Jul 27, 2020 · Barr agreed to testify on Tuesday after House Judiciary Chairman Jerry Nadler, D-N.Y., threatened to subpoena the attorney general following the firing of Geoffrey Berman, the U.S. attorney for ...
Oct 21, 2021 · The House Judiciary Committee, known for its combativeness, had the opportunity Thursday to question Attorney General Merrick Garland for the first time since he took his perch atop the Justice ...
Jun 24, 2020 · The attorney general's July 28 hearing before the House Judiciary Committee, will undoubtedly focus on Trump's recent firing of a top Manhattan prosecutor, as well as alleged "politicization" of ...
Nov 01, 2014 · The Attorney General is part of the executive branch. The Attorney General is in charge of the Department of Justice (commonly known as the DOJ). Among other things, the DOJ enforces federal criminal law in the United States. Federal prosecutors who work for the DOJ are called United States Attorneys.
Majority Members ( 6 ) | Minority Members ( 6 ) |
---|---|
Whitehouse, Sheldon (RI), Chairman Leahy, Patrick J. (VT) Hirono, Mazie K. (HI) Booker, Cory A. (NJ) Padilla, Alex (CA) Ossoff, Jon (GA) | Kennedy, John (LA), Ranking Member Graham, Lindsey (SC) Lee, Mike (UT) Cruz, Ted (TX) Sasse, Ben (NE) Tillis, Thom (NC) |
Barr said he did not give the command to disperse the crowd, but that the Park Police had made the decision to expand the perimeter well in advance, and he supported that decision.
Lawmakers are sure to bring up the DOJ moving to drop the case against Michael Flynn. In a 2-1 ruling, a federal appellate panel sided with Barr’s Justice Department saying the Flynn charges should be tossed. The House Judiciary Committee said the decision had signs of “corruption.”
Nadler was not driving and not hurt in the accident, his spokesperson said. The hearing is now expected to begin at 10:45 a.m.
Under questioning from Republican Congressman Mike Johnson, Barr said that he is trying to depoliticize the Justice Department.#N#"Actually what I've been trying to do is restore the rule of law ," Barr said. In the cases against Michael Flynn and Roger Stone, he said he intervened in an attempt to "rectify the rule of law."#N#"I agree that the president's friends don't deserve special breaks but they also don't deserve to be treated more harshly than others. And sometimes that's a difficult decision to make, especially when you know you're going to be castigated for it," Barr said.#N#Barr intervened in the Stone case to ask for a lighter sentence, leading all four prosecutors in the case to abruptly withdraw.
Congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee of Texas challenged Barr on his understanding of racism and how it affects American institutions, telling him: "You seem to have a difficult time understanding systemic racism and institutional racism."#N#She asked Barr if the Trump administration intended to end systemic racism. He said yes, but only "to the extent there is racism in any of our institutions in this country and in the police."#N#"I don't agree that there's systemic racism in police departments," Barr said. He argued in favor of reforming police training instead of conducting more detailed pattern-or-practice investigations into police departments.
Pressed by Nadler about whether existing Justice Department initiatives were rebranded under Operation Legend in an effort to help Mr. Trump's reelection prospects, Barr sought to clear up questions about the resources and law enforcement personnel that have been sent to U.S. cities to combat violent crime.#N#Barr told the committee that an anti-crime initiative launched in the fall, called Relentless Pursuit, was "squelched" because of the coronavirus pandemic. As a result, the Justice Department is set to send more officers to U.S. cities that are experiencing a spike in crime, which Mr. Trump announced alongside Barr last week.#N#"We have put in additional federal agents and investigators to help deal with it," he said.#N#Barr told lawmakers he rejects "the idea that the department has flooded anywhere and attempted to suppress demonstrators," as the Trump administration has been accused of doing in Portland.#N#Nadler also asked Barr whether he has discussed the 2020 campaign with Mr. Trump, but Barr said he would not divulge the details of his conversations with the president.#N#He acknowledged that as a member of the Cabinet, the topic of the upcoming election has been raised.#N#"The topic comes up in Cabinet meetings and other things," Barr said. "It shouldn't be a surprise that the topic of the election comes up."
Congressman Jim Jordan of Ohio, the top Republican on the committee, accused congressional Democrats of "attacking" Barr because he raised questions about the actions of the Obama administration during the 2016 presidential campaign.#N# "Spying, that one word," Jordan said at the outset of his opening remarks. "That's why they're after you Mr. Attorney General."#N#The Ohio Republican, a key Trump ally, walked through the timeline of the FBI's investigation into Russian meddling in the 2016 election and potential ties between the Trump campaign and Russia, followed by special counsel Robert Mueller's probe, and invoked former FBI agent Peter Strzok and former FBI Director Jim Comey, among other Obama-era Justice Department officials.#N#"You guys attack him every day, every week and now you've filed articles of impeachment against him," Jordan said of Democrats and Barr. "It's ridiculous."#N#Jordan said Barr is the only official within the upper echelons of the Justice Department who had "the courage to call it what it was, spying" and thanked him for attempting to rid the agency of politics. He also praised Barr for his willingness to defend law enforcement amid scrutiny over the department's response to civil unrest.#N#The Ohio Republican played a lengthy video showing demonstrators hurling projectiles at uniformed law enforcement protecting statues and destroying property.
In his opening statement, Nadler slammed Barr, accusing him of endangering the founding principles of the Justice Department, noting that it was created after the Civil War 150 years ago to protect the law and enforce civil rights legislation .#N#"These two objectives are more at risk than any time in modern history," Nadler said, alleging that Barr has been more willing to serve the objectives of Mr. Trump than the Constitution. "In your time at the Department, you have aided and abetted the worst failings of the president."#N#Nadler said that Barr violated Americans' constitutional rights by sending law enforcement officials to American cities and had spread disinformation about voter fraud. He also accused Barr of having "amplified the president's conspiracy theories" and of interfering with ongoing criminal investigations.#N#"In this Justice Department, the president's enemies will be punished, and his friends will be protected, no matter the cost to liberty or the cost to justice," Nadler said. "This administration has twisted the Department of Justice into a shadow of its former self."
National Guard commander Adam DeMarco will testify before a separate House committee Tuesday that "excessive use of force" was used against protesters in Lafayette Square on June 1, refuting the attorney general's earlier assertions that force was justified.
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