well it's very sad. I was very surprised to see it. He's proclaimed his innocence, totally, but I'm very surprised to see it.

Reporter question: Have you spoken to (Attorney General) Bill Barr about the release of the Mueller report? Have you spoken to him about that?

Trump: No. I have not.

Reporter: Do you expect to?

Trump: At some point, I guess I'll be talking about it. But you know the nice part? There was no collusion. There was no obstruction. There was no anything. So that's the nice part. There was no phone calls, no nothing. We have a, I won the race. You want to know why I won the race because I was a better candidate than she was and it had nothing to do with Russia. And everybody knows it's a hoax. It's one of the greatest hoaxes ever perpetrated on this country. So I look forward to seeing the report. If it's an honest report it will say that. If it's not an honest report it won't."

2. SOUNDBITE (English) Donald Trump, US President:

"Reporter question: Mr. President, on troops in Syria, why are you reversing course?

Trump: I'm not reversing course. I have done something that nobody else has been able to do. In another short period of time like hours, you'll be hearing, hours and days, you'll be hearing about the caliphate. It's 100 percent defeated. Nobody's been able to say that that. That doesn't mean there aren't some very bad people walking around and strapping on bombs and all of these things. But we've done a job that nobody else has been able to do. I heard Lindsey Graham this morning congratulating me on having defeated the, you know the caliphate. And frankly, I'm getting a lot of congratulations. At the same time, we can leave a small force along with others in the force, whether it's NATO troops or whoever it might be so that it doesn't start up again and I'm okay. It's a very small tiny fraction of the people we have. And a lot of people like that idea and I'm open to ideas. But the 2,500 people that we've had there will be going to different parts of the world. They may be going over to Iraq where we have a very powerful base, a base that cost billions of dollars to build frankly and that we'll be using. But we have had tremendous success in defeating the caliphate and now everybody's admitting I did more in the last three or four weeks than people have done in years and it's been very successful. But we want to make sure it stays that way."

3. SOUNDBITE (English) Donald Trump, US President:

"Reporter: Will you veto that resolution that was introduced today that would block the national emergency if it passes?"

Trump: On the wall? Will I veto it? 100 percent. 100 percent. And I don't think it survives a veto. We have too many smart people that want border security so I can't imagine it could survive a veto. But I will veto it. Yes."

4. Cutaway of Chinese delegation and Cabinet officials

5. SOUNDBITE (English) Donald Trump, US President:

"Reporter: We haven't gotten your response yet to Amazon pulling out of New York City, your home city, your home state...

Trump: I think it's a tremendous loss to New York City. I think it's a big loss. I think it's, if you look at the deal, the deal was not a great deal from the standpoint of they could have made a better deal than that, a much better deal. But still, I think it's a loss for New York City. And the three billion dollars wasn't a check, it was a form of taxes over a period of time that now they'll never see because you know, they were going to take in a lot of jobs, they were going to take in a lot of taxes. So I think it's a big loss for New York City. It's the kind of thinking that our country is going to on the left, on the radical left, but ultimately it's not good for jobs and it's not good for the economy but it was a big loss for New York City. I come from New York City, I love New York City. I think it was a big loss for New York City."

6. Wide shot of Trump listening to reporter question

7. SOUNDBITE (English) Donald Trump, US President:

"Reporter: On North Korea, your own administration officials say that Kim Jong Un has not actually decided yet whether he wants to denuclearize. So how can you meet with him if he doesn't even want to...

Trump: "We have had such a great relationship and China has helped us a lot with North Korea and with Kim Jong Un since I got to office. If I were not elected president, you would have been in a war with North Korea. We now have a situation where the relationships are good, where there's been no nuclear testing, no missiles, no rockets. We got our hostages back. We have many of the remains back and coming back rapidly, the remains of our great warriors from many, many years ago and the families are so thrilled and so happy. We've had a great relationship. The Singapore was a tremendous success. Only the fake news likes to portray it otherwise. We would have gone, we would have been, we would have literally been in a war with North Korea in my opinion had I not been elected."

8. Wide shot of Trump ending spray

President Donald Trump's nominee for attorney general strove at his confirmation Tuesday to assert his independence from the White House, saying he believed Russia had interfered with the 2016 presidential election, that a special counsel investigation shadowing Trump needs to move forward and that his predecessor made the correct call by recusing from the probe.

Those comments departed from Trump's own views and underscored Barr's efforts to reassure Democrats that he will not be a loyalist to a president who has appeared to demand it from law enforcement.

Trump has repeatedly castigated special counsel Robert Mueller's Russia investigation, calling it a "witch hunt," and lambasted and ultimately pushed out his first attorney general, Jeff Sessions, for his recusal because of his work with the campaign.

"I will not be bullied into doing anything that I think is wrong, whether it be by editorial boards, Congress or the president," Barr said.

Barr repeatedly praised Mueller, who has been investigating whether the Trump campaign coordinated with the Kremlin to sway the election, and sought to provide assurance he would not undermine his work. He called him a friend of 30 years and saying he couldn't imagine that Mueller would do anything that would justify his firing.

Barr would oversee the final stages of the investigation, and said that though he would consult with ethics officials on whether he would need to recuse because of a critical unsolicited memo to the Justice Department last year, the decision would be ultimately his.

He also disclosed having discussed Mueller with Trump during a meeting in 2017 when Barr declined to join his legal team.

Trump wanted to know what Mueller, who worked for Barr when he led the Justice Department between 1991 and 1993, was like.

Barr said he told Trump Mueller "is a straight shooter and should be dealt with as such."

The nominee also said former FBI Director James Comey made the wrong decision by holding a news conference announcing he wasn't recommending charges in the Hillary Clinton email investigation.

Barr said if authorities aren't going to bring charges, then there should not be a news conference to detail derogatory information uncovered during the probe. Comey has defended his decision.

"That's not the way the Department of Justice does business," Barr said.

POOL

Washington, DC - 15 January 2019

1. Wide side shot of Barr testifying at confirmation hearing

2. SOUNDBITE (English) William Barr, Attorney General Nominee:

"I have a very good life. I love it, but I also want to help in this circumstance and I am not going to do anything that I think is wrong and I will not be bullied into doing anything I think is wrong by anybody, whether it be editorial boards or Congress or the president. I'm going to do what I think is right."

3. Cutaway of committee members

4. Cutaway of Sen. Lindsey Graham

5. SOUNDBITE (English) William Barr, Attorney General Nominee:

"It was a very brief meeting where essentially the president wanted to know, he said, 'Oh, you know Bob Mueller. How well do you know Bob Mueller?' And I told him how well I knew Bob Mueller and how you know the Barrs and Muellers were good friends and would be good friends when this is all over and so forth. And he was interested in that, wanted to know you know what I thought about, you know, Mueller's integrity and so forth and so on. And I said Bob is a, is a straight shooter and should be dealt with as such. And he said something to the effect like, 'So are you envisioning some role here?' And I said, 'No actually, Mr. President, right now I couldn't do it. You know, I just, my personal and my professional obligations are such that I'm unable to do it.' So he asked me for my phone number, I gave it to him and I never heard from him again until..."

6. Wide shot of hearing

7. SOUNDBITE (English) Sen. Patrick Leahy, Democrat, Vermont:

"So will you commit, if confirmed, to both seeking and following the advice of the department's career ethics officials on whether you must recuse from the special counsel's investigation?"

8. SOUNDBITE (English) William Barr, Attorney General Nominee:

"I will seek the advice of the career ethics personnel. But under the regulations, I make the decision as the head of the agency as to my own recusal. So, I certainly would consult with them and at the end of the day, I would make a decision in good faith based on the laws and the facts that are evident at that time."

9. SOUNDBITE (English) Sen. Patrick Leahy, Democrat, Vermont:

"Are there any circumstances that would cause you to terminate the investigation, a component of or significantly restricted funding?"

10. SOUNDBITE (English) William Barr, Attorney General Nominee:

"Under the under the regulations, Bob Mueller could only be terminated for good cause and I frankly, it's unimaginable to me that Bob would ever do anything that gave rise to good cause. But in theory, if something happened that was good cause, for me it would actually take more than that, it would have to be pretty grave and the public interest would essentially have to compel it. Because I believe right now the overarching public interest is to allow him to finish."

