Senate confirms Barr for attorney general, voting along party lines

WASHINGTON — The Senate confirmed William Barr on Thursday for a second stint as attorney general, 54-45, handing oversight of the Justice Department — and its ongoing investigation into links between Russia’s interference in the 2016 election and the Trump campaign — to a seasoned Republican known for his expansive view of presidential power.

Senators expressed hope the installation of a conventional figure like Barr could return some stability to the Justice Department’s 115,000 employees, after two years of intense battering by President Donald Trump and his allies in Congress.

“Steady leadership at a time we need steady leadership to give a morale boost to the Department of Justice,” Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C. and the Judiciary Committee chairman, said shortly before the vote. “Somebody who will be fair to the president, but also be fair to the rule of law and protect the integrity of the Department of Justice.”

Barr assured senators during the confirmation process that he would not allow political interference to sway the department’s work, but under pressure from Democrats, he would make no specific assurances to make special counsel Robert Mueller’s findings public, foreshadowing a potentially caustic fight. Divided over whether to accept his assurances, the Senate voted largely along party lines to confirm Barr. Trump is expected to administer an oath in the Oval Office later Thursday.