Democrats grill Barr amid reports of Mueller's frustration

The attorney general appears before Congress amid reports that the special counsel told him his four-page summary of the investigation caused confusion.

WASHINGTON — Attorney General William Barr testified before Congress on Wednesday for the first time since the release of a redacted version of special counsel Robert Mueller’s report of his nearly two-year investigation into Russian election meddling and possible obstruction by President Donald Trump.

The hearing before the Senate Judiciary Committee began with heated questions from Democrats, who grilled Barr over reports that Mueller wrote a letter to him saying that the attorney general's initial four-page description of the special counsel's conclusions had caused public confusion.

In the letter and a subsequent phone call to Barr, Mueller said the attorney general’s brief summary of the 448-page report did not fully capture its "context, nature and substance," according to The Washington Post, which first reported on the letter late Tuesday.

Barr's letter to Congress, which was made public at the time, said the Mueller investigation "did not establish that members of the Trump Campaign conspired or coordinated with the Russian government in its election interference activities." It also said the special counsel's investigation "did not draw a conclusion — one way or the other — as to whether the examined conduct constituted obstruction."

Democrats are claiming Barr misled Congress in testimony to Congress last month when asked about reports that Mueller's team was frustrated with his description of their conclusions.