Rep. Dean in Lafayette Square, Peaceful Protesters gathered over days and hours to discuss civil rights and the heinous murder of george floyd call for equality and justice. When asked about the use of force displayed in the video against the protesters in Lafayette Square you stated that your attitude was get it done. Lets look at what you got done. If you take a look at the timeline we compiled, we can see that you were spotted in Lafayette Square that monday evening. The president was scheduled to speak in the rose garden at 6 15. The park police began to Disperse Protesters at roughly 6 33. President trump started his speech at 6 43 and finished at 6 50. By 7 01, when the president was ready to take a photo in front of st. Johns church, the square was cleared and ready for him to go. Am i correct . A. G. Barr yes. Rep. Dean the timing is clear. Multiple local officials also confirmed the point of clearing the square. One safety official said that it plan to movepolice the perimeter had been hurried up when the president needed to walk to church and just today we heard testimony from a National Guard officer deployed at Lafayette Square confirming that he expected the square to be cleared after the curfew. A. G. Barr who was that . Rep. Dean adam dimarco, National Guard. A. G. Barr well rep. Dean i didnt have a question for you, sir. In the afternoon you told us you learned of the president s interest in crossing the square to go to the church. Is it your opinion that clearing protesters from Lafayette Square, which local officials were told to hurry up moments before the president s photo op with a borrowed bible in front of a church was coincidence . Is this timing coincidence . A. G. Barr i believe it is. Post hoc ergo proctor hock. Rep. Dean never mind the latin. Later when asked about the use of pepper bombs a. G. Barr it wasnt a coincidence in the setting, if you would permit me. I use the analogy of macarthur. Rep. Dean we heard that. Mr. Attorney general, we will assume that was all coincidence. A. G. Barr i have already explained that it had been planned all day. Dean mr. Attorney general, we waited a long time to talk to you. The time is mine. A. G. Barr you waited to talk to me like this . You didnt need to wait. Rep. Dean when you fired pepper when asked about firing pepper bombs at americans, you said pepper spray is not a chemical irritant. A. G. Barr everything is chemical, i was referring to a dichotomy in these kinds of things between chemical compounds and naturally occurring substances. Rep. Dean there are rules by which we operate and i would ask you to respect them. On the screen i have placed for reference as you are aware how your department used pepper balls used on the americans in Lafayette Square. It was noted that the pepper balls systems accuracy and impact made it an ideal chemical dispensing system so in a quote you said it wasnt chemical, you today confirmed it is chemical and you are aware of your departments policy, are you not . A. G. Barr what policy . Rep. Dean the one i just provided to you. A. G. Barr what does it say . Whats the policy . Rep. Dean i showed it to you. Perhaps you werent listening. A. G. Barr i didnt see the policy. What was the policy in there . Rep. Dean you are not listening. Fine. Whether or not you authorized the use of pepper balls i did not ask you a question yet, sir, i ask you to please refrain from interrupting me. We watched horrifying video played across the news and social media showing that these chemical irritants were used on protesters. Yes or no, this is a yes or no, sir, have you begun an investigation in the use of Excessive Force in Lafayette Square . A. G. Barr i think the ig is looking at everything related to antiriot. Rep. Dean so, the answer is yes. A. G. Barr the ig is investigating. Rep. Dean lets hope he doesnt get fired. Tragically, what happened there is no longer an isolated incident. Use of chemical irritants has been used in more than 90 cities. My colleague showed you the video of the navy veteran being pepper sprayed and beaten, his arm broken. Whether or not you thought this was appropriate at the time, have you now called for Law Enforcement to stop using these chemicals on protesters . A. G. Barr pepper spray . No, i think it is an important nonlethal option. Rep. Dean for protesters . A. G. Barr no, for rioters. Rep. Dean my question was for protesters. America was founded on the principles of freedom. A. G. Barr when people resist Law Enforcement rep. Dean reclaiming my time. Im surprised your lack of respect for congress. I am glad you mentioned latin america earlier. Many of my constituents i represent from florida fled to america from countries that used armed forces to stifle dissenting voices. They cherish our constitution as other americans have done for generations because of the incredible freedoms and rights that being an american citizen gives to all of us. It is extremely personal to me because you probably know my roots are in ecuador, but i live by the american constitution. Its true that those who are not fortunate enough to always have these rights and freedoms sometimes cherish them even more than those who have always had them. When they see photos from portland, they dont see the american ideal or the america they know, they see and are reminded of what they left behind. You would agree with me on that . Are you listening, mr. Barr . A. G. Barr i wasnt sure of the subject. Who is the subject of that last sentence . Rep. Mucarselpowell just look at these videos for one second. We have seen violence in venezuela at the hands of maduro. Firing tear gas at protesters. Using brutal tactics to crush demonstrations. Thats what we see from dictators on both the left and the right. But it is hard to distinguish these photos from those events and from the videos we have seen by u. S. Federal police in portland, teargassing and breaking the bones of a peacefully protesting u. S. Army veteran. Very similar. How do you restore the