11. Wide shot of hearing

12. SOUNDBITE (English) William Barr, Attorney General Nominee:

"I think Jim Comey is, as I've said, is an extremely gifted man who's served the country with distinction in many roles. But I thought that to the extent he, he actually announced a decision, was wrong. And the other thing is if you're not going to indict someone then you don't stand up there and unload negative information about the person. That's not the way the Department of Justice does business."

13. Wide shot of hearing

US Attorney General William Barr is defending his handling of special counsel Robert Mueller's Russia investigation report.

Barr was testifying on Wednesday before the Senate Judiciary Committee.

His appearance comes hours after it was revealed that Mueller had sent the Justice Department a letter objecting to the way his findings were portrayed.

Mueller told Barr that Barr's summary of the Russia probe's findings caused "public confusion about critical aspects" of the investigation.

A copy of Mueller's letter to Barr was released on Wednesday.

Mueller's letter is likely to be a central focus at Wednesday's Senate Judiciary Committee hearing with Barr.

Barr's prepared testimony shows he plans to defend his handling of Mueller's report.

++NOTE GRAPHIC LANGUAGE IN SOUNDBITE #4++

POOL

Washington DC - 1 May 2019

1. Various of US Attorney General William Barr entering the hearing room and taking seat

2. SOUNDBITE: (English) Senator Lindsey Graham, Chairman Judiciary Committee:

"But the Attorney General will be testifying here in a bit about the Mueller Report and I want to thank him for coming to the committee and giving us an explanation as to the actions he took and why he took them regarding the Mueller report and here is the good news.  Here is the Mueller report.  You can read it for yourself.  It is about 400 and something pages.  Can't say I have read it all, but I have read most of it.  There is an unredacted version over in the classified section of the Senate.  A room where you can go look at the unredacted version and I did that and I found it not to change anything in terms of an outcome."

3. Cutaway Barr listening to Graham

4. SOUNDBITE: (English) Senator Lindsey Graham, Chairman Judiciary Committee, reading messages between FBI agents : ++NOTE GRAPHIC LANGUAGE ++

"'October the 19th, 2016. Trump is a fucking idiot. He is unable to provide a coherent answer.' Sorry to the kids out there.  These are the people that made a decision that (Hillary) Clinton didn't do anything wrong and a counterintelligence investigation of the Trump campaign was warranted.  We are going to, in a bipartisan way, I hope, deal with Russia.  But when the Mueller report is put to bed, and it soon will be, this committee is going to look long and hard at how this all started."

ASSOCIATED PRESS

Washington DC - 1 May 2019

5. Various views of letter Mueller sent to Barr

POOL

Washington DC - 1 May 2019

6.  SOUNDBITE (English) Senator Dianne Feinstein, Democrat, California:

"More than once the report documents that legal condition can, excuse me, conclusions were not drawn because witnesses refused to answer questions or failed to recall the events. In addition numerous witnesses including but not limited to Jared Kushner, Sarah Sanders, Rudolph Giuliani, Michael Flynn, Steve Bannon and John Kelly all stated they could not recall events.  The president himself said more than 30 times that he could not recall or remember enough to be able to answer written questions from the special counsel."

7. Side view of Barr listening

8. SOUNDBITE (English) Senator Dianne Feinstein, Democrat, California:

"And contrary to the conclusion that the special counsel's report did not find evidence of communication or coordination between the Trump campaign and Russia, the Mueller report explicitly states and I quote 'a statement that the investigation did not establish particular facts does not mean there was no evidence of those facts.' Volume 2., page 2. Let me conclude with this, Congress has both the constitutional duty and the authority to investigate the serious findings contained in the Mueller report. I strongly believe that this committee needs to hear directly from Special Counsel Mueller about his views on the report in his March letter. I also believe senators should have the opportunity to ask him about these subjects in questions, directly. I have requested this to our chairman to authorize a hearing with Special Counsel Mueller and I hope that will happen soon. Thank you Mr. Chairman."

9. Mid view of senators

Attorney General William Barr is defending his handling of special counsel Robert Mueller's Russia investigation report.

Barr testifying Wednesday before the Senate Judiciary Committee.

His appearance comes hours after it was revealed that Mueller had sent the Justice Department a letter objecting to the way his findings were portrayed.

Mueller told Barr that Barr's summary of the Russia probe's findings caused "public confusion about critical aspects" of the investigation.

A copy of Mueller's letter to Barr was released Wednesday.

Mueller's letter is likely to be a central focus at Wednesday's Senate Judiciary Committee hearing with Barr.

Barr's prepared testimony shows he plans to defend his handling of Mueller's report.

++NOTE GRAPHIC LANGUAGE IN SOUNDBITE #4++

POOL

Washington - 1 May 2019

1. Various, Attorney General William Barr entering the hearing room and taking seat

2. SOUNDBITE: (English) Sen. Lindsey Graham, Chairman Judiciary Committee:

"But the Attorney General will be testifying here in a bit about the Mueller Report and I want to thank him for coming to the committee and giving us an explanation as to the actions he took and why he took them regarding the Mueller report and here is the good news. Here is the Mueller report. You can read it for yourself. It is about 400 and something pages. Can't say I have read it all, but I have read most of it. There is an unredacted version over in the classified section of the Senate. A room where you can go look at the unredacted version and I did that and I found it not to change anything in terms of an outcome."

3. Cutaway, Barr listening to Graham

4. SOUNDBITE: (English) Sen. Lindsey Graham, Chairman Judiciary Committee, reading messages between FBI agents : ++NOTE GRAPHIC LANGUAGE ++

"'October the 19th, 2016. Trump is a fucking idiot. He is unable to provide a coherent answer.' Sorry to the kids out there. These are the people that made a decision that (Hillary) Clinton didn't do anything wrong and a counterintelligence investigation of the Trump campaign was warranted. We are going to, in a bipartisan way, I hope, deal with Russia. But when the Mueller report is put to bed, and it soon will be, this committee is going to look long and hard at how this all started."

ASSOCIATED PRESS - AP CLIENTS ONLY

Washington - 1 May 2019

5. Various views of letter Mueller sent to Barr

POOL

Washington - 1 May 2019

6. SOUNDBITE (English) Sen. Dianne Feinstein, Democrat - California:

"More than once the report documents that legal condition can, excuse me, conclusions were not drawn because witnesses refused to answer questions or failed to recall the events. In addition numerous witnesses including but not limited to Jared Kushner, Sarah Sanders, Rudolph Giuliani, Michael Flynn, Steve Bannon and John Kelly all stated they could not recall events. The president himself said more than 30 times that he could not recall or remember enough to be able to answer written questions from the special counsel."

7. Side view of Barr listening

8. SOUNDBITE (English) Sen. Dianne Feinstein, Democrat - California:

"And contrary to the conclusion that the special counsel's report did not find evidence of communication or coordination between the Trump campaign and Russia, the Mueller report explicitly states and I quote 'a statement that the investigation did not establish particular facts does not mean there was no evidence of those facts.' Volume 2., page 2. Let me conclude with this, Congress has both the constitutional duty and the authority to investigate the serious findings contained in the Mueller report. I strongly believe that this committee needs to hear directly from Special Counsel Mueller about his views on the report in his March letter. I also believe senators should have the opportunity to ask him about these subjects in questions, directly. I have requested this to our chairman to authorize a hearing with Special Counsel Mueller and I hope that will happen soon. Thank you Mr. Chairman."

9. Mid view of senators

Senate Republicans have mixed reactions to the surprise announcement that the Justice Department has appointed former FBI Director Robert Mueller as a special counsel to oversee a federal investigation into possible collusion between Russia and the Trump campaign in 2016.

The Justice Department on Wednesday appointed former FBI Director Robert Mueller to lead the investigation. Mueller will have sweeping powers and the authority to prosecute any crimes he uncovers.

Senate Intelligence Committee Chairman Richard Burr who considered the appointment as a good decision said that ousted National Security Adviser Michael Flynn will not honor a subpoena issued by a Senate committee looking into Russia's meddling in the 2016 presidential election. Burr told reporters Thursday that Flynn's lawyer informed the panel he will not abide by a subpoena for private documents.

President Donald Trump lashed out at the appointment of a special counsel to investigate allegations that his campaign collaborated with Russia to sway the 2016 election, tweeting Thursday that it is "the single greatest witch hunt of a politician in American history!"

