The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
I will not be bullied,' Barr tells lawmakers
President Donald Trump’s nominee for attorney general vowed to protect the independence and reputation of the Justice Department during the start of his Senate confirmation hearing. Here’s what William Barr said on several key topics:
Mueller investigation
He repeatedly sought to assuage concerns that he might disturb or upend special counsel Robert Mueller’s investigation of Russia meddling during the 2016 election as it reaches its final stages.
Some Democrats are concerned about that very possibility, citing a memo Barr wrote to the Justice Department before his nomination in which he criticized Mueller’s investigation for the way it was presumably looking into whether Trump had obstructed justice. The nominee told senators he was merely trying to warn Justice Department officials against “stretching a statute” to conclude that the president had obstructed justice.
Barr called Mueller a friend of 30 years and said he would not undermine his work. He said he would consult with ethics officials on whether he would need to recuse because of the memo but the decision would be ultimately his.
“I don’t believe Mr. Mueller would be involved in a witch hunt,” he said when asked by the panel’s Republican chairman, Sen. Lindsey Graham of South Carolina.
His independence
Barr stated without hesitation that it was in the public interest for Mueller to finish his investigation into whether the Trump campaign coordinated with the Kremlin to sway the election. He said he would not fire Mueller even if Trump asked him to do it and called it “unimaginable” that Mueller would do anything to require his termination.
“I believe the Russians interfered or attempted to interfere with the election, and I think we have to get to the bottom of it,” Barr said.
Positioning himself as independent from the president, he said that, at 68 years old and partially retired, he felt emboldened to “do the right thing and not really care about the consequences.”
“I will not be bullied into doing anything that I think is wrong by anybody, whether it be editorial boards or Congress or the president,” Barr told the hearing.
A meeting with Trump
He also disclosed having discussed Mueller with Trump during a meeting in 2017 when Barr declined to join his legal team. Trump wanted to know what Mueller, who worked for Barr when he led the Justice Department between 1991 and 1993, was like.
“He was interested in that, wanted to know what I thought about Mueller’s integrity and so forth and so on,” Barr told senators. “I said Bob is a straight shooter and should be dealt with as such.”
What’s next
Barr’s confirmation is likely, given that Republicans control the Senate. Even some Democrats have been looking to move on from acting Attorney General Matthew Whitaker, who declined to remove himself from matters involving the Russia probe and has faced scrutiny over his private dealings.