confidence of my constituents in the valiance of this country when every night on television they see these images of violence used against Peaceful Protesters . We all denounce violence. How do you restore the trust in our democracy . A. G. Barr i think that i think that the forces being deployed against rioters, or, in situations where protesters are not following police directions. Rep. Mucarselpowell most of the protests have been peaceful, mr. Barr. You know that. You know that. You are just using language for political purposes. A. G. Barr no rep. Mucarselpowell let me go now to one of the most important topics facing our nation right now, health care. You know in my district we have close to 100,000 people that get their Health Insurance through the aca. 19,000 of them are living with serious preexisting conditions. And yet you are working to strip their health care at the worst possible moment, when the coronavirus is killing thousands of people in my state. A. G. Barr they will not be stripped of their health care. Rep. Mucarselpowell in the counties i represent, do you know how many people have died from covid19 . A. G. Barr no, i dont. Rep. Mucarselpowell 1410 people. You were at the white house on march 23 when President Trump said that Governor Desantis was doing an incredible job. Do you agree that Governor Desantis is doing an incredible job . A. G. Barr i have no reason not to believe that. Rep. Mucarselpowell florida now has more cases than in china. A. G. Barr did cuomo do an incredible job in new york . Rep. Mucarselpowell in florida we have more cases than most countries combined around the world, so no, he is not doing an incredible job. You pushed states to open too soon, you threatened states with lawsuits a. G. Barr i didnt ask states to open. Rep. Mucarselpowell you threatened states with lawsuits that wanted to have stayathome orders. A. G. Barr for church. Rep. Mucarselpowell we have the facts. Now the United States of america has more than 4. 3 million covid cases alone. You, you, mr. Barr, and President Trump, working together, are letting my constituents down and it is something that you are going to have to live with. What am i supposed to say to my constituents when they ask me if the government has done everything in its power to protect their loved ones from dying . You tell me, what am i supposed to tell them . A. G. Barr i would tell them that managing this kind of thing requires a lot of difficult choices and weighing different consequences. Rep. Mucarselpowell im not going to lie to my constituents. I am going to tell them that President Donald Trump and the attorney general, working together, are not following health guidelines, they are letting americans die needlessly because of political reasons. That is what i will tell them. A. G. Barr in our system rep. Mucarselpowell thank you, and one more question if i can. Under oath, do you commit to not releasing any report by mr. Durham before the november election . A. G. Barr no. Rep. Mucarselpowell you dont commit to that. A. G. Barr no, i will be very careful. Rep. Mucarselpowell so you wont go by department of Justice Policy that you wont interfere in any political investigations before the november election . A. G. Barr we are not going to interfere. I have made it clear im not going to tolerate it. Rep. Mucarselpowell under oath you would not commit to not releasing the report. A. G. Barr im not going to any report will be, in my judgment, not one covered by the policy and would disrupt the election. I have already made it clear rep. Mucarselpowell you would go against your own federal Justice Department policy. I have it right here. A. G. Barr i know what the policy is. I yield back. Go ahead. Point of order. Point of order, mr. Chairman. Is it permissible for a member of this committee to accuse the sitting attorney general of the United States of murder, because that is what we just heard. Those words need to be struck from the record. This is outrageous. To say whatever they want . What about the rules of decorum . I have a clarification. Miss escobar is recognized. Thank you, mr. Chairman. Was the video played by the previous member, was that a video of things that happened in the United States or things that happened in venezuela . The gentleman is not stating a point of order, miss escobar is recognized. Rep. Escobar mr. Barr, the demonstration against the constitutional precedent and the dojs own memo is trying to exclude undocumented persons from the census, an action that harms american lives and immigrant communities and american communities. Heres an example. Many American Children are an living with an undocumented parent or relative. The change in the census would mean that those children would receive less money for programs like the National School lunch program, headstart, or the state childrens Health Insurance program. A simple yes or no, please, are you comfortable with the decision that would punish American Children in immigrant communities in this way . A. G. Barr i dont make the policy, i provide legal advice on legal issues. It is both to this issue and the issue of the aca, the question presented to the department is the law. Rep. Escobar a simple yes or no, does the constitution say that only citizens should be counted in the census . A. G. Barr no. Rep. Escobar correct, it does not. In fact the framers of the 14th amendment explicitly confronted this question and provides that persons in each state be counted. I will move on. A. G. Barr they wouldnt have confronted it because there were no illegal aliens at the time. Rep. Escobar among other things, im alarmed by your refusal to comply with Key Supreme Court rulings. June 18 of this year the court in an opinion authored by chief Justice Roberts ruled that the trump administrations attempt to rescind daca was arbitrary and capricious and required the administration to process new daca applications. Despite the Supreme Courts ruling, zero daca applications have been