Georgia rep.: Dems trying to make AG Barr the 'bad guy'

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Rep. Collins: Democrats are making Barr out to be the bad guy because their storyline was wrong

House Judiciary Committee ranking member Rep. Doug Collins reacts to criticism of Attorney General William Barr and his handling of the Mueller report.

Rep. Doug Collins, R-Ga., on Thursday accused Rep. Jerrold Nadler, D-N.Y., the chairman of the House Judiciary Committee, of running a "circus" and unfairly maligning Attorney General William Barr over Democrats' dissatisfaction with the controversial Mueller report.

"I will absolutely tell you, the chairman of our committee is doing nothing but a circus run of making Bill Barr be now the straw man, the bogeyman if you would," said Collins, GOP ranking member on the committee. "Because all of their dreams fell apart when Mueller came out and there was no collusion by anyone, there was no charge of obstruction, their dreams of impeachment died. So now they are in panic mode."

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Nadler vowed a "reckoning" Thursday after Barr skipped a scheduled hearing, and he threatened the Justice Department leader with a citation for contempt.

Nadler spoke at what was slated to be a hearing for Barr to testify on his handling of Special Counsel Robert Mueller’s report on Russian meddling in the 2016 elections.

Barr, who testified for hours on the same topic Wednesday in front of the Senate Judiciary Committee, did not show up amid a disagreement over the terms for his appearance before the influential House panel.

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Collins said that Democrats are making Barr the "bad guy" unfairly.

"So, if Mueller is still the gold standard they are holding onto, then someone has to be the bad guy, and Bill Barr, who has answered every one of their questions, who has done everything they were supposed to do -- they are making him out to be the bad guy."

Fox News' Brooke Singman contributed to this report.