Today's Headlines and Commentary

Attorney General Bill Barr is testifying before the Senate Judiciary Committee today on the Mueller investigation. A livestream of the hearing is available on Lawfare.

In the days following Barr’s letter to Congress offering his interpretations of Mueller’s investigatory conclusions, Mueller told the attorney general that his letter “did not fully capture the context, nature, and substance” of the special counsel’s work, said the Washington Post. The full letter is available on Lawfare.

President Trump accused Cuba of aiding Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro and threatened to impose a “full and complete embargo” against Cuba does not withdraw its support, reported the New York Times. Meanwhile, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said on CNN that Maduro was preparing to leave the country, but the Russian government convinced him to remain. National security adviser John Bolton called the situation in Venezuela “very delicate” and noted that “all options” for U.S. response remain on table, according to the Post.

The North Korean government has said the U.S. will face “undesired consequences” if there is no change in the government’s position on denuclearization, according to Reuters.

Julian Assange has been sentence to 50 weeks in jail in the U.K. for breaching terms of his bail, reported the BBC.

ICYMI: Yesterday on Lawfare

James N. Miller and Neal A. Pollard advocated that a U.S. strategy of persistent engagement in cyberspace must be accompanied by a complementary efforts outside of cyberspace.

Jen Patja Howell shared the latest episode of the Lawfare Podcast in which Benjamin Wittes spoke with Buzzfeed News reporters Anthony Cormier and Jason Leopold about their efforts to report on Donald Trump and his associates.

Josh Blackman explored the special counsel’s analysis of the Take Care Clause and corrupt intent. Blackman also analyzed in a separate piece whether the Mueller investigation had a “chilling effect” on the executive branch.

Matthew Kahn shared the Office of the Director of National Intelligence’s annual statistical transparency report for 2018.

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