Democrats "embarrassed themselves" with their questioning of Attorney General William Barr during Senate Judiciary Committee proceedings, but he was willing to meet with the House committee but it "changed the rules in the middle of the game," Press Secretary Sarah Sanders said Thursday.
"The outrageous questioning that they laid out to the attorney general frankly was astonishing," Sanders told Fox News' "America's Newsroom," singling out comments made to Barr from Sen. Mazie Hirono, D-Hawaii. "The the outrage that she [gave] to the attorney general who came there and sat for five hours of questioning was just unbelievable."
Barr did not attend the House Judiciary Committee's meeting because Democrats wanted to allow legal staff, rather than themselves, to question Barr.
"There is no witness because the Democrats saw what happened yesterday and they've decided they are incapable of actually asking questions of the attorney general," said Sanders. " I lost confidence in [Chairman] Jerry Nadler a long time ago. I was unaware he had lost confidence in himself and his ability to do his job. That is to ask questions. The fact that he needs to staff that out is unbelievable. Frankly, it's pathetic. Democrats have to step up."
Barr, she added, "sat down for five hours yesterday and answered every question put in front of him...they took a vote yesterday, a special vote in order to allow staff to question the attorney general. He is a cabinet member for the president of the United States. And this is a straightforward oversight hearing in which members of Congress should be able to ask those questions."