processed. Thats not the only Supreme Court decision that your administration has ignored. In 2017 your department issued a memo stating that transgender workers were not protected by civil rights laws. The Supreme Court struck that down, too. A. G. Barr no, im sorry, we said the 64 act did not extend to rep. Escobar reclaiming my time, sir. In the daca and transgender decisions, your department has yet to comply. Will your department implement the daca and transgender Supreme Court rulings . A. G. Barr i guess we are. Rep. Escobar you are now processing daca applications . A. G. Barr i think what we are joined to do is restore the administrative process and i think that dhs put out a rule today. At least thats what i was told. Rep. Escobar you testified that you discussed the president s Reelection Campaign with him. Does the president tell you what he thinks the winning issues for him would be in his reelection . A. G. Barr i cant discuss my discussions with the president. Rep. Escobar im not asking you to divu it surprises me that the doj has become so politicized. A. G. Barr i havent discussed that with him, but i think a lot of his base does care about immigration policy. Rep. Escobar does that motivate some of the work that you do . Mr. Barr does that motivate rep. Escobar does that motivate some of the work that you do . Mr. Barr like what . Rep. Escobar that position was taken on the transgender that you are talking about was taken before i arrived in litigation, i believe. Mr. Barr and you can rep. Escobar you can reverse it any day. Mr. Barr it was a legal question as to whether rep. Escobar im running out of time, one more question. You keep telling us that you are not aware of the president s tweets. Are you aware that your department has stated that the president s tweets are white house statements . Mr. Barr i wasnt. I dont Pay Attention to them unless they are brought to my attention. Rep. Escobar thank you for being here today. I want to remind you of something you probably dont remember but some months ago you were outside my office, coming out of my neighbors office, doug collins. I tap you on the shoulder and in a friendly reminder i handed you a copy of the constitution and i asked these help us defend the constitution. There is nothing more dangerous to our republic than an attorney general who refuses to uphold his oath, refuses to uphold and defend the constitution, and swears allegiance to just one person, donald trump. Sadly, thats where we are. Mr. Barr my loyalty is the constitution the lady just accused him of not adhering to his oath of office. Let them talk. She just accuse the attorney general of the United States of not adhering to his office. The gentleman will suspend, the gentlelady yields back. The Ranking Member asked if the video shown from florida took place in the u. S. Or ecuador. Venezuela. The u. S. Or venezuela that, sir, is precisely the point. This concludes the point. Thank you, attorney general, for participating. Without objection, all members have five legislative days to submit additional materials to the witnesses for the record and for that objection and with that and without objection, the hearing is adjourned. [captions Copyright National cable satellite corp. 2020] [captioning performed by the national captioning institute, which is responsible for its caption content and accuracy. Visit ncicap. Org] journal,s washington taking your calls live on the air on the news of the day and discussing policy issues that impact you. Coming up wednesday morning, colorado republican Congressman Ken Buck going just to talk about his new book and the congressional agenda. Carolina democratic congressman James Clyburn will talk about the life of senator john and the work of the subcommittee on the coronavirus crisis. On cspans washington journal, live at 7 00 eastern wednesday morning. Be sure to join the discussion with their phone calls, facebook comments, Text Messages and tweets. Look at our live coverage wednesday. On cspan, the house is back at 9 00 a. M. Eastern for general speeches, followed by legislative business at 10 00. Members begin work on a 2021 spending package that covers several departments, including defense, commerce, health and human services, transportation, and housing. , Senate Returns at 10 00 eastern to vote on executive nominations including Deputy White House budget director. At 9 30 a. M. 3 eastern, the House Judiciary Committee holds an oversight hearing on citizenship and immigration services. Then at noon, the ceos of appleok, amazon and testify about online competition within the tech industry. There are several event streaming live wednesday on our website. At 9 00 a. M. Eastern, the casket carrying the late congressman john lewis departs u. S. Capitol after lying in state for the past two days. 10 00 a. M. , the House Oversight and Reform Committee examines the president s efforts to exclude undocumented immigrants from the 2020 census count, and at the same time, the House Armed Services subcommittee holds a hearing sexualharassment and retaliation issues at the Fort Hood Military base in texas. Again, thats all live wednesday at cspan. Org. President trump announced today that the Photo Company kodak will begin manufacturing pharmaceutical ingredients for generic drugs used in the u. S. In an effort to reduce reliance on foreign countries. This News Conference is 30 minutes. Pres. Trump thank you very much. Today my administration has taken a momentous step towards achieving american pharmaceutical independence, very, big, big step. A focus of our campaign to bring americans critical supply chains and medical manufacturing back to the u. S. A. , we have been working on this for a long time. This is a goal of you are strategy to protect our people from the horrible china virus, it should have never happened. It should have never been here. They should have stopped it. In the decades before i took office, foreign nations were allowed to freely plunder or fact i haves l