Barr emerges as a contender for AG position, sources say

WASHINGTON — William Barr, who served as attorney general under President George H.W. Bush, has emerged as a top contender for that job, two people familiar with the president’s selection process said Thursday.

The appointment of a new attorney general would come at a precarious time as special counsel Robert Mueller’s Russia investigation, which the department oversees, is showing signs of entering its final stages.

President Donald Trump is “very seriously considering” Barr, said one of the sources, who spoke on condition of anonymity because no decision has been announced, adding that Barr is “someone very much on the president’s mind.”

Trump has been known to change his mind on key personnel decisions before announcing them. Barr was attorney general between 1991 and 1993.