Attorney General William Barr hesitated when asked on Tuesday whether it was proper for an American president to accept foreign interference in an election, claiming at first that it depended on the type of assistance given. During a stunning exchange in Tuesday’s House Judiciary hearing, Rep. David Cicilline (D-RI) noted that the GOP-led Senate Intelligence Committee found this year that Russia interfered in the 2016 election to help Donald Trump. “Is it ever appropriate, sir, for the president to solicit or accept foreign assistance in an election?” Cicilline asked, prompting Barr to stammer and reply: “It depends what kind of assistance.”

After the Rhode Island lawmaker repeated the same question, Barr eventually answered, after a delay, that it was “not appropriate.” Cicilline, meanwhile, shot back: “Sorry you had to struggle with that one.” Earlier this year, Trump was impeached by the House for attempting to get Ukraine to dig up dirt on his eventual 2020 presidential opponent, former Vice President Joe Biden.