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Congressman eats KFC at hearing to mock ‘chicken’ Attorney General

#ChickenBarr was trending after William Barr’s non-attendance.
#ChickenBarr was trending after William Barr’s non-attendance. #ChickenBarr was trending after William Barr’s non-attendance.

A US politician ate a bucket of Kentucky Fried Chicken during a high-profile committee hearing after the country’s attorney general failed to attend.

Democratic congressman Steve Cohen brought a bucket of the fast food and a statue of a chicken to make a point after William Barr refused to testify on the Robert Mueller report into Donald Trump’s alleged ties with Russia.

The US justice department said Mr Barr would not be testifying about his handling of the report’s release because of a disagreement over the Democrats’ plans to question him with staff attorneys.

Before the hearing, Mr Cohen tweeted: “#ChickenBarr won’t be appearing before @HouseJudiciary tomorrow. The Attorney General shouldn’t be afraid of taking questions from counsel or members. Contemptible behavior. Fortunately, we have subpoenas ready.”

#ChickenBarr was later trending on Twitter, with many coming up with inventive jokes and memes to make their point.

The justice department said in a statement: “Congress and the Executive branch are co-equal branches of government, and each have a constitutional obligation to respect and accommodate one another’s legitimate interests.”

The attorney general has been criticised after releasing a heavily redacted version of the Mueller report.

The US Government has said it would not comply with a subpoena to release a full, unredacted version.