America needs public, no-holds-barred testimony before Congress by Mueller

WASHINGTON >> It’s Mueller time.

We need public, no-holdsbarred testimony before Congress by special counsel Robert Mueller, and we need it now. As we saw Wednesday, we’re not going to get the truth out of Attorney General William Barr.

Democrats on the Senate Judiciary Committee got some. Thanks to Sen. Kamala Harris of California, we learned Barr didn’t even review the voluminous evidence underlying Mueller’s report before exonerating President Trump of obstruction of justice — despite Mueller’s report stating the evidence “does not exonerate” the president.

When Harris asked whether Trump or anyone in the White House had ever asked him to investigate anyone, Barr didn’t say yes or no. And questioning by other committee members revealed that Barr’s cavalier dismissal of a clear act of obstruction by Trump — telling Don McGahn, then White House counsel, to have Mueller fired — rests on a laughable, made-up distinction Barr draws between “firing” and “removing” someone.

Given how he has misled the public and Congress, Barr should be, um, removed. But Trump won’t do that. In Barr he has his dream attorney general, a personal advocate who puts loyalty to him above duty and honor. If Barr had nothing to hide, he’d be delighted to face extended questioning by House Judiciary Committee staff attorneys. Instead, when Chairman Jerry Nadler, D-N.Y., convened the committee Thursday, Barr didn’t show.

It’s clear Barr was dishonest about the Mueller report. Mueller agrees. His letter of complaint sent to Barr on March 27 said: “The summary letter the Department sent to Congress and released to the public late in the afternoon of March 24 did not fully capture the context, nature, and substance of this office’s work and conclusions.”

The full report, minus redactions, was eventually released — but only after Barr had preemptively decided to ignore its substantial evidence of an effective partnership between the Trump campaign and the Russians, along with overwhelming evidence that Trump committed multiple acts of obstruction in office.

“It was my baby,” Barr said, referring to the Mueller report. But it actually belongs to the American people, and while some Republican members of Congress refuse to read it, I hope their constituents do. It shows that Trump and those around him are chronic liars who dishonor the nation.

Mueller’s letter of quiet outrage suggests his view of the import of his findings differs substantially from Barr’s. And that is why the nation needs to hear directly from Mueller.

Mueller and Barr both knew that by putting his concerns in writing — instead of making a call as Barr preferred — Mueller created a record that would inevitably become public. No wonder Barr considered it “snitty.”

Barr has said he doesn’t object to Mueller testifying before Congress, and Nadler said he is working to pin down a date. That will be must-see TV.

Barr’s rationale for clearing Trump of obstruction is so shaky, it’s considered risible by many legal experts, including Fox News’ senior judicial analyst, former judge Andrew Napolitano, who wrote, “This sophistry would make the Jesuits proud.”

Reading the Mueller report, the evidence for obstruction seems a slam-dunk. The evidence for collusion, if not conspiracy, though largely overlooked, is also strong. When Mueller testifies, I expect an honest, thorough tour through the evidence, led by an honorable public servant with respect for the Constitution and the interests of the nation. In other words, what we should have gotten Wednesday, but didn’t.

Congress has to decide whether to impeach, and voters need to decide whether to reelect Trump. Hearing from Mueller will inform those choices.