Reactions from Congress to Mueller's appointment were mainly positive, even though Republicans had dismissed an independent outside investigation as unnecessary and duplicative of what congressional committees already are doing.

Sen. John McCain of Arizona, the Republican chairman of the Armed Services Committee, says it's a "scandal" of Watergate proportions, and the only way to end it is to get out the full truth.

Republicans have largely stood behind Trump in the first months of his presidency as the FBI and congressional investigations into Russia's election meddling intensified. But GOP lawmakers have grown increasingly anxious since Trump fired Comey, who had been leading the bureau's probe - and after Comey associates said he had notes from a meeting in which Trump asked him to shut down the investigation into the Russia ties of former National Security Adviser Michael Flynn.

Washington - May 18, 2017

++SEPARATED BY BLACK++

1. SOUNDBITE (English) Sen. Richard Burr, (R) North Carolina:

"General Flynn's lawyer said that he would not honor the subpoena and that's not a surprise to the committee. But we'll figure out on General Flynn what the next step, if any, is. But we're continuing on with a lot of interviews and through those interviews it leads us to additional document requests and additional individuals we'd like to talk to."

2. SOUNDBITE (English) Sen. Richard Burr, (R) North Carolina:

"Director Comey is a public citizen now. He's not constrained by investigations and we think the most important thing that Director Comey can contribute now is an understanding by the American people of what transpired. We happen to think that an open hearing in front of the intelligence committee is the right way for him to do it since we've worked so closely with him and we respect him so much."

3. SOUNDBITE (English) Sen. Lindsey Graham, (R) South Carolina:

"Clearly foreign governments could interfere in our election, they did this time. They may be more successful next time. So the shape and the scope of the congressional investigation I think has dramatically changed. I respect the decision. Mueller is a good guy. But one of the big losers here is the public because we're not going to hear from Comey now most likely. I hope we do. I want to hear about the conversation. I want to know the context of it. But now that you have a special counsel, maybe that's off the table."

4. SOUNDBITE (English) Sen. Lindsey Graham, (R) South Carolina:

"I'm disappointed in many ways that the Congress may be taken out of the game now because we're a public venue. I thought Yates and Klapper were good. I thought Sally Yates was an excellent witness. I thought Klapper provided insight to the public that we all need to know, you know. It's our nation here. So hearings like that are probably now off the table, and too bad."

5. SOUNDBITE (English) Sen. Lindsey Graham, (R) South Carolina:

"I have reason to believe there may be emails between the Clinton campaign and Democratic officials and the Department of Justice during the Obama administration. There is a problem here with committee jurisdiction. If there were emails from the Clinton campaign of the Democratic operatives to the Department of Justice during the Clinton email investigation, I want to know about it."

6. SOUNDBITE (English) Sen. Ted Cruz. (R) Texas:

"I don't think appointing a special counsel was necessary. But if one was going to be appointed, I think Bob Mueller is an excellent choice. I've known Bob for two decades. And he is a serious law enforcement professional. He's someone who has been appointed positions by both Republicans presidents and Democratic presidents. And he's earned the trust on both sides of the aisles, from Republicans and Democrats. He is a fair minded, serious prosecutor. He led the FBI with great distinction. And I'm confident that he'll investigate the matter and follow the facts wherever they may lead."

7. SOUNDBITE (English) Sen. John McCain, (R) Arizona:

"In the respect that there is a new revelation almost everyday, like this morning there's a new revelation that there was more communications between the Trump campaign and the Russians in that respect that there is a new revelation every few days."

(Reporter question off camera): "How does the appointment of a special counsel change that?'

(McCain): "I think it's very important, but that is the investigate the criminal activity. The Senate and the House have to investigate the aspects of Russian activity from the standpoint of sanctions against Russia, what we do to counter these attacks, and all the aspects of cyber warfare."

SOUNDBITE (English) Sen. Patrick Toomey, (R): Pennsylvania:

"Well my opinion of Bob Mueller is that he's terrific, completely unimpeachable in all respects and widely recognized as such by everybody. I never really was convinced that this is the best way to go. We have in the past when we've used special prosecutors and special counsels it hasn't always ended well. My view was always that the president should move quickly to get a completely unimpeachable leader of the FBI, preferably a Democrat so that there would be no doubt that that organization is being run by somebody who has no allegiance to Donald Trump."

President Donald Trump's nominee for attorney general told senators Tuesday "it is vitally important" that special counsel Robert Mueller be allowed to complete his Russia investigation

William Barr said at his Senate Judiciary Committee confirmation hearing that it is in "the best interest of everyone...that this matter be resolved," adding, "the country needs a credible  resolution to these issues."

Barr said he believes Congress and the public must learn the results.

He also insisted that Trump never sought any promises, assurances or commitments before selecting him to be the country's chief law enforcement officer.

The top Democrat on the committee raised questions about a memo Barr wrote criticizing the Russia investigation and saying it showed a determine effort to undermine Bob Mueller.

Sen. Dianne Feinstein, a California Democrat, said she's also troubled by Barr's expansive view of presidential powers since he will be overseeing the special counsel's investigation into whether President Donald Trump or his associates coordinated with Russian election interference.

Barr has defended the memo. He says it was narrowly focused on a single theory of obstruction and didn't touch the broader questions surrounding Russian election interference.

Barr revealed Monday that he had sent the memo to White House lawyers and lawyers for Trump.

POOL

Washington, DC - 15 January 2019

1. Various shots of William Barr approaching witness table

2. Shots of Barr taking oath before testimony

3. Cutaway of committee chairman, Senator Lindsey Graham

4. SOUNDBITE (English) William Barr, Attorney General Nominee:

"It is the attorney general's responsibility to enforce the law even handedly and with integrity. The attorney general must ensure that the administration of justice, the enforcement of the law is above and away from politics. Nothing could be more destructive of our system of government, of the rule of law or the Department of Justice as an institution than any toleration of political interference with the enforcement of the law."

5. Wide shot of Barr testifying

6. SOUNDBITE (English) William Barr, Attorney General Nominee:

"If confirmed, I will serve with the same independence I did in 1991. At that time when President Bush chose me, he sought no promises and asked only that his attorney general act with professionalism and integrity. Likewise President Trump has sought no assurances, promises or commitments from me of any kind, either express or implied, and I have not given him any other than that I would run the department with professionalism and integrity."

7. Cutaway of committee members

8. SOUNDBITE (English) William Barr, Attorney General Nominee:

"I believe it is vitally important that the special counsel be allowed to complete his investigation. I have known Bob Mueller for 30 years. We worked closely together throughout my previous tenure at the Department of Justice. We've been friends since and I have the utmost respect for Bob and his distinguished record of public service. And when he was named special counsel I said his selection was good news and that knowing him, I had confidence he would handle the matter properly and I still have that confidence today. Given his public actions to date, I expect that the special counsel is well along in his investigation. At the same time, the president has been steadfast that he was not involved in any collusion with Russian attempts to interfere in the election. I believe it is in the best interests of everyone, the president, Congress and the American people, that this matter be resolved by allowing the special counsel to complete his work. The country needs a credible resolution to these issues and if confirmed, I will not permit partisan politics, personal interests or any other improper consideration to interfere with this or any other investigation. I will follow the special counsel regulations scrupulously and in good faith and on my watch Bob will be allowed to finish his work."

9. Wide shot of hearing

10. SOUNDBITE (English) Sen. Dianne Feinstein, Democrat, California:

"Your memo also shows a large, sweeping view of presidential authority and a determined effort, I thought, to undermine Bob Mueller even though you state you have been friends and are in the dark about many of the facts of the investigation. So it does raise questions about your willingness to reach conclusions before knowing the facts and whether you prejudge the Mueller investigation and I hope you'll make that clear today. It also raises a number of serious questions about your views on executive authority and whether the president is in fact above the law."

11. Wide side shot of hearing

Private tensions between Justice Department leaders and special counsel Robert Mueller's team broke into public view in extraordinary fashion Wednesday as Attorney General William Barr pushed back at complaints over his handling of the Trump-Russia investigation report and aimed his own criticism at the special counsel.

Testifying for the first time since releasing Mueller's report, Barr said he was surprised Mueller did not reach a conclusion on whether President Donald Trump had tried to obstruct justice, and that he felt compelled to step in with his own judgment that the president had committed no crime.

The airing of disagreements over the handling of the report was notable given the highly secretive nature of the special counsel's investigation and the public appearance for at least most of the probe that the Justice Department and Mueller's team were unified in approach.

But Barr sought to minimize the rift by suggesting the special counsel's concerns were largely about process, not substance.

Barr's appearance Wednesday before the Senate Judiciary Committee gave him his most extensive opportunity to explain the department's actions, including his news conference held before the Mueller report's release.

It was also a forum for him to repair a reputation bruised by allegations that he's the Republican president's protector and by the emergence of a private letter from Mueller that criticized his handling of the report.

Democrats seized on the daylight between the two men to attack Barr's credibility and accuse him of unduly spinning Mueller's report in the president's favor.

They also pressed him on whether he had misled Congress last month when he professed ignorance about complaints from the special counsel's team. Barr suggested he had not lied because he was in touch with Mueller himself and not his team.

"Mr. Barr, I feel your answer was purposely misleading, and I believe others do too," said Sen. Patrick Leahy, D-Vt.

While Democratic senators bluntly questioned Barr's actions, Republicans, in addition to defending Trump, focused on the president's 2016 Democratic opponent Hillary Clinton's email and campaign practices and what they feel is a lack of investigation of them.

Neither side broke much ground Wednesday on the specifics of Mueller's investigation, though Barr did articulate a robust defense of Trump as he made clear his firm conviction that there was no prosecutable case against the president for obstruction of justice.

Barr entered the hearing on the defensive following reports hours earlier that Mueller had complained to him in a letter and over the phone about the way his findings were being portrayed.

Two days after receiving Mueller's report, Barr released a four-page letter that summarized the main findings.

Mueller's letter, dated March 27, conveys his unhappiness that Barr released what the attorney general saw as the bottom-line conclusions of the special counsel's investigation and not the introductions and executive summaries that Mueller's team had prepared and believed conveyed more nuance and context than Barr's own letter. Mueller said he had communicated the same concern two days earlier.

Once Mueller submitted his report, his work was done and the document was "my baby," Barr insisted defiantly.

"It was my decision how and when to make it public. Not Bob Mueller's," he said.

POOL

Washington DC - 1 May 2019

1. Wide, Senate Judiciary Committee

2. SOUNDBITE: (English) Sen. Lindsey Graham, Chairman Judiciary Committee:

"The conclusions in your page four page summary, you think, accurately reflect his bottom line on collusion. Is that correct? (Barr: Yes) And you can read it for yourself if you got any doubt. As to obstruction of justice, were you surprised he was gonna let you decide?"

3. SOUNDBITE (English) William Barr, Attorney General:

"Yes, I was surprised. I ... I think the very purpose the function he was carrying out the prosecutor of investigative and prosecutor function is performed for the purpose of people. (Graham: How many people did he actually indict, do you know?) I can't remember off the top of my head. (Graham: It was a lot.) Yeah."

4. Mid, Barr listening

5. SOUNDBITE (English) William Barr, Attorney General:

"Thing that was confusing to me is that the investigation carried on for a while as additional episodes were were looked into, episodes involving the president. And so my question is or was why were those investigated if at the end of the day aren't going to reach a decision on them? (Graham: So did you consult Deputy Attorney General Rosenstein about the obstruction matter?) Constantly. (Graham: So, was he in agreement with your decision not to proceed forward?) Yes."

6. Wide, Barr listening

7. SOUNDBITE (English) Sen. Patrick Leahy, Democrat - Vermont:

"What really struck me, Mr. Mueller wrote that your letter threatened to undermine a central purpose for which the department appointed the special counsel to ensure full public confidence in the outcome of the investigation. Why did you testify on April 9th that you didn't know the concerns being expressed by Mueller's team, when in fact you had heard those concerns directly from Mr. Mueller two weeks before?"

8. SOUNDBITE (English) William Barr, Attorney General:

"Mueller had never told me that that might that the expression of the findings was inaccurate. But I did then volunteer that I thought they were talking about the desire to have more information put out, but it wasn't my purpose to put out more information."

9. SOUNDBITE (English) Sen. Patrick Leahy, Democrat - Vermont:

"Mr. Barr are you ... I feel your answer was purposely misleading and I think others do too. May I ask you another one? You said the president is fully cooperating with an investigation, but his attorney had told a defendant he'd be taken care of if he didn't cooperate with the investigation. Is there a conflict in that there are conflict in that?"

10. SOUNDBITE (English) William Barr, Attorney General:

"I'm sorry, could you just repeat that? (Leahy: Both Mr. Manafort and Mr. Cohen we're told by Trump's personal attorney they'd be taken care of if they did not cooperate. You said that the president was fully cooperate. Is there a conflict there? Yes or no.) No."

11. SOUNDBITE (English) Sen. Dick Durbin, Democrat - Illinois:

"No I'll just say this Mr. Barr if you received a letter from Bob Mueller a few days after your March 24th letter, it was clear he had some genuine concerns about what you had said and done to that point. Can we move to another topic?"

12. SOUNDBITE (English) William Barr, Attorney General:

"Yeah, his concerns was he wanted more added and I would analogize it to this my ... you know after, after a months long trial if if if I wanted to go out and get out to the public what the verdict was pending preparation of the full transcript and I'm out there saying here's the verdict. And the prosecutor comes up and taps me on the shoulder and says, 'well the verdict doesn't really fully capture all my work about that great cross examination I did or how about that third day of trial where I did that. This doesn't capture everything.' My answer to that is I'm not trying to capture everything. I'm just trying to state the verdict. (Durbin: No you just absolutely use the word summarize though in your letter.) Summarize the principal conclusions. (Durbin: Principle conclusions which most people would view as a summary.)"

13. SOUNDBITE (English) Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse, Democrat - Rhode Island:

"You described the report in four pages and it's a 400 page report, I don't know why you're cavalier about whether it is a summary or not?"

14. SOUNDBITE (English) William Barr, Attorney General:

"Because, as I state in the letter that I'm stating the principal conclusions. You know Bob Mueller is the equivalent of a U.S. attorney. He was exercising the powers of the attorney general subject to the supervision of the attorney general. He's part of the Department of Justice. His work concluded when he sent his report to the attorney general at that point it was my baby and I was making a decision as to whether or not to make it public. And I effectively overrode the regulations, use discretion, to lean as far forward as I could to make that public and was my decision how and when to make it public not Bob Mueller's."

15. Wide view of hearing

Private tensions between Justice Department leaders and special counsel Robert Mueller's team broke into public view in extraordinary fashion Wednesday as Attorney General William Barr pushed back at complaints over his handling of the Trump-Russia investigation report and aimed his own criticism at the special counsel.

Testifying for the first time since releasing Mueller's report, Barr said he was surprised Mueller did not reach a conclusion on whether President Donald Trump had tried to obstruct justice, and that he felt compelled to step in with his own judgment that the president had committed no crime.

The airing of disagreements over the handling of the report was notable given the highly secretive nature of the special counsel's investigation and the public appearance for at least most of the probe that the Justice Department and Mueller's team were unified in approach.

But Barr sought to minimize the rift by suggesting the special counsel's concerns were largely about process, not substance.

Barr's appearance Wednesday before the Senate Judiciary Committee gave him his most extensive opportunity to explain the department's actions, including his news conference held before the Mueller report's release.

It was also a forum for him to repair a reputation bruised by allegations that he's the Republican president's protector and by the emergence of a private letter from Mueller that criticized his handling of the report.

Democrats seized on the daylight between the two men to attack Barr's credibility and accuse him of unduly spinning Mueller's report in the president's favor.

They also pressed him on whether he had misled Congress last month when he professed ignorance about complaints from the special counsel's team. Barr suggested he had not lied because he was in touch with Mueller himself and not his team.

"Mr. Barr, I feel your answer was purposely misleading, and I believe others do too," said Sen. Patrick Leahy, D-Vt.

While Democratic senators bluntly questioned Barr's actions, Republicans, in addition to defending Trump, focused on the president's 2016 Democratic opponent Hillary Clinton's email and campaign practices and what they feel is a lack of investigation of them.

