William Barr, President Donald Trump’s nominee for attorney general, will allow special counsel Robert Mueller to finish his Russia investigation, incoming Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Lindsey Graham said Wednesday.
Barr will also “air on the side of transparency” in providing Mueller’s final Russia report to Congress and the public, Graham told reporters after a meeting with Barr.
“I can assure you he has a very high opinion of Mr. Mueller and he is committed to letting Mr. Mueller finish his job,” Graham said after a meeting with Barr, who served as attorney general from 1991 to 1993 in the George H.W. Bush administration.
Lindsey Graham says AG nominee Barr told him he would NOT interfere with Mueller investigation.
Barr told him that he would follow procedure while “airing on the side of transparency” about sharing Mueller’s final report with Congress and the public, per @jeremyherb
— Manu Raju (@mkraju) January 9, 2019
Barr, whose confirmation hearing begins on Jan. 15, has come under fire from Senate Democrats who claim that his past comments criticizing the Mueller probe are disqualifying.
Special counsel Robert Mueller (L) arrives at the U.S. Capitol for closed meeting with members of the Senate Judiciary Committee June 21, 2017 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Alex Wong/Getty Images)
Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer told Politico on Wednesday that Trump should withdraw Barr’s nomination because of a memo that Barr sent to senior Justice Department officials in June 2018 questioning Mueller’s investigation into whether Trump obstructed justice in firing James Comey as FBI director.
Mueller’s obstruction investigation was “fatally misconceived,” Barr wrote in a June 8, 2018 memo, first reported by The Wall Street Journal. (RELATED: AG Nominee William Barr Lambasted Mueller Tactics In Memo To Rosenstein)
Mueller is also investigating whether the Trump campaign colluded with the Russian government. He is reportedly close to finishing the investigation and submitting a final report to the Justice Department.
NBC News has reported that Mueller could provide the report as soon as mid-February. The DOJ will then decide whether to provide parts of the report to Congress. The White House could invoke executive privilege to block portions of the report.
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