Thread by @thedailybeast, EXCLUSIVE: Last September, senior DOJ officials worked with Australian officials to facilitate [...]

EXCLUSIVE: Last September, senior DOJ officials worked with Australian officials to facilitate the release of two hostages from Iran. In the same time period, Barr and Trump asked for their help in looking into the origins of Mueller’s investigation. https://trib.al/uavE8jM

Barr Pressed Australia for Help on Mueller Review as DOJ Worked to Free Its Hostages

While his deputies finalized a plan with Australian officials to free two bloggers from a Tehran prison, Bill Barr had another request: help on his look back at the Russia probe.

https://trib.al/uavE8jM

Barr’s Mueller review was widely seen as an attempt to discredit the former special counsel’s investigation, which led to the indictment of multiple Trumpworld associates. http://trib.al/uavE8jM

Barr Pressed Australia for Help on Mueller Review as DOJ Worked to Free Its Hostages

While his deputies finalized a plan with Australian officials to free two bloggers from a Tehran prison, Bill Barr had another request: help on his look back at the Russia probe.

http://trib.al/uavE8jM

Days before the culmination of DOJ’s talks with the Australians, President Trump himself pushed Australian PM Scott Morrison to help Barr with this inquiry. http://trib.al/uavE8jM

Barr Pressed Australia for Help on Mueller Review as DOJ Worked to Free Its Hostages

While his deputies finalized a plan with Australian officials to free two bloggers from a Tehran prison, Bill Barr had another request: help on his look back at the Russia probe.

http://trib.al/uavE8jM

Meanwhile, State Dept officials in the hostage affairs office were frustrated by the lack of communication from the DOJ, claiming they were cut out of a process they would have helped lead.

They learned of the arrangement days after it was finalized. http://trib.al/uavE8jM

Barr Pressed Australia for Help on Mueller Review as DOJ Worked to Free Its Hostages

While his deputies finalized a plan with Australian officials to free two bloggers from a Tehran prison, Bill Barr had another request: help on his look back at the Russia probe.

http://trib.al/uavE8jM

If a deal was made with the Australian government in order to gain support for “Trump’s counter-narrative to the Mueller Report,” said one legal expert, “then DOJ officials are actively using US diplomacy to undermine our US national security interests.” http://trib.al/uavE8jM

Barr Pressed Australia for Help on Mueller Review as DOJ Worked to Free Its Hostages

While his deputies finalized a plan with Australian officials to free two bloggers from a Tehran prison, Bill Barr had another request: help on his look back at the Russia probe.

http://trib.al/uavE8jM

Read the full exclusive by @ErinBanco and @LachCartwright here: http://trib.al/uavE8jM

Barr Pressed Australia for Help on Mueller Review as DOJ Worked to Free Its Hostages

While his deputies finalized a plan with Australian officials to free two bloggers from a Tehran prison, Bill Barr had another request: help on his look back at the Russia probe.

http://trib.al/uavE8jM

You can follow @thedailybeast.

Tip: mention @twtextapp on a Twitter thread with the keyword “unroll” to get a link to it.

Latest Threads Unrolled: