William Barr wouldn’t be our choice for attorney general, but he’s Donald Trump’s, at a moment when the president is at war with those who take seriously the mission of the Department of Justice.
William Barr wouldn’t be our choice for attorney general, but he’s Donald Trump’s, at a moment when the president is at war with those who take seriously the mission of the Department of Justice.
Barr, who served the first President Bush as AG, has credibly assured senators under oath he will not bend to presidential intimidation. They should vote to confirm him.
Which is not to say Barr’s performance before the Senate Judiciary Committee this week was all unicorns and rainbows.
On the key issue facing the next AG — letting Special Counsel Bob Mueller finish his Russia probe — Barr was solid. He praised Mueller’s integrity and vowed institutional independence from the White House.
He downplayed a memo he wrote last year pooh-poohing the possibility that the President might have obstructed justice. He was only working off publicly available information, Barr says, and making a narrow point about the firing of Jim Comey.
A problem: Citing DOJ regulations, Barr suggested that the American people might never see a full version of Mueller’s report. As long as there are necessary redactions, the public should learn exactly what the special counsel concludes and why.
Another: Barr claimed ignorance on the Constitution’s emoluments clause and said he had never really thought about whether the 14th Amendment safeguards birthright citizenship. Right.
Still, Barr is a vast improvement over acting Attorney General Matt Whitaker, a living, breathing conflict of interest. Let him get to work.
— New York Daily News
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