Any shred of credibility William Barr still had after the Mueller report was destroyed today during his hearing

Special Counsel Robert Mueller's redacted report revealed the scope of Russia's attacks on US democracy and unprecedented corruption on the part of President Trump and his 2016 campaign. Not only did Mueller outline how receptive the Trump campaign was to Russia's election assistance, he outlined 10 key areas of obstruction of justice. But when it comes to this report, there is a new saga unfolding before our eyes. How the release of the report was handled and presented to the American people has seemingly revealed new efforts to interfere in the administration of justice, this time on the part of Attorney General William Barr.

Today's Senate Judiciary Committee hearing showcased Barr's dishonesty as well as the full extent of the Republican Party's sycophancy towards President Trump. The Attorney General of the United States conducted himself like the personal attorney of Donald Trump, not of the people. Senate Republicans attacked the FBI, targeted Hillary Clinton, and downplayed the Mueller report to protect President Trump's image.

As today's hearing began, the nation was digesting yesterday's news. After Barr’s 24 March summary of the Mueller report, Mueller wrote Barr a letter stating that Barr's summary "did not fully capture the context, nature, and substance of this office’s work and conclusions" and asked him to release the Special Counsel Office's summaries. In spite of the fact Mueller made his concerns known, Barr went on to misrepresent the report during his 18 April press conference and did so again today.

Senate Judiciary Chairman Lindsey Graham (R-SC) kicked off the hearing with an admission he has not read the report and a partisan diatribe that included accusations of wrongdoing on the part of Hillary Clinton and the FBI. Graham went on to discuss how Mueller determined Trump did not collude with the Russians and that Mueller left the prosecutorial decision up to Barr on obstruction. Barr echoed these sentiments throughout the hearing. Since these are some of the most repeated lies among Republicans, let's break it down.

Although Mueller did not charge the Trump campaign with a criminal conspiracy, the redacted report outlined over 100 pages of collusion evidence. When it comes to obstruction, Mueller did not ask Barr to make the prosecutorial decision. Mueller's report specifically cites the Office of Legal Counsel's (OLC) analysis that states: "Congress can permissibly criminalize certain obstructive conduct by the President."

Barr, who previously wrote a 19-page memo attacking Mueller's obstruction case, took it upon himself to clear President Trump of obstruction within 48 hours of receiving the report.

One part of the hearing today was particularly eyebrow-raising. As Mueller's report outlines, President Trump called then-White House Counsel Don McGahn twice in May 2017, asking him to get Mueller removed as Special Counsel. McGahn refused to do so. When the New York Times later reported on this attempt to fire Mueller, Mueller alleges that Trump asked McGahn to falsify evidence claiming Trump never asked McGahn to fire Mueller. When asked if it would be considered obstruction of justice if a president directed a witness to lie, Barr said yes. But when pressed if what Trump asked McGahn to do was considered obstruction, Barr tried to claim Trump didn't explicitly ask McGahn to "fire" Mueller.

On multiple occasions during the hearing, Senate Republicans and Barr regurgitated President Trump's debunked conspiracy theory that the Trump campaign was "spied" on. When Republicans had the mic, it was a Trump supporter's dream come true. Needless to say, that was not the case when the Democrats ran questioning.

Democrats pointed out how Barr claimed that the OLC guidance which stated that the President cannot be indicted did not factor in Mueller's decision-making. Mueller's report explicitly says it did. Barr claimed it wasn't clear the Trump campaign sought to benefit from Russia's interference. Mueller's report explicitly says they did. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) called Barr out on his early April lie to Congress, in which he stated he was not aware if Mueller supported his conclusion.

There were a few instances during the hearing that raised questions as to whether Barr read the report at all. When questioned by Senator Kamala Harris (D-CA), Barr admitted he did not examine the underlying evidence from the Special Counsel's office.

Barr refused to say whether he has given Trump information about the Southern District of New York's investigation. Barr also refused to say whether anyone in the White House has suggested he investigate political opponents.

Barr's expansive view of executive power is no surprise to anyone, but what we are seeing here is an effort to place the President of the United States above the law. Any remaining credibility Barr had was shattered during this hearing and calls for his resignation will likely continue to surge.

Republican lawmakers, who are supposed to uphold the rule of law and enforce the Constitution, have instead decided to uphold a lawless presidency and enforce his authoritarian whims. Needless to say, Mueller must testify so that the American people can get the full truth and House Democrats can reasonably consider fact-finding impeachment hearings.

Ahmed Baba is the co-founder and editor-in-chief of Rantt Media