You then delay the full report, leaving america in peoples doing with their misleading summary of support of President Trumps bogus claims that there was no collusion or obstruction. You repeat the claims today that there was no basis to the investigation and it was politically motivated and calling it the russiagate scandal. 2019, the Justice Departments own Inspector General, michael horowitz, found it had been initiated without political bias and appropriately. A. G. Barr no. That was not mr. Horwitzs finding . A. G. Barr no. You are wrong. A. G. Barr he said he found reclaiming my time, without political bias. Reclaiming my time, in april of this year, the Republicanled SenateIntelligence Committee unanimously found that russia interfered with our elections and attempted to undermine american democracy, correct customer correct . A. G. Barr i said so, too. Is it ever appropriate for a president to accept foreign assistance in an election . A. G. Barr it depends on the assistance. Is it ever appropriate for the president president ial candidate except or solicit foreign assistance of any kind in his or her election . A. G. Barr no, it is not appropriate. I saw you had to struggle with that one, mr. Attorney general. Lets turn to the First Amendment. Americans have been exercising their First Amendment rights peacefully protest Police Brutality against black people. I listen to you this morning and read your statement, and we are aware of individuals engaging in violent acts. We agree that is wrong, but there was a lot missing from your statement. As you have seen, a vast majority of protesters are peaceful, and despite that, unidentified federal agents have attempted to prevent peaceful americans from exercising the First Amendment rights, even using unmarked vehicles to grab protesters off the street and using teargas ammunitions against them. You forcefully condemned protesters this morning. Let me ask you, i have you not condemned the federal officers standing in the cities without proper training for attempting to take away the Constitutional Rights of americans peacefully protesting . A. G. Barr i have not condemned protesters. Protesters are good. They are part of the First Amendment. What i am condemning is people committing crimes. We agree. Do you think it is appropriate for officers to use force against Peaceful Protesters, yes or no . A. G. Barr not against Peaceful Protesters. You also do not mention in your testimony that underwrote officers have even tear grassed elective representative teargas elected representatives. Onewest teargas by a federal occupying force. They saw them throw canisters of poison in a nonviolent crowd, including elders and the vulnerable. On july 23, mayor wheeler said he was teargas and calls their acts aboard. These are elected representatives with grave concerns that officers are using these tactics, including teargassing nonviolent, elderly american. Do you ever think it is appropriate to use teargas on Peaceful Protesters, yes or no . A. G. Barr the problem in these things sometimes occurs because it is hard to separate my question is specific. Do you everything it is appropriate to use teargas on Peaceful Protesters, yes or no . A. G. Barr it is appropriate to use teargas when it is indicated on Peaceful Protesters . A. G. Barr an Unlawful Assembly and unfortunately, Peaceful Protesters are affected by it. There is video evidence, as well. I will ask you to look at this video. [video clip] video capturing the nations attention this weekend. David, video is of super a navy veteran, being beaten and tear gassed by officers. Do you think that was appropriate . A. G. Barr i did not see the teargas. There seems to be gas in the area. I do not know what kind of gas and i do not know it was directed at him. Do you think it was appropriate . A. G. Barr the Inspector General is reviewing that. Do you think you deserve to get pepper spray and beaten to the point of broken bones . A. G. Barr the Inspector General will review the incident. As the top lawenforcement official in our country, do you think peaceful american protesters deserve to be beaten, pepper spray and have their bones broken by federal officers . A. G. Barr i do not think what was happening immediately around the courthouse was a peaceful protest. That is not my question. My question is, reclaiming my time. Reclaiming my time, mr. Barr. Do you think as the top Law Enforcement official in this country, that americans who show up easily protest should be expected to be beaten, and have their bones broken by federal officials and pepper spray . A. G. Barr i do not think Peaceful Protesters should face that. Is this detecting the First Amendment of freedom for americans at least as important as protecting a building from vandalism i have not closed the question. You are attempting to take it away and what is worse is for the sole purpose of furthering the president s political agenda. The Justice Department is responsible for protecting the Constitutional Rights for americans and not to serve as the president s personal bully. It is worth remembering every separate jet and person who marched to end child labor and abolitionist who marched to and slavery was a protester. It transformed us from colonists into a nation of protesters. They are deep american examples of values, and a desire for the country to be at its best self. One of americas most beloved and effective protesters, john lewis, lies in state 1008 from here in a deserved race of honor. Sir, your failure to