Top Senate Democrats are now targeting President Trump’s pick for the next attorney general, William Barr, over concerns that Barr will derail the Mueller investigation.
According to Reuters, the Democrats are also upset that Acting Attorney General Matt Whitaker does not have to recuse himself from overseeing the probe into Russia (and anything else Mueller feels like), despite the fact that Whitaker has repeatedly criticized it.
Chuck Schumer, the Democratic leader in the Senate, said on Thursday Barr is disqualified from the post by his recent memo blasting any potential attempts by Mueller to look into possible obstruction from Trump.
“The president must immediately reconsider and find another nominee who is free of conflicts and will carry out the duties of the office impartially,” Schumer said.
Trump said earlier this month he would nominate Barr, who was U.S. attorney general under President George H.W. Bush, to return to the position.
According to media reports, Barr gave the memo, which was provided to lawmakers late on Wednesday, to the White House as well as Justice Department officials before his name was floated for the job. –Reuters
In his memo, written on June 8 of this year, Barr suggests that the Mueller investigation could “take down a democratically-elected president,” and suggests that “it is imperative to the health of our system and to our national cohesion that any claim of wrongdoing is solidly based on evidence of a real crime – not a debatable one. It is time to travel well-worn paths; not to veer into novel, unsettled or contested areas of the law; and not to indulge the fancies by overly zealous prosecutors.“
Barr worries that the Mueller investigation will “take down a democratically-elected president” pic.twitter.com/IIr3s7ITUv
— Andrew Prokop (@awprokop) December 20, 2018
Senator Dianne Feinstein – the Judiciary Committee’s senior Democrat, wrote on Twitter: “We need answers as to why William Barr proactively drafted a memo against Special Counsel Mueller’s investigation,” adding “There’s no reason for a lawyer in private practice to do this unless he was attempting to curry favor with President Trump.”
We need answers as to why William Barr proactively drafted a memo against Special Counsel Mueller’s investigation. There’s no reason for a lawyer in private practice to do this unless he was attempting to curry favor with President Trump.
— Sen Dianne Feinstein (@SenFeinstein) December 20, 2018
Democrat Mark Warner – Vice Chairman of the Senate Committee on Intelligence, has called for a bill to protect the Mueller investigation from political interference – which he says is urgently needed after DOJ ethics officials reportedly told Whitaker that he is not required to recuse himself from the probe.
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