Speaker Nancy Pelosi Nancy PelosiHoyer: House should vote on COVID-19 aid — with or without a bipartisan deal Ruth Bader Ginsburg lies in repose at Supreme Court McCarthy threatens motion to oust Pelosi if she moves forward with impeachment MORE (D-Calif.) on Thursday said Attorney General William Barr Bill BarrHarris faces pivotal moment with Supreme Court battle Hillicon Valley: DOJ proposes tech liability shield reform to Congress | Treasury sanctions individuals, groups tied to Russian malign influence activities | House Republican introduces bill to set standards for self-driving cars McCarthy threatens motion to oust Pelosi if she moves forward with impeachment MORE committed a crime by lying to lawmakers during his testimony on Capitol Hill.

"What is deadly serious about it is the attorney general of the United States of America was not telling the truth to the Congress of the United States. That's a crime," Pelosi said during a press conference in the Capitol.

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The remarks came as Democrats on Capitol Hill are increasingly lashing out at Barr for his handling of special counsel Robert Mueller Robert (Bob) MuellerCNN's Toobin warns McCabe is in 'perilous condition' with emboldened Trump CNN anchor rips Trump over Stone while evoking Clinton-Lynch tarmac meeting The Hill's 12:30 Report: New Hampshire fallout MORE's report on Russia's election interference. Some lawmakers are pressing for Barr to resign, others have floated the idea of impeachment and still others are weighing whether to bring contempt of Congress charges against the attorney general, who refused an invitation to testify before the House Judiciary Committee on Thursday.

Pelosi, for her part, declined to say how — or if — Democrats would challenge Barr's actions, deferring those decisions to the committee heads. But she strongly suggested some response is forthcoming.

Pelosi cited a recent statement from House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jerrold Nadler Jerrold (Jerry) Lewis NadlerDemocrats shoot down talk of expanding Supreme Court Schumer: 'Nothing is off the table' if GOP moves forward with Ginsburg replacement Top Democrats call for DOJ watchdog to probe Barr over possible 2020 election influence MORE (D-N.Y.), which warned that "Barr's moment of accountability will come soon enough."

"I think that probably applies," Pelosi said. Asked if jail time is appropriate for Barr, she again punted to the committees.

"There's a process that's involved here," she said. "The committee will act upon how we will proceed."

Appearing before the Senate Judiciary Committee on Wednesday, Barr was grilled by panel Democrats, who accused him of misrepresenting the Mueller team's findings for the political purpose of protecting President Trump Donald John TrumpBiden on Trump's refusal to commit to peaceful transfer of power: 'What country are we in?' Romney: 'Unthinkable and unacceptable' to not commit to peaceful transition of power Two Louisville police officers shot amid Breonna Taylor grand jury protests MORE.

The Democratic criticisms were fueled by revelations that Mueller had written to Barr in March expressing concerns over the nature of the attorney general's four-page summary of Mueller's report, which Barr delivered to Congress earlier that month.

In that letter, which became public just hours before Wednesday's Senate hearing, Mueller said Barr's account "did not fully capture the context, nature, and substance of this office's work and conclusions."

Barr, after receiving the letter, testified to Congress that he was not aware of any reservations from Mueller or his team regarding the attorney general's summary letter.

Pelosi said she "lost sleep" Wednesday night watching replays of Barr's testimony.

"How sad it is for us to see the top law enforcement officer in our country misrepresenting — withholding — the truth from the Congress of the United States," she said.

Asked directly whether Barr committed a crime, Pelosi didn't hesitate.

"He lied to Congress; he lied to Congress. And if anybody else did that, it would be considered a crime," Pelosi said.

"Nobody is above the law; not the president of the United States, and not the attorney general."