Though it would not be known for some time, Mueller privately complained to Barr about that characterization in a letter, asserting that the attorney general “did not fully capture the context, nature, and substance of this Office’s work and conclusions.” The missive was remarkable in its own right, and even more so because of the man who signed it. Mueller, rigid in his adherence to the bureaucratic chain of command, had rebuked his boss in writing, increasing the likelihood the disagreement would ultimately become public.