Neither side broke much ground Wednesday on the specifics of Mueller's investigation, though Barr did articulate a robust defense of Trump as he made clear his firm conviction that there was no prosecutable case against the president for obstruction of justice.

Barr entered the hearing on the defensive following reports hours earlier that Mueller had complained to him in a letter and over the phone about the way his findings were being portrayed.

Two days after receiving Mueller's report, Barr released a four-page letter that summarized the main findings.

Mueller's letter, dated March 27, conveys his unhappiness that Barr released what the attorney general saw as the bottom-line conclusions of the special counsel's investigation and not the introductions and executive summaries that Mueller's team had prepared and believed conveyed more nuance and context than Barr's own letter. Mueller said he had communicated the same concern two days earlier.

Once Mueller submitted his report, his work was done and the document was "my baby," Barr insisted defiantly.

"It was my decision how and when to make it public. Not Bob Mueller's," he said.

POOL

Washington DC - 1 May 2019

1. SOUNDBITE: (English) Sen. Lindsey Graham, Chairman Judiciary Committee:

"The conclusions in your page four page summary, you think, accurately reflect his bottom line on collusion. Is that correct? (Barr: Yes) And you can read it for yourself if you got any doubt. As to obstruction of justice, were you surprised he was gonna let you decide?"

2. SOUNDBITE (English) William Barr, Attorney General:

"Yes, I was surprised. I ... I think the very purpose the function he was carrying out the prosecutor of investigative and prosecutor function is performed for the purpose of people. (Graham: How many people did he actually indict, do you know?) I can't remember off the top of my head. (Graham: It was a lot.) Yeah."

3. Mid, Barr listening

4. SOUNDBITE (English) Sen. Patrick Leahy, Democrat - Vermont:

"What really struck me, Mr. Mueller wrote that your letter threatened to undermine a central purpose for which the Department appointed the special counsel to ensure full public confidence in the outcome of the investigation. Why did you testify on April 9th that you didn't know the concerns being expressed by Mueller's team, when in fact you had heard those concerns directly from Mr. Mueller two weeks before?"

5. SOUNDBITE (English) William Barr, Attorney General:

"Mueller had never told me that that might that the expression of the findings was inaccurate. But I did then volunteer that I thought they were talking about the desire to have more information put out, but it wasn't my purpose to put out more information."

6. SOUNDBITE (English) Sen. Patrick Leahy, Democrat - Vermont:

"Mr. Barr are you ... I feel your answer was purposely misleading and I think others do too."

7. SOUNDBITE (English) Sen. Dick Durbin, Democrat - Illinois:

"No I'll just say this Mr. Barr if you received a letter from Bob Mueller a few days after your March 24th letter, it was clear he had some general genuine concerns about what you had said and done to that point. Can we move to another topic?"

8. SOUNDBITE (English) William Barr, Attorney General:

"Yeah, his concerns was he wanted more added and I would analogize it to this my ... you know after, after a months long trial if if if I wanted to go out and get out to the public what the verdict was pending preparation of the full transcript and I'm out there saying here's the verdict. And the prosecutor comes up and taps me on the shoulder and says, 'well the verdict doesn't really fully capture all my work about that great cross examination I did or how about that third day of trial where I did that. This doesn't capture everything.' My answer to that is I'm not trying to capture everything. I'm just trying to state the verdict. (Durbin: No you just absolutely use the word summarize though in your letter.) Summarize the principal conclusions. (Durbin: Principle conclusions which most people would view as a summary.)"

9. SOUNDBITE (English) Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse, Democrat - Rhode Island:

"You described the report in four pages and it's a 400 page report, I don't know why you're cavalier about whether it is a summary or not?"

10. SOUNDBITE (English) William Barr, Attorney General:

"Because, as I state in the letter that I'm stating the principal conclusions. You know Bob Muller is the equivalent of a U.S. attorney. He was exercising the powers of the attorney general subject to the supervision of the attorney general. He's part of the Department of Justice. His work concluded when he sent his report to the attorney general at that point it was my baby and I was making a decision as to whether or not to make it public. And I effectively overrode the regulations, use discretion, to lean as far forward as I could to make that public and was my decision how and when to make it public not Bob Mueller's."

President Donald Trump's nominee for attorney general told senators Tuesday "it is vitally important" that special counsel Robert Mueller be allowed to complete his Russia investigation

William Barr said at his Senate Judiciary Committee confirmation hearing that it is in "the best interest of everyone...that this matter be resolved," adding, "the country needs a credible  resolution to these issues."

Barr said he believes Congress and the public must learn the results.

He also insisted that Trump never sought any promises, assurances or commitments before selecting him to be the country's chief law enforcement officer.

The top Democrat on the committee raised questions about a memo Barr wrote criticizing the Russia investigation and saying it showed a determine effort to undermine Bob Mueller.

Sen. Dianne Feinstein, a California Democrat, said she's also troubled by Barr's expansive view of presidential powers since he will be overseeing the special counsel's investigation into whether President Donald Trump or his associates coordinated with Russian election interference.

Barr has defended the memo. He says it was narrowly focused on a single theory of obstruction and didn't touch the broader questions surrounding Russian election interference.

Barr revealed Monday that he had sent the memo to White House lawyers and lawyers for Trump.

POOL

Washington, DC - 15 January 2019

1. Various shots of William Barr approaching witness table

2. Shots of Barr taking oath before testimony

3. Cutaway of committee chairman, Senator Lindsey Graham

4. SOUNDBITE (English) William Barr, Attorney General Nominee:

"It is the attorney general's responsibility to enforce the law even handedly and with integrity. The attorney general must ensure that the administration of justice, the enforcement of the law is above and away from politics. Nothing could be more destructive of our system of government, of the rule of law or the Department of Justice as an institution than any toleration of political interference with the enforcement of the law."

5. Wide shot of Barr testifying

6. SOUNDBITE (English) William Barr, Attorney General Nominee:

"If confirmed, I will serve with the same independence I did in 1991. At that time when President Bush chose me, he sought no promises and asked only that his attorney general act with professionalism and integrity. Likewise President Trump has sought no assurances, promises or commitments from me of any kind, either express or implied, and I have not given him any other than that I would run the department with professionalism and integrity."

7. Cutaway of committee members

8. SOUNDBITE (English) William Barr, Attorney General Nominee:

"I believe it is vitally important that the special counsel be allowed to complete his investigation. I have known Bob Mueller for 30 years. We worked closely together throughout my previous tenure at the Department of Justice. We've been friends since and I have the utmost respect for Bob and his distinguished record of public service. And when he was named special counsel I said his selection was good news and that knowing him, I had confidence he would handle the matter properly and I still have that confidence today. Given his public actions to date, I expect that the special counsel is well along in his investigation. At the same time, the president has been steadfast that he was not involved in any collusion with Russian attempts to interfere in the election. I believe it is in the best interests of everyone, the president, Congress and the American people, that this matter be resolved by allowing the special counsel to complete his work. The country needs a credible resolution to these issues and if confirmed, I will not permit partisan politics, personal interests or any other improper consideration to interfere with this or any other investigation. I will follow the special counsel regulations scrupulously and in good faith and on my watch Bob will be allowed to finish his work."

9. Wide shot of hearing

10. SOUNDBITE (English) Sen. Dianne Feinstein, Democrat, California:

"Your memo also shows a large, sweeping view of presidential authority and a determined effort, I thought, to undermine Bob Mueller even though you state you have been friends and are in the dark about many of the facts of the investigation. So it does raise questions about your willingness to reach conclusions before knowing the facts and whether you prejudge the Mueller investigation and I hope you'll make that clear today. It also raises a number of serious questions about your views on executive authority and whether the president is in fact above the law."

11. Wide side shot of hearing

Private tensions between Justice Department leaders and special counsel Robert Mueller's team broke into public view in extraordinary fashion Wednesday as Attorney General William Barr pushed back at complaints over his handling of the Trump-Russia investigation report and aimed his own criticism at the special counsel.

Testifying for the first time since releasing Mueller's report, Barr said he was surprised Mueller did not reach a conclusion on whether President Donald Trump had tried to obstruct justice, and that he felt compelled to step in with his own judgment that the president had committed no crime.

The airing of disagreements over the handling of the report was notable given the highly secretive nature of the special counsel's investigation and the public appearance for at least most of the probe that the Justice Department and Mueller's team were unified in approach.

