who is attorney william barr

Who is Attorney General William Barr?

William Barr, in full William Pelham Barr, (born May 23, 1950, New York City), American lawyer and government official who served as attorney general of the United States during the administrations of Presidents George H.W. Bush (1991–93) and Donald Trump (2019–20). Barr was the second person in U.S. history to serve twice as attorney general (the first was John J. …

Is William Barr a Catholic lawyer?

Apr 18, 2019 · President Donald Trump nominated William Barr, 68, who is a close friend of Mueller, to be his attorney general months after Barr had sent an unsolicited 19-page memo to the president's lawyers...

Who is William Barr and what did he say?

Mar 24, 2019 · Barr took on lucrative private sector roles after Bush’s 1992 election defeat, serving as the top lawyer of GTE Corporation until the company merged with Bell Atlantic to become Verizon. He was the...

Who is Robert Barr?

Feb 14, 2019 · Barr, 68, served as attorney general under the late President George H.W. Bush in the early 1990s. A Republican, he is a lawyer with Kirkland & Ellis in Washington, D.C. Former Attorney General...

What is William Barr salary as Attorney General?

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Who is William Barr?

William Barr, in full William Pelham Barr, (born May 23, 1950, New York City), American lawyer and government official who served as attorney general of the United States during the administrations of Presidents George H.W. Bush (1991–93) and Donald Trump (2019–20). Barr was the second person in U.S.

When did Barr leave the law firm?

He became a partner in his law firm in 1985. In 1989 Barr left private practice to join the U.S. Justice Department. He was first appointed assistant attorney general, rose to deputy attorney general, and then became attorney general.

What did Barr argue about the firing of Comey?

Barr argued that the firing of Comey was a “facially-lawful” exercise of “ Executive discretion” and that obstruction would not apply unless Trump had already been found guilty of an underlying crime. Such arguments were advanced by many Trump supporters as well as by advocates of increased presidential authority.

What did Barr say about Mueller?

In June 2018 Barr, a private citizen with no formal ties to the U.S. government, sent an unsolicited 19-page memo to Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein. In it Barr disparaged Robert Mueller ’s investigation into possible Russian interference in the 2016 U.S. presidential election. He was particularly focused on the possibility of Mueller pursuing an obstruction of justice case against Pres. Donald Trump over Trump’s firing of FBI Director James Comey. Barr argued that the firing of Comey was a “facially-lawful” exercise of “ Executive discretion” and that obstruction would not apply unless Trump had already been found guilty of an underlying crime. Such arguments were advanced by many Trump supporters as well as by advocates of increased presidential authority.

Why did Barr refuse to appear before the House Judiciary Committee?

In addition, the Justice Department refused to comply with a subpoena for the unredacted Mueller report, an official stating that the Judiciary Committee’s request did not constitute “legitimate oversight.” In July 2019 the House voted to hold Barr in criminal contempt for refusing to provide documents related to the Trump administration’s unsuccessful efforts to add a citizenship question to the 2020 census. As Barr was head of the Justice Department, the legal body that would be tasked with prosecuting such an offense, the move was almost entirely symbolic.

How did Barr help Trump?

Throughout his term as attorney general Barr would use his position to insulate the White House and Trump’s allies from congressional oversight and federal prosecution. Most notably, the Justice Department directly intervened in the cases of former Trump national security adviser Michael Flynn and Trump adviser Roger Stone. Flynn, who had twice pleaded guilty to lying to FBI investigators, saw the charges against him dismissed, only to have that dismissal reversed by a U.S. appellate court. In the Stone case, the Justice Department’s own sentencing recommendation was countermanded by a Barr-appointed official after Trump tweeted that he felt that it was too harsh. In both cases, the federal attorneys overseeing the prosecutions resigned in protest. Trump eventually pardoned Flynn and commuted Stone’s sentence.

What concerns did Barr have during the confirmation process?

During the confirmation process, congressional Democrats raised concerns about Barr’s memo to Rosenstein. Barr, as attorney general, would have oversight of an investigation whose direction he had characterized as “fatally misconceived.”. Barr’s longtime association with Time Warner was also scrutinized.

Who is William Barr?

Who is Attorney General William Barr? The attorney general has long held a broad view of the powers of the presidency — and a dim view of special counsel investigations. William Barr testifies at his attorney general confirmation hearing before the Senate Judiciary Committee on Jan. 15, 2019. Kevin Lamarque / Reuters file.

When was Barr sworn in as Attorney General?

President George H.W Bush and William Barr wave after Barr was sworn in as Attorney General in Washington on Nov. 26, 1991. Scott Applewhite / AP file.

What did Barr tell Trump about Mueller?

Barr said he told Trump about his relationship with Mueller when he first asked him to join his legal team in 2017. "I told him how well I knew Bob Mueller and that the Barrs and Muellers were good friends and would be good friends when this was all over," Barr said.

What did Barr think of the Iran-Contra investigation?

Barr thought that probe — like the earlier Iran-Contra investigation — was "destructive," Luttig said. Barr returned to private practice after Bush lost the 1992 election, and became general counsel for telecommunications giant GTE Corporation, which merged with Bell Atlantic to become Verizon in 2000.

How much did Barr donate to Trump?

While he supported his former boss' son, Jeb Bush, in the 2016 Republican primary — Barr donated $55,000 to a political action committee supporting his campaign — he later gave $2,700 to team Trump and publicly defended him after he took office.

What did Barr push for?

