NPR

Citing 'Spying' On Trump, Barr Says He Is Looking Into Origins Of Russia Inquiry

The attorney general has launched an informal look at how and why the decisions were made about the early Russia investigation and by whom. It augurs another new phase of the Russia saga.
Attorney General William Barr arrives to testify before a panel of the Senate Appropriations Committee Wednesday in Washington, D.C.

Attorney General William Barr has launched his own informal inquiry about the origins of the Russia investigation, he confirmed to senators on Wednesday.

Barr told members of a Senate Appropriations Committee panel that he wants to understand how and why key decisions were made about the counterintelligence investigation opened by the FBI in the summer of 2016.

Barr said he isn't "putting a panel together" and the effort may not result in a criminal investigation or the finding of a crime.

But the attorney general did say he has taken on board some of the criticisms by Republican supporters of President Trump about the way the FBI and Justice Department conducted the investigation.

"I feel an obligation to

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