Thread by @weareoversight

Attorney General William Barr is testifying before the House Judiciary Committee and is expected to be questioned about the politicization of DOJ and alleged abuse of power.

We’ve been investigating Barr, here’s some of what we’ve uncovered. #BarrHearing
americanoversight.org/investigation/…

Earlier this month, documents we obtained showed Barr met with President Trump’s personal lawyer Rudy Giuliani in August 2019 — even as the Ukraine investigation was ramping up.

https://twitter.com/weareoversight/status/1283893318041182209?s=20

According to email records, the meeting had been requested by Barr on Aug. 19, contradicting the Justice Department’s previous assertions that Barr dropped-by incidentally.

Press had previously reported that Barr had dropped in on a meeting between Giuliani and top criminal prosecutors at the Justice Department, though the documents we obtained reveal at least two meetings with Giuliani.

DOJ stated shortly after the House announced its impeachment inquiry in late September that said Barr had not “discussed [the Ukraine] matter, or anything relating to Ukraine, with Rudy Giuliani.”

At the time of the meeting, Giuliani was working behind the scenes to convince Ukraine to announce investigations into Burisma and Trump’s potential political rival Joe Biden.

americanoversight.org/newly-unearthe…

We obtained text message records of a memo Barr sent in 2018 — while still a private citizen — to then-Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein outlining his criticism of the Russia investigation.
americanoversight.org/document/doj-r…

That memo prompted calls for Barr to recuse himself from overseeing Mueller’s work, which he refused to do. Barr then launched an investigation into the origins of the Mueller probe.

Records we obtained revealed that in spring 2019 — immediately after Mueller completed his report — Barr had multiple meetings and calls with U.S. Attorney John Durham, the federal prosecutor he had appointed to examine the Russia investigation.

americanoversight.org/documents-we-o…

"[T]he frequency of their face-to-face meetings during this critical time — while Mueller’s office wrapped up its work — raised questions for several former [DOJ] lawyers who learned of Barr’s meetings this week,” wrote CNN in its report on the records.

cnn.com/2020/05/20/pol…

We’re also suing DOJ to uncover more documents that could shed light on the politicization at DOJ and Barr’s actions.

In June, we sued DOJ for Barr’s calendars, call logs, visitor logs, and texts.

americanoversight.org/american-overs…

In May, we sued DOJ to compel the release of communications about the unprecedented move to dismiss the criminal case against former National Security Adviser Michael Flynn. Flynn had pleaded guilty and was convicted of the charges.
americanoversight.org/american-overs…

Barr’s DOJ also interfered with the sentencing of Roger Stone. As part of Robert Mueller’s investigation, Stone was indicted for witness tampering and obstruction and lying to Congress. In November 2019, after a trial, Stone was found guilty of both.

In February, Justice Department career prosecutors recommended a sentence of 7 to 9 years imprisonment for Stone.

Trump tweeted his displeasure at the prosecution team’s recommendations, calling it a “miscarriage of justice.”

Then, in a highly unusual move, DOJ political leadership overruled that recommendation, advocating for a lighter sentence, prompting 4 of the prosecutors to abruptly withdraw from the case.

Trump responded by tweeting his “congratulations” to Attorney General William Barr for “taking charge of a case that was totally out of control and perhaps should not have even been brought.”

More than 2,000 former DOJ employees signed an open letter demanding Barr resign for approving the sentencing.

This month, Trump commuted Stone’s sentence.

washingtonpost.com/national-secur…

In February, we requested records of communications that top DOJ officials, including Barr, had about the Stone case, including with the White House or with the prosecution team.

americanoversight.org/american-overs…

As we wrote in June, “Each week brings a new example of how Attorney General William Barr has acted not as the nation’s chief law enforcement officer representing the American people, but as President Donald Trump’s personal lawyer serving Trump’s political interests.”

As Barr’s long-awaited House hearing unfolds today, we’ll be listening closely to what he says — and doesn’t say — and we’ll continue demanding answers about his deeply troubling management of the Justice Department.