Ken Starr Says Bill Barr Chose His Words Very Carefully; “He Knows Something”

CBS News had the following to say about Bill Barr's concerns:

Attorney General William Barr left senators confused about whether he believed that unauthorized spying on President Trump's campaign had occurred, as he was pressed on the impending release of special counsel Robert Mueller's final report on Russian interference in the 2016 election.

Barr, in his second day of congressional testimony, said Wednesday, "I think spying did occur, yes," on the Trump campaign, an opinion shared by the president. Sen. Brian Schatz, Democrat of Hawaii, noted that the use of a loaded term like "spying" would "cause everyone in the cable news ecosystem to freak out."

Under questioning from Democrats and Republicans, however, Barr seemed to back off that assertion.

"I'm not suggesting that those rules were violated, but I think it's important to look at that. And I'm not just talking about the FBI necessarily, but intelligence agencies more broadly," Barr said.

"I am not saying that improper surveillance occurred. I'm saying that I am concerned about it and looking into it, that's all," Barr also said.

He told the Senate panel, "I just want to satisfy myself that there were no abuse of law enforcement or intelligence powers."

"I'm not saying improper surveillance occurred, I am looking into it," Barr later explained.

His testimony, Nancy Cordes reports, left Democrats to assume that Barr is carrying the president's water on this issue, even though he pointedly declined to echo the president's claim that the investigation has been a "witch hunt."

Here's how Barr described the review of the origins of the Russia investigation he plans to undertake:

"I am going to be reviewing both the genesis and the conduct of intelligence activities directed at the Trump campaign during 2016. And a lot of this has already been investigated and a substantial portion of it has been investigated and is being investigated by the office of (inspector general). But one of the things that I want to do is pull together all of the information from the various investigations that have gone on including on the Hill and in the (Justice) Department and see if there are any remaining questions [need] to be addressed."

He explained that he's starting this review because "I think spying on  a political campaign is a big deal."

Politico also commented on Barr's recent statements about potential spying:

Attorney General William Barr dared to use the s-word.

He said in congressional testimony Wednesday that the Trump campaign had been spied on by the U.S. government. Pressed by incredulous Senate Democrats, he clarified, “I think spying did occur. The question is whether it was adequately predicated.”

“Spying” has a negative connotation, so perhaps “surveilling” would be the better way to put it. But a key question is indeed whether there was “improper surveillance” of the campaign, as Barr stated at another point in the hearing.

The day before on Capitol Hill, Barr said he’s reviewing the conduct of the Russia investigation, which is getting denounced as an outrage by his critics. But why shouldn’t the attorney general of the United States seek to understand his department’s role in the high-stakes investigative melodrama of the past two years?

We have to agree with Twitter user David Jones, who said: