William Barr Explains Finding of No Obstruction on Mueller Probe

Attorney general appears before a Senate panel after letter indicates dispute over characterizing special counsel probe

The special counsel probe into President Trump and Russian 2016 election interference was meant to deliver a verdict on criminality, not to simply report facts to the public, Attorney General William Barr said in explaining why he determined the president’s actions didn’t amount to obstruction of justice.

In a high-profile hearing Wednesday before the Senate Judiciary Committee, Mr. Barr shed some light on his thinking surrounding the choice by the special counsel, Robert Mueller,...