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 said he didn’t believe it was inappropriate for him to make remarks on 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 findings before their release Thursday.

Asked by Ryan Reilly of HuffPost if it was “an impropriety for you to come out and sort of spin the report before people are able to read it,” Barr succinctly replied, “No,” before ending the press conference shortly thereafter.

REPORTER: Is it an impropriety for you to come out and sort of spin the report before people are able to read it?



BARR: No.



*walks away* pic.twitter.com/nXH4Tk3Fyd — Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) April 18, 2019

During the highly anticipated press conference, Barr said 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 had faced an “unprecedented situation” in the Mueller investigation and that the president was frustrated by a "sincere belief that the investigation was undermining his presidency, propelled by his political opponents and fueled by illegal leaks.”

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Media figures and congressional Democrats have questioned the appropriateness of Barr’s decision to hold the morning press conference ahead of releasing the full report both since the conference was announced Wednesday and in the wake of Barr's Thursday comments.

On Wednesday evening, 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.) said the press conference was “waging a media campaign on behalf of President Trump.”

“Rather than letting the facts of the report speak for themselves, the attorney general has taken unprecedented steps to spin Mueller’s nearly 2-year investigation,” Nadler said.

House Oversight and Reform Committee Chairman Elijah Cummings Elijah Eugene CummingsBlack GOP candidate accuses Behar of wearing black face in heated interview Overnight Health Care: US won't join global coronavirus vaccine initiative | Federal panel lays out initial priorities for COVID-19 vaccine distribution | NIH panel: 'Insufficient data' to show treatment touted by Trump works House Oversight Democrats to subpoena AbbVie in drug pricing probe MORE (D-Md.) also blasted the announcement Wednesday night, accusing Barr of “debasing the rule of law, degrading our democratic institutions, and decimating any trust the American people have left in this Administration.”

Shortly after the press conference concluded, Fox News’s Chris Wallace opined that it had served to spin Mueller’s findings in Trump’s favor.

"The attorney general seemed almost to be acting as the counselor for the defense, the counselor for the president, rather than the attorney general, talking about his motives, his emotions," Wallace said.

Shortly after Barr finished, Nadler demanded Mueller should testify immediately before his committee and “no later than May 23.”