CNBC reporter John Harwood on Thursday suggested Attorney General William Barr's handling of the Robert Mueller report "will make it harder" for Democratic leaders not to initiate impeachment proceedings.
Shortly after Barr started his press conference, Harwood dismissed Barr's remarks as "straight-up PR" on Twitter. Harwood later took to Twitter after the press conference to suggest Barr has politicized and mishandled the Mueller report.
"Barr's handling of this will make it harder for House Democratic leaders to resist initiating impeachment proceedings," Harwood tweeted.
Barr’s handling of this will make it harder for House Democratic leaders to resist initiating impeachment proceedings
— John Harwood (@JohnJHarwood) April 18, 2019
"I am sure that all Americans share my concerns about the efforts of the Russian government to interfere in our presidential election. As the Special Counsel's report makes clear, the Russian government sought to interfere in our election," Barr said at the press conference. "But thanks to the Special Counsel's thorough investigation, we now know that the Russian operatives who perpetrated these schemes did not have the cooperation of President Trump or the Trump campaign—or the knowing assistance of any other Americans for that matter."
Several Democrats have been calling for Trump's impeachment since he was sworn into office back in 2017, but House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D., Calif.) has repeatedly said she is "not for impeachment."
"Impeachment is so divisive to the country that unless there's something so compelling and overwhelming and bipartisan, I don't think we should go down that path, because it divides the country," Pelosi said. "And he's just not worth it."