Barr Threatens to Refuse to Testify After Dispute

The Justice Department has informed the House Judiciary Committee that Attorney General William Barr may not attend a Thursday hearing to review special counsel Robert Mueller’s report due to objections over the panel’s format, according to a Democratic senior committee aide.
The department has balked at the panel’s plans to allow the committee’s counsels from both sides to question Barr after the traditional round of questioning by members. Justice officials also told the committee that they are opposed to the panel’s plan to go into a closed session if...

Attorney General William P. Barr, who is scheduled to appear Thursday before the House Judiciary Committee to testify about the special counsel’s report, is threatening to skip the session because he objects to the proposed format for questioning, a spokesman for Representative Jerrold Nadler, the committee chairman, said Sunday.

The committee will hold the hearing with or without Mr. Barr, said the spokesman, Daniel Schwarz.

In addition to allowing each member of the committee to question Mr. Barr for five minutes, Mr. Nadler, Democrat of New York, has proposed a...