But Barr sought to minimize the rift by suggesting the special counsel's concerns were largely about process, not substance.

Barr's appearance Wednesday before the Senate Judiciary Committee gave him his most extensive opportunity to explain the department's actions, including his news conference held before the Mueller report's release.

It was also a forum for him to repair a reputation bruised by allegations that he's the Republican president's protector and by the emergence of a private letter from Mueller that criticized his handling of the report.

Democrats seized on the daylight between the two men to attack Barr's credibility and accuse him of unduly spinning Mueller's report in the president's favor.

They also pressed him on whether he had misled Congress last month when he professed ignorance about complaints from the special counsel's team. Barr suggested he had not lied because he was in touch with Mueller himself and not his team.

"Mr. Barr, I feel your answer was purposely misleading, and I believe others do too," said Sen. Patrick Leahy, D-Vt.

While Democratic senators bluntly questioned Barr's actions, Republicans, in addition to defending Trump, focused on the president's 2016 Democratic opponent Hillary Clinton's email and campaign practices and what they feel is a lack of investigation of them.

Neither side broke much ground Wednesday on the specifics of Mueller's investigation, though Barr did articulate a robust defense of Trump as he made clear his firm conviction that there was no prosecutable case against the president for obstruction of justice.

Barr entered the hearing on the defensive following reports hours earlier that Mueller had complained to him in a letter and over the phone about the way his findings were being portrayed.

Two days after receiving Mueller's report, Barr released a four-page letter that summarized the main findings.

Mueller's letter, dated March 27, conveys his unhappiness that Barr released what the attorney general saw as the bottom-line conclusions of the special counsel's investigation and not the introductions and executive summaries that Mueller's team had prepared and believed conveyed more nuance and context than Barr's own letter. Mueller said he had communicated the same concern two days earlier.

Once Mueller submitted his report, his work was done and the document was "my baby," Barr insisted defiantly.

"It was my decision how and when to make it public. Not Bob Mueller's," he said.

POOL

Washington DC - 1 May 2019

1. Wide, Senate Judiciary Committee

2. SOUNDBITE: (English) Sen. Lindsey Graham, Chairman Judiciary Committee:

"The conclusions in your page four page summary, you think, accurately reflect his bottom line on collusion. Is that correct? (Barr: Yes) And you can read it for yourself if you got any doubt.  As to obstruction of justice, were you surprised he was gonna let you decide?"

3. SOUNDBITE (English) William Barr, Attorney General:

"Yes, I was surprised. I ... I think the very purpose the function he was carrying out the prosecutor of investigative and prosecutor function is performed for the purpose of people. (Graham: How many people did he actually indict, do you know?) I can't remember off the top of my head. (Graham: It was a lot.) Yeah."

4. Mid, Barr listening

5. SOUNDBITE (English) William Barr, Attorney General:

"Thing that was confusing to me is that the investigation carried on for a while as additional episodes were were looked into, episodes involving the president. And so my question is or was why were those investigated if at the end of the day aren't going to reach a decision on them? (Graham: So did you consult Deputy Attorney General Rosenstein about the obstruction matter?) Constantly. (Graham: So, was he in agreement with your decision not to proceed forward?) Yes."

6. Wide, Barr listening

7. SOUNDBITE (English) Sen. Patrick Leahy, Democrat - Vermont:

"What really struck me, Mr. Mueller wrote that your letter threatened to undermine a central purpose for which the department appointed the special counsel to ensure full public confidence in the outcome of the investigation. Why did you testify on April 9th that you didn't know the concerns being expressed by Mueller's team, when in fact you had heard those concerns directly from Mr. Mueller two weeks before?"

8. SOUNDBITE (English) William Barr, Attorney General:

"Mueller had never told me that that might that the expression of the findings was inaccurate. But I did then volunteer that I thought they were talking about the desire to have more information put out, but it wasn't my purpose to put out more information."

9. SOUNDBITE (English) Sen. Patrick Leahy, Democrat - Vermont:

"Mr. Barr are you ... I feel your answer was purposely misleading and I think others do too. May I ask you another one? You said the president is fully cooperating with an investigation, but his attorney had told a defendant he'd be taken care of if he didn't cooperate with the investigation. Is there a conflict in that there are conflict in that?"

10. SOUNDBITE (English) William Barr, Attorney General:

"I'm sorry, could you just repeat that? (Leahy: Both Mr. Manafort and Mr. Cohen we're told by Trump's personal attorney they'd be taken care of if they did not cooperate. You said that the president was fully cooperate. Is there a conflict there? Yes or no.) No."

11. SOUNDBITE (English) Sen. Dick Durbin, Democrat - Illinois:

"No I'll just say this Mr. Barr if you received a letter from Bob Mueller a few days after your March 24th letter, it was clear he had some genuine concerns about what you had said and done to that point. Can we move to another topic?"

12. SOUNDBITE (English) William Barr, Attorney General:

"Yeah, his concerns was he wanted more added and I would analogize it to this my ... you know after, after a months long trial if if if I wanted to go out and get out to the public what the verdict was pending preparation of the full transcript and I'm out there saying here's the verdict. And the prosecutor comes up and taps me on the shoulder and says, 'well the verdict doesn't really fully capture all my work about that great cross examination I did or how about that third day of trial where I did that. This doesn't capture everything.' My answer to that is I'm not trying to capture everything. I'm just trying to state the verdict.  (Durbin: No you just absolutely use the word summarize though in your letter.)  Summarize the principal conclusions.  (Durbin: Principle conclusions which most people would view as a summary.)"

13. SOUNDBITE (English) Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse, Democrat - Rhode Island:

"You described the report in four pages and it's a 400 page report, I don't know why you're cavalier about whether it is a summary or not?"

14. SOUNDBITE (English) William Barr, Attorney General:

"Because, as I state in the letter that I'm stating the principal conclusions. You know Bob Mueller is the equivalent of a U.S. attorney. He was exercising the powers of the attorney general subject to the supervision of the attorney general. He's part of the Department of Justice. His work concluded when he sent his report to the attorney general at that point it was my baby and I was making a decision as to whether or not to make it public. And I effectively overrode the regulations, use discretion, to lean as far forward as I could to make that public and was my decision how and when to make it public not Bob Mueller's."

15. Wide view of hearing

President Donald Trump's nominee for attorney general says he doesn't believe special counsel Robert Mueller (MUHL'-ur) "would be involved in a witch hunt."

Barr made the comment Tuesday at his confirmation hearing before the Senate Judiciary Committee.

Trump has repeatedly decried the special counsel's investigation as a "witch hunt" and has suggested he is being targeted by the Justice Department.

Mueller is investigating potential ties between Russia and the 2016 Trump campaign.

Barr also says it would be an "abuse of power" for Trump to intervene in an investigation he "has a stake in."

William Barr said Tuesday at his confirmation hearing he believes such an action would be a breach of the president's constitutional duties and could violate federal law depending upon the circumstances.

Barr was responding to questions from California Sen. Dianne Feinstein (FYN'-styn), the top Democrat on the Senate Judiciary Committee, in light of a memo he wrote criticizing special counsel Robert Mueller's obstruction-of-justice investigation.

Barr has said the memo was intended to be narrowly focused on one of Mueller's reported interpretations of obstruction. Barr also says his memo was based solely on public reporting and not any confidential information.

POOL

Washington - 15 January 2018

1. Wide of hearing

2. SOUNDBITE (English) Sen Lindsey Graham, (R) South Carolina:

"Are you familiar with the January 11th New York Times article about FBI open inquiry into whether Trump was secretly working on behalf of Russians."

3. SOUNDBITE (English) William Barr, Attorney General Nominee (off camera):

"Yes Mr. Chairman."

4. SOUNDBITE (English) Sen Lindsey Graham, (R) South Carolina:

"Would you promise me and this committee to look into this and tell us whether or not, in the appropriate way, a counterintelligence investigation was opened up by somebody at the FBI slash Department of Justice against President Trump."

5. SOUNDBITE (English) William Barr, Attorney General Nominee:

"Yes, Mr. Chairman. I think there were a number of investigations as I understand it going on in the department."

6.  SOUNDBITE (English) Sen Lindsey Graham, (R) South Carolina (off camera):

"You ever heard of such a thing in all the time you've been associated with the Department of Justice."