respect Peaceful Protesters in this country is a disgrace, and american in, and it is important to remember what they are about, black lives matter. Abuse at the hands of police on black americans. One to you to see a video that fairly represents peaceful protests happening across america that you conveniently omitted your testimony and statement. There was a nine minute video shown by the other side. It is not online, only part of it. [video clip] hands up, please do not shoot me. Hands up, please do not shoot me hands of, please do not shoot me hands up, please do not shoot me hands up, please do not shoot me hands up, please do not shoot me hands up, please do not shoot me hands up, please do not shoot me hands up, please do not shoot me mr. Chairman, real quick, i do not think we have ever had a hearing where the witness was not allowed to respond to points made, questions asked, and attacks made. Not just in this hearing or committee but every committee i have in on, particularly when you think about the fact that we have the attorney general of the United States here. The gentleman does not have time. I do not want the time but i went there attorney general to have enough time to respond to accusations and russians asked of him and you not cut him and questions asked of him and not you cut him off. What you want is irrelevant of the rules. Mr. Chairman, am i going to get an additional 2. 5 minutes that he had . The gentleman is recognized. You foral barr, thank your service to our country and your continued service to ensure our country is safe. I encourage you to ignore the mob. These attacks from, kratz and the left wing biased, mainstream media. Be strong and courageous. The mass majority of the country supports you, supports you from keeping our country safe from rioters, nudists and anarchists. Ers, andpy loot anarchists. I am happy you are at the head. I would like to focus on the of fbisf the report on the unlawful surveillance of trim Campaign Trump campaign associates. Isnt it true that they found under the obamawriting Administration Made 17 significant errors in phis applications are so real trumps Trump Campaign associate carter page . A. G. Barr i think that is right. How many errors are acceptable when the fbi targets americans . A. G. Barr none are acceptable. Then there was the complete file failure the fbi operated under the obamabiting administration. The Inspector General found 51 assertions in the five applications for the surveillance page. Documentationng lacking, two, it did not support the factual assertion, or three, it showed the factual assertion was inaccurate. The Inspector General testified there should not have even been one error, yet, he found 51. Why is it so important for surveillance targeting americans to be intact . A. G. Barr especially under fisa , which is a counterintelligence tool and is not have the same builtin protections that the criminal justice process would have, it is very important because you are going to be spying on americans that you have demonstrated an appropriate basis for doing that, and therefore, there is an on the investigative agency, in this case, the fbi, to have Accurate Information on the basis of their surveillance. I think the bureau has been working very hard to correct those problems and put in place a much more effective system of guaranteeing that the information is accurate. Fbi under thethe Obamabiden Administration had insufficient evidence to obtain a pfizer warrant and did not look at facts on probable cause . A. G. Barr i do not want to characterize it. This is part of what is under review. Some exculpatory information was not passed along to the court, let me put it that way. That was evident in the Inspector Generals report. I will yield the remainder of my time to mr. Jordan. Thank you for yielding. Deploy federal Law Enforcement to enforce federal law . A. G. Barr yes. Do you apply federal lawenforcement to protect a dual property . A. G. Barr yes. For the Federal Building in portland be standing today view did not deploy federal Law Enforcement . A. G. Barr i do not think so. To have been multiple attempts to set it afire. I do not understand why a small contingent of marshals inside the court poses a threat to anybodys First Amendment right. They set up a fence on federal property, i am told, around the court, and when people are arrested, it is because they are trying to come into the fence. These are not Peaceful Protesters. They bring power tools to cut the wire and so forth to get in. This is a strange occupation when you have 100, 120 federal people behind the fence trying to protect the building and all these people are trying to cut their way in. That is the occupation of the city . Thank you. Did the chicago fraternal order of police or president asked for your help . A. G. Barr dude who asked . The head of the fop david who asked for my help did who asked for my help question are a. G. Barr the fop in chicago . A. G. Barr i think he did. Is there anything you would like to add to mr. Horwitzs report . My understanding a. G. Barr my understanding of the recollection is it did not nine bias, and he made that clear and subsequent testimony. He said he could not find a document or evidence demonstrating bias. Would it be helpful if mr. Horwitz came in front of the committee and the individual who raised concern could ask him himself about what he found in the reports that we have not yet had a hearing on. The gentlemans time has expired. Thank you. Sir, did i hear you