Barr sworn in for 2nd stint as U.S. attorney general
WASHINGTON — William Barr was sworn in Thursday for his second stint as the nation’s attorney general, taking the helm of the Justice Department as special counsel Robert Mueller investigates Russian interference in the 2016 presidential election.
Earlier Thursday, the Senate voted 54-45 to confirm the veteran government official, mostly along party lines. Mr. Barr, who also served as attorney general from 1991 to 1993 during President George H.W. Bush’s administration, succeeds Jeff Sessions. President Donald Trump pushed Mr. Sessions out of office last year after railing against his decision to recuse himself from the Russia investigation.
As the country’s chief law enforcement officer, Mr. Barr will oversee the remaining work in Mr. Mueller’s investigation into potential coordination between the Kremlin and the Trump campaign and decide how much Congress and the public know about its conclusion. He’ll also take over a department that Mr. Trump has publicly assailed, often questioning the integrity and loyalty of those who work there.
Democrats, who largely voted against Mr. Barr, said they were concerned about his noncommittal stance on making Mr. Mueller’s report public. Mr. Barr promised to be as transparent as possible, but said he takes seriously the Justice Department regulations that dictate Mr. Mueller’s report should be treated as confidential.
Mr. Barr’s opponents also pointed to a memo he wrote to Justice officials before his nomination that criticized Mr. Mueller’s investigation for the way it was presumably looking into whether Mr. Trump had obstructed justice. Mr. Barr wrote that Mr. Trump could not have obstructed justice by firing former FBI Director James Comey since it was an action the president was constitutionally entitled to take.
That view has alarmed Democrats, especially since the obstruction inquiry has been central to Mr. Mueller’s investigation.
“Mr. Barr’s views about the power of the president are especially troubling in light of his refusal to commit to making the special counsel’s findings and the report publicly available,” said California Sen. Dianne Feinstein, the top Democrat on the Judiciary panel. Ms. Feinstein said the attorney general should be “objective” and “clearly committed to protecting the interest of the people, the country and the Constitution.”
Mr. Barr will be tasked with restoring some stability after almost two years of open tension between Mr. Trump and Justice officials. Mr. Trump lashed out at Mr. Sessions repeatedly before he finally pushed him out in November, and he has also publicly criticized Mr. Mueller and his staff, calling the probe a “witch hunt” and suggesting they are out to get him for political reasons. The criticism extended to Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein, who appointed Mr. Mueller as special counsel. Mr. Rosenstein is expected to leave the department shortly after Mr. Barr takes office.
In his hearing last month, Mr. Barr vowed he would not “be bullied,” said Mr. Mueller’s investigation is not a witch hunt and agreed Mr. Sessions was right to recuse himself from the probe. Mr. Barr said he was a friend of Mr. Mueller’s and repeatedly sought to assuage concerns he might disturb or upend the investigation as it reaches its final stages.