7. SOUNDBITE (English) William Barr, Attorney General Nominee:

"I have never heard of that."

8. SOUNDBITE (English) Sen Lindsey Graham, (R) South Carolina:

"Are there rules about how you can do counterintelligence investigations?"

9. SOUNDBITE (English) William Barr, Attorney General Nominee:

"I believe there are Mr. Chairman."

10. SOUNDBITE (English) Sen Lindsey Graham, (R) South Carolina (off camera):

"So if you want to open up one against the president. are there any checks and balances?"

11. SOUNDBITE (English) William Barr, Attorney General Nominee:

"Not outside the FBI."

12. SOUNDBITE (English) Sen Lindsey Graham, (R) South Carolina (off camera):

"OK well we need to look at that."

13. SOUNDBITE (English) Sen Lindsey Graham, (R) South Carolina:

"Mueller. You say you've known Mueller a long time. Would you say you have a close relationship with Mr. Mueller?"

14. SOUNDBITE (English) William Barr, Attorney General Nominee:

"I would say we were good friends."

15. SOUNDBITE (English) Sen Lindsey Graham, (R) South Carolina (off camera):

"Would you say that you understand him to be a fair minded person?."

16. SOUNDBITE (English) William Barr, Attorney General Nominee:

"Absolutely."

17. SOUNDBITE (English) Sen Lindsey Graham, (R) South Carolina (off camera):

"Do you trust him to be fair to the president and the country as a whole?"

18. SOUNDBITE (English) William Barr, Attorney General Nominee:

"Yes."

19. SOUNDBITE (English) Sen Lindsey Graham, (R) South Carolina (off camera):

"When his report comes to you, will you share with us as much as possible?"

20. SOUNDBITE (English) William Barr, Attorney General Nominee:

"Consistent with the regulations and the law, yes."

21. SOUNDBITE (English) Sen Lindsey Graham, (R) South Carolina:

"Do you believe Mr. Mueller would be involved in a witch hunt against anybody?"

22. SOUNDBITE (English) William Barr, Attorney General Nominee:

"I don't I don't believe Mr. Mueller would would be involved in a witch hunt."

23. SOUNDBITE (English) Sen. Dianne Feinstein, (D) California:

"Will you commit to no interference with the scope of the special counsel's investigation?"

24. SOUNDBITE (English) William Barr, Attorney General Nominee:

"I will--the scope of the special counsel's investigation is set by his charter and by the regulations and I will ensure that those are maintained."

25. SOUNDBITE (English) Sen. Dianne Feinstein, (D) California (off camera):

"Will you commit to providing Mr. Muller with the resources, funds and time needed to complete his investigation?"

26. SOUNDBITE (English) William Barr, Attorney General Nominee:

"Yes."

27. SOUNDBITE (English) Sen. Dianne Feinstein, (D) California (off camera):

"Will you commit to ensuring that Special Counsel Mueller is not terminated without good cause, consistent with department regulations?"

28. SOUNDBITE (English) William Barr, Attorney General Nominee:

"Absolutely."

29. SOUNDBITE (English) Sen. Dianne Feinstein, (D) California (off camera):

"If special counsel Mueller makes any request, for instance, about the scope of his investigation or resources for his investigation will you commit to notifying Congress if you deny that request?"

30. SOUNDBITE (English) William Barr, Attorney General Nominee:

"I think the regulations require notification of Congress if there's a disagreement."

31. SOUNDBITE (English) Sen. Dianne Feinstein, (D) California:

"Will you commit to making any report Mueller produces at the conclusion of his investigation available to Congress and to the public?"

32. SOUNDBITE (English) William Barr, Attorney General Nominee:

"As I said in my statement I am going to make as much information available as I can, consistent with the rules and regulations that are part of the special counsel regulations."

33. SOUNDBITE (English) Sen. Dianne Feinstein, (D) California (off camera):

"Will you commit to making any report on the obstruction of justice public?"

34. SOUNDBITE (English) William Barr, Attorney General Nominee:

"That's the same answer."

35. SOUNDBITE (English) Sen. Dianne Feinstein, (D) California:

"Your 2018 memo, in it, you stated and I quote 'the framers plan contemplates that the president's law enforcement powers extend to all matters including those in which he had a personal stake' end quote. Please explain what you base this conclusion on."

36. SOUNDBITE (English) William Barr, Attorney General Nominee:

"Here's the Department of Justice right here and within the Department of Justice, enforcement decisions are being made. The president's over here. And I think of it as there are two categories of potential communications. One would be on a case that the president wants to communicate about that he has no personal interest in no political interest in. Let's say the president is concerned about Chinese stealing trade secrets and say I want you to go after this company that's being, you know, that may be stealing trade secrets. That's perfectly appropriate for him to do, to communicate that, but whether it's bona fide or not, as I said in my statement, the Department of Justice's obligation and the attorney general's obligation is not to take any action unless we reach, we, the Department of Justice and the attorney general, reach their own, independent conclusion that it is justified under the law. And, regardless of the instruction and that's my quote that everyone is saying you know siccing you know it's OK for the president to direct things. All I said was it's not per se improper for the president to call on the department for doing something, especially if he has no personal or political interest in it. The other category of cases and let's pick a you know an easy bad example would be if a member of the president's family or a business associate or something was under investigation and he tries to intervene. He--he's the chief law enforcement officer and you could say well he has the power. But that would be a breach of his obligation under the Constitution to faithfully execute the laws. So in my opinion if he attempts, if a president attempts to intervene in a matter that he has a stake in to try to protect himself that should first be looked at as a breach of his constitutional duties whether it also violates a statute depending on what statute comes into play and what all the facts are."

The incoming chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee says Attorney General nominee William Barr has confidence in special counsel Robert Mueller (MUHL'-ur) and will let Mueller finish his Russia investigation.

Sen. Lindsey Graham says Barr has a "very, very high opinion" of Mueller.

The South Carolina Republican was among the members of the Senate Judiciary Committee who met with Barr on Wednesday as Barr made the rounds on Capitol Hill before his confirmation hearing next week.

President Donald Trump pushed out Attorney General Jeff Sessions last year and nominated Barr to replace him.

Trump's critics have warned that Barr may try to curtail Mueller's investigation, given that the president has repeatedly called it a "witch hunt."

And Barr wrote an unsolicited memo to the Justice Department last year critiquing Mueller's investigation

Washington DC - 9 January 2019

1. Cutaway of Graham and Barr in his office

2. SOUNDBITE (English) Sen. Lindsey Graham, (R) South Carolina, Incoming Chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee:

"I think the main thing people want to know is what's his view of the Mueller investigation. And I can assure you based on what I've heard, that he has a high opinion of Mr. Mueller, believes that Mr. Mueller is doing a professional job, will do a professional job. Be fair to the president of the country as a whole and has no reason for Mr. Mueller to stop doing his job and is commited to allowing Mr. Mueller to finish."

++SEPARATED BY WHITE FLASH++

3. SOUNDBITE (English) Sen. Lindsey Graham, (R) South Carolina, Incoming Chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee:

"As to the President I ask him, he said some pretty tough things. Mr. Barr said he's the one on the receiving end of this, he is sort of the accused and from the president's point of view, I think he believes it is a witch hunt and doesn't believe he did anything wrong and I can remember the Clinton days, when Ken Starr was part of a right-wing conspiracy. That is just sort of the way these things go."

++SEPARATED BY WHITE FLASH++

4. SOUNDBITE (English) Sen. Lindsey Graham, (R) South Carolina, Incoming Chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee:

"He had absolutely no indication he was going to tell Bob Mueller what to do, or how to do it. He is confident that Mr. Mueller will pursue the facts and the law."

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell says he doesn't intend to watch former special counsel Robert Mueller testify before Congress on Russia's interference in the 2016 election.

The Republican told reporters Tuesday the public already has a "pretty full picture" of Mueller's report.

McConnell said he doesn't know "how many times we want to see this movie again." He said the public has "moved on past" it.

Senate Judiciary Chairman Lindsey Graham told reporters that he's heard all he needs to hear from Mueller and he doesn't think it will change the public's mind.

The former special counsel is set to appear Wednesday in his first extended public remarks since being appointed more than two years ago to lead the probe.