On the southern border, Barr pushed for beefed-up security and fencing. "Good effective fences did cut down substantially on immigration. It was a big issue out in California, so I devoted a lot of effort and energy to doing our best to shut down the border in California," he said in the oral history.

Why did Barr send the memo?

Barr's friends told NBC News he sent the memo out of a deep sense of duty — the same reason he accepted Trump's offer to be attorney general, a job he'd held from 1991 to 1993 when George H.W. Bush was president.

What is Barr known for?

Barr is known for maintaining humor through difficult situations, though. At a reception in the attorney general’s conference room after his swearing-in ceremony in 1991, Barr surprised guests with a turn on the bagpipe – a longtime talent of his.

What was Barr's first job?

Barr was appointed to his first role at the Justice Department after helping the 1988 Bush campaign in its vice presidential selection process. As the head of the Office of Legal Counsel, he worked closely with the White House and produced a 10-page memo outlining a broad vision of the executive branch’s power to rebuff Congress’ oversight attempts.

Who was the lawyer for GTE?

Barr took on lucrative private sector roles after Bush’s 1992 election defeat, serving as the top lawyer of GTE Corporation until the company merged with Bell Atlantic to become Verizon. He was the general counsel and executive vice president of the company until his retirement in 2008.

What did Barr do at the Justice Department?

At the Justice Department, Barr’s work ranged from combatting violent crime to investigating the Pan Am 103 bombing. He also coordinated counter-terror activities during the first Gulf War and spearheaded the response to the S&L crisis, according to his biography.

What did Barr say at his confirmation hearing?

But Barr told senators at his confirmation hearing that "it is vitally important" for Mueller's investigation to be completed, according to a transcript of his prepared remarks.

Did William Barr work for the CIA?

William Barr worked for the CIA while going to law school at night. (Kirkland & Ellis)

Who said Barr should be complimented?

His answer reportedly surprised then-Sen. Joe Biden, who said Barr should be “complimented” for his “candid answer,” even though the eventual U.S. vice president did not agree.

Did Barr agree with Roe v Wade?

During the confirmation hearings when he was first appointed attorney general, Barr said he did not agree with the Supreme Court’s Roe v. Wade decision and viewed abortion as an issue best left to the states, the Los Angeles Times reported at the time.

Who is William Barr?

Barr's credentials may make him a safer bet for confirmation than some of Mr. Trump's other candidates. However, some in the White House worried that the 68-year-old Barr is too moderate and close to the GOP establishment to be an effective pick.

Barr and Mr. Trump

Mr. Trump and Barr are said to not know each other all that well. But since Mr. Trump took office, Barr has emerged as a sometimes defender of the president in the press.

Who is William Barr?

If you want to understand William Barr, President Donald Trump’s strikingly partisan and loyal attorney general who has continually assured Trump that his desired actions are perfectly legal, then you have to understand William Barr, the person.

What did Barr do for the Justice Department?

For the next two years, as chief of the Justice Department’s Office of Legal Coun­sel, Barr played a key role in shaping Rich­ard Thornburgh’s stormy tenure as attorney general. In a job that was essentially politi­cal, he helped maintain the administra­tion’s ideological purity by screening out judicial candidates who weren’t conserva­tive enough. He also drafted two key docu­ments rationalizing the U.S. invasion of Panama and the seizure of General Manuel Noriega.

What did Barr do as a deputy AG?

Flogging another conservative hobby­horse, Barr fought hard as deputy AG to keep federal courts from expanding their right to review state criminal convictions on writs of habeas corpus. As a devout Catholic, he also pandered to the antiabor­tion crowd, even “torquing” the law in Au­gust 1991 to advance their crusade. The challenge came when a federal judge in Wichita issued an order barring anti-abor­tion demonstrators from blocking access to a clinic. The Justice Department inter­vened to try to force a lifting of the ban. Later asked about this by Congress, Barr gave an exquisitely technical rationale, as­serting that though the demonstrators were “lawbreakers… treading on other people’s rights,” they “should be dealt with” in state court, not federal court — thus the federal judge’s order was unenforceable.

What did Barr do in 1990?

In mid 1990, as Thornburgh’s own prob­lems with Congress deepened, Barr was tapped to run interference, and was named deputy attorney general. The appointment came just in time for him to draft another landmark tract for the administration, the legal pretext for the undeclared war against Iraq. It would have made any Nixonite proud. Explaining it later to Congress, Barr said he believed there was a “gray zone” between a declared offensive war and an emergency defensive action where “there is latitude for the president, if he believes that the vital interests of the United States are threatened by foreign military attack, there is room for him to respond.”

Was Barr a lawyer in the BCCI case?

During the 1980s Barr bounced between government service and a prestigious Washington law firm that would later rep­resent one of the key defendants in the BCCI affair. Barr assured Congress in 1991 that he was long gone from Shaw, Pittman, Potts & Trowbridge by the time it took on its dubious BCCI client. Still, the appear­ance of compromised interests would dog Barr at Justice, particularly as its own in­vestigation of BCCI stalled.

When did Barr meet Bush?

Barr first met Bush in the CIA. In 1976 , having shifted to the agency’s legislative office, he helped write the pap sheets that director Bush used to fend off the Pike and Church committees, the first real embodiments of Congressional oversight of the CIA. Intimates say the experience was for­mative for Barr, turning him into an impla­cable enemy of congressional intrusions on executive prerogative.

When is William Barr's candlelight vigil?

William Barr speaking at the 31st Annual Candlelight Vigil in Washington DC on May 13, 2019. Photo credit: Office of Public Affairs / Flickr (CC BY 2.0)