House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said in an interview with the AP that Attorney General Bill Barr's Senate testimony on Wednesday calls into question his independence, adding that Barr is "not the attorney general of Donald Trump. He is the attorney general of the United States."
The backdrop: Barr on Wednesday told a Senate Appropriations subcommittee that he believes spying by law enforcement officials on the 2016 Trump campaign "did occur," and that he would be reviewing "both the genesis and conduct" of the Russia investigation. The so-called "spygate" scandal, which relates to alleged FISA abuses by the intelligence community, has been frequently promoted by defenders of President Trump. It has not been corroborated.
- When pressed toward the end of the hearing, Barr clarified his remarks: "I am not saying that improper surveillance occurred. I am saying that I am concerned about it and I’m looking into it."
The big picture: Barr plans on submitting a redacted version of special counsel Robert Mueller's report by next week. He has said that once it becomes public, he is happy to negotiate with the Senate and House Judiciary chairmen to determine what other material can be released. On the question of releasing grand jury materials, however, Barr has said that he is bound by the law and has no intention of asking a judge to unseal anything.
Go deeper: Barr says he will release redacted Mueller report "within a week"