Mueller's 448-page report released in April did not establish that Trump's campaign conspired or coordinated with Russia. But the special counsel did not exonerate President Donald Trump of wrongdoing in obstructing the investigation.

POOL

Washington - 23 July 2019

1. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell walks to speak with reporters

2. SOUNDBITE: (English) Sen. Mitch McConnell, Senate Majority Leader:

"The Americans have got a pretty full picture of it and I believe the Mueller report came out sometime back. No, I don't intend to be watching (Mueller's testimony)."

3. McConnell listens to reporter question on whether there is anything he wants to hear from Mueller

4. SOUNDBITE: (English) Sen. Mitch McConnell, Senate Majority Leader:

"We've already heard from him. It seems to me - I don't know how many times we want to see this movie again - but I think the American people have moved on past this."

5. McConnell departs

ASSOCIATED PRESS

Washington - 23 July 2019

6. SOUNDBITE: (English) Sen. Lindsey Graham, (R) South Carolina:

"It won't reshape my dynamic. I've heard all I need to hear from Mueller. I've read his report. I accept the findings. I don't think it's going to change public opinion. Having been involved in the Clinton impeachment if the public's not with you, you'll pay a price and I don't think anything Mueller can say that's going to change anybody's mind. (Reporter: Why don't you want to bring him before your commitee?) Because I've heard all I need to hear."

++ENDS ON A SOUNDBITE++

FOR CLEAN VERSION SEE STORY NUMBER: apus120815

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell says he doesn't intend to watch former special counsel Robert Mueller testify before Congress on Russia's interference in the 2016 election.

The Republican told reporters Tuesday the public already has a "pretty full picture" of Mueller's report.

McConnell said he doesn't know "how many times we want to see this movie again." He said the public has "moved on past" it.

Senate Judiciary Chairman Lindsey Graham told reporters that he's heard all he needs to hear from Mueller and he doesn't think it will change the public's mind.

The former special counsel is set to appear Wednesday in his first extended public remarks since being appointed more than two years ago to lead the probe.

Mueller's 448-page report released in April did not establish that Trump's campaign conspired or coordinated with Russia. But the special counsel did not exonerate President Donald Trump of wrongdoing in obstructing the investigation.

POOL

Washington - 23 July 2019

1. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell listens to reporter question

2. SOUNDBITE: (English) Sen. Mitch McConnell, Senate Majority Leader:

"The Americans have got a pretty full picture of it and I believe the Mueller report came out sometime back. No, I don't intend to be watching (Mueller's testimony)."

3. McConnell listens to reporter question on whether there is anything he wants to hear from Mueller

4. SOUNDBITE: (English) Sen. Mitch McConnell, Senate Majority Leader:

"We've already heard from him. It seems to me - I don't know how many times we want to see this movie again - but I think the American people have moved on past this."

ASSOCIATED PRESS

Washington - 23 July 2019

5. SOUNDBITE: (English) Sen. Lindsey Graham, (R) South Carolina:

"It won't reshape my dynamic. I've heard all I need to hear from Mueller. I've read his report. I accept the findings. I don't think it's going to change public opinion. Having been involved in the Clinton impeachment if the public's not with you, you'll pay a price and I don't think anything Mueller can say that's going to change anybody's mind. (Reporter: Why don't you want to bring him before your commitee?) Because I've heard all I need to hear."

++ENDS ON A SOUNDBITE++

US Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell says he doesn't intend to watch former special counsel Robert Mueller testify before Congress on Russia's interference in the 2016 election.

The Republican told reporters Tuesday the public already has a "pretty full picture" of Mueller's report.

McConnell said he doesn't know "how many times we want to see this movie again." He said the public has "moved on past" it.

Senate Judiciary Chairman Lindsey Graham told reporters that he's heard all he needs to hear from Mueller and he doesn't think it will change the public's mind.

The former special counsel is set to appear Wednesday in his first extended public remarks since being appointed more than two years ago to lead the probe.

Mueller's 448-page report released in April did not establish that Trump's campaign conspired or coordinated with Russia. But the special counsel did not exonerate US President Donald Trump of wrongdoing in obstructing the investigation.

POOL

Washington DC - 23 July 2019

1. US Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell walks to speak with reporters

2. SOUNDBITE: (English) Sen. Mitch McConnell, Senate Majority Leader:

"The Americans have got a pretty full picture of it and I believe the Mueller report came out sometime back. No, I don't intend to be watching (Mueller's testimony)."

3. McConnell listens to reporter question on whether there is anything he wants to hear from Mueller

4. SOUNDBITE: (English) Sen. Mitch McConnell, Senate Majority Leader:

"We've already heard from him. It seems to me - I don't know how many times we want to see this movie again - but I think the American people have moved on past this."

5. McConnell departs

ASSOCIATED PRESS

Washington DC - 23 July 2019

6. SOUNDBITE: (English) Sen. Lindsey Graham, (R) South Carolina:

"It won't reshape my dynamic. I've heard all I need to hear from Mueller. I've read his report. I accept the findings. I don't think it's going to change public opinion. Having been involved in the Clinton impeachment if the public's not with you, you'll pay a price and I don't think anything Mueller can say that's going to change anybody's mind. (Reporter: Why don't you want to bring him before your commitee?) Because I've heard all I need to hear."

++ENDS ON A SOUNDBITE++

The Republican chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee says his panel will "unpack the other side of the story" of special counsel Robert Mueller's probe into President Donald Trump and his campaign.

Sen. Lindsey Graham, who spent the weekend with Trump in Florida, said his committee will investigate the actions of the Justice Department in the Russia investigation, including the FBI's use of a dossier compiled by British spy Christopher Steele.

Graham spoke Monday after Attorney General William Barr reported to Congress on Mueller's findings. Barr said Mueller found no evidence that Trump or his associates conspired with Russia. Mueller did not make a determination on whether Trump obstructed justice.

Graham said he will be speaking with Barr at noon and wants him to testify before his committee.

Washington, DC - 25 March 2019

1. Wide shot of Lindsey Graham walking into the Senate press gallery

2. SOUNDBITE (English) Lindsey Graham, R-South Carolina:

"The Mueller report is complete. I have a phone call with Attorney General Barr at noon about what's next. What's next, I hope, will be that he will come to the committee, release as much as possible of the Mueller report."

++BLACK BETWEEN SOUNDBITES++

3. SOUNDBITE (English) Lindsey Graham, R-South Carolina:

"It's clear to be from the 4-page summary by Attorney General Barr that the Russians did in fact hack into the DNC, the Podesta emails. It was the Russians. There wasn't some 300 pound guy sitting on a bed somewhere. And the conclusion was firm, without equivocation, that no one on the Trump campaign colluded with the Russians when it came to the 2016 election."

++BLACK BETWEEN SOUNDBITES++

4. SOUNDBITE (English) Lindsey Graham, R-South Carolina:

"So I hope soon to have as much of the report released as possible and what happens next? What happens next is that I have been talking since 2017, the end of 2017, about the other side of the story and nobody much appeared, appears to care, but I hope you will find some interest now. That the FISA warrant issued against Carter Page, based on a dossier prepared by Christopher Steel,e is at a minimum disturbing. Whether or not it's a legal I don't yet know. So I'm going to get answers to this."

++BLACK BETWEEN SOUNDBITES++

5. SOUNDBITE (English) Lindsey Graham, R-South Carolina:

"(Reporter question: Is it your belief that the Russians were trying to ...?)

Absolutely. I think, there's things I can't tell you. They were out to get us all. Here's what I told Trump for whatever it's worth. I think the dossier, a lot of it came from the Russian intelligence service. If you just think Russia just likes Trump and hate Clinton you're missing the point of what they're trying to do. They're trying to divide all of us against each other and done a pretty good job of it. They're still at it, by the way, they're still doing this. And one of the things I want to take away from this whole endeavor is to try to find ways to fix it. Critical infrastructure before this debate was power companies, financial services. Now it's got to be the political system. Parties need to realize that they're subject to being attacked, that the vote vote tallying process needs to be hardened, that the social media outlets that we all rely upon and enrich our lives can be co-opted to spread lies to pit one American against the other. If we don't take that from this investigation that the Russians tried to do it and they're going to keep trying then we missed a real big point."

++ENDS ON A SOUNDBITE++