correctly say that the purpose of unleashing this federal agent assault with tear gas and rubber bullets and pepper spray on 2000 nonviolent protesters in Lafayette Square was secure and defend the st. Johns Episcopal Church . Was that the purpose . A. G. Barr i did not say that. The purpose was to move the been the, which had plan all day, as far as i am aware of. So it was legitimate a. G. Barr we are talking about the june 1 . There june 1 all salt assault, including my constituents. A. G. Barr i do not think it was an assault. They were told by the speaker that the park police were preparing to clear a street and could they move off . Think you said that st. Johns Episcopal Church would have been open. A. G. Barr on sunday night i believe. Are you aware that the record of the church at the Episcopal Church process bishop, along with the catholic ship of the archdiocese of washington denounced this Police Assault on the civil rights and liberties of the people . A. G. Barr did they do that before or after the fire was put out . All that i know is theyd announced what you did, and if you read what the archbishop, the episcopal archbishop of washington wrote said that using police force to clear nonviolent protesters without notice in order to conduct this grotesque photo opportunity was antithetical to the principles of christianity. What i wanted to ask you about was covid19 because we now lead the world in covid19 death and case count. President trump promised the magicallyuld disappear. He told his people to slow down the testing and refused for months to wear a mask. Last night, he retweeted a number of messages that dr. Fauci misled the American People by listing at oxo cork and as a cure, and now we have 150,000 dead americans and 4 million hydroxychloroquine as a cure, and now we have 150 thousand dead americans and 4 million infected, and you through the weight of the Justice Department behind his campaign to shut down safe Public Health orders in march and april. If you look at the screen, you will see two tweets from the president of the United States, liberate michigan, liberate virginia. On april 17, he retweeted the slogans of rightwing protesters were blocking access to hospitals im trying to overthrow those states. You snapped attention on april 27 by designating a prosecutor to try and bring down those Public Health orders in michigan and virginia. Two days later, armed rightwing protesters and whites apprentice disrupted the michigan legislature, leveling death threats, confronting police, tontine lawmakers, and forcing the legislature to shut down as they brandish their long guns and shouted in the faces of Police Officers, but you do not send in a secret police force on horseback to unleash tear gas, pepper spray and rubber bullets against these protesters storming the state capital of michigan, no. By joiningd it litigation against the governors of michigan and virginia. Of course, your side lost emotions for emergency injunction, but you spread the trump message that it was time to call off the stayathome orders, the masking and social distancing. Heres is what you said on National Television in april claiming the cure was worse then the disease cannot keep beating the patient chemotherapy and say, well, we are killing the cancer because we are getting to the point where we are killing the patient. Do you remember that . A. G. Barr yes. What did you mean . A. G. Barr exactly what it says, you have to balance the cure with the danger, which relieved the governors. I know everyone likes to lay this is a federal republic and the present perspective that. The response has been largely run by governors. For someone who claims to be so concerned about executive overreach, i have not heard anyone talk about keeping an eye on what the governor is doing. And that is the department of excuse me. A. G. Barr area of religious liberty. The Supreme Court rejected your position on religious liberty 54 and there was nothing wrong with Public Health orders apply to churches. A. G. Barr that was on an injunction. Do you accept that or do not accept that . A. G. Barr umm. We will talk about it later. With no vaccine or cure insight, you worked to disarm the states of the only weapon we have against the disease, the measures. Lth now, we pay the price of the policy in overrun intensive care units and morgues, a shortage of refrigerated trucks, coffins, in outofcontrol pandemic, which makes us a global pariah state which people cannot enter, canada. G do you know what dr. Fauci was saying at the same time that you are moving to take down the Public Health orders . Here is what he was warning us about three months ago about the premature abandonment of health orders. If only you had the same. He said i feel if that occurs, there is a real risk you will trigger an outbreak and you may not be able to control it. We were not taking a. G. Barr we were not taking down Public Health orders. The gentlemans time can you reinstate my time because this witness you went over your time. The gentlemans time is expired. Mr. Chairman . The gentleman is recognized. We do have the governor and virginia engaged in overreach, particularly regarding the civil rights of virginians and their expression of their religious faith. I want to give the attorney general the opportunity to respond to the gentleman from maryland. A. G. Barr we adopted a narrow approach of calling to the attention, usually by letter, not by lawsuit, of situations where they were treating religion worse than they were