Attorney general nominee William Barr will tell the Senate Judiciary Committee at his confirmation hearing Tuesday it is “vitally important” that special counsel Robert Mueller be allowed to finish his investigation into Russian election interference.
“I will build on the work already done by Special Counsel Mueller and current Department of Justice leadership and ensure the full might of our resources are brought to bear against foreign persons who unlawfully interfere in our elections,” Barr is set to tell lawmakers, according to his prepared remarks obtained by the Washington Examiner on Monday.
President Trump nominated Barr in December to replace Jeff Sessions, who was on the job from early 2017 until his forced ouster in November.
“I believe it is in the best interest of everyone — the president, Congress, and, most importantly, the American people — that this matter be resolved by allowing the special counsel to complete his work,” Barr will say.
Barr will say he believes the results of the Mueller investigation should be made public, and will pledge “as much transparency as I can consistent with the law.”
“The country needs a credible resolution of these issues. If confirmed, I will not permit partisan politics, personal interests, or any other improper consideration to interfere with this or any other investigation,” Barr’s remarks said.
Barr, 68, served as attorney general at the tail end of former President George H.W. Bush’s administration, from late 1991 until early 1993. His civil service career began at the CIA, and since leaving the government, he has been counsel at Kirkland & Ellis law firm.
He’s looking to take up the role again as Trump frequently disparages the Mueller investigation. Senate Democrats have said they’ll question Barr aggressively over whether he can be impartial overseeing the Mueller probe.
“I can assure you that, where judgments are to be made by me, I will make those judgments based solely on the law and will let no personal, political, or other improper interests influence my decisions,” Barr will say.
Democrats are expected to zero in on a memo that Barr sent unsolicited to the Justice Department last year in which he criticized the Mueller probe for going after the president for obstruction of justice.
Barr will address the memo by saying it’s “narrow in scope”, and that it “did not address — or in any way question — the Special Counsel’s core investigation.”
“Nor did it address other potential obstruction-of-justice theories or argue, as some have erroneously suggested, that a President can never obstruct justice. I wrote it myself, on my own initiative, without assistance, and based solely on public information,” Barr will say.
Barr will also defend Trump by saying the president has continued to deny any collusion with Russia during the 2016 campaign.
“Given his public actions to date, I expect that the Special Counsel is well along in his investigation,” his testimony will say. “At the same time, the President has been steadfast that he was not involved in any collusion with Russian interference in the election.”
Barr will tell lawmakers that his four priorities leading the Justice Department will be: fighting violent crime, prosecuting hate crimes, enforcing and improving immigration laws and protecting the right to vote and the integrity of elections.
Tuesday’s high-level confirmation hearings before the Senate Judiciary Committee are the first since Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh’s contentious testimony.
If Barr is reported favorably out of the committee, his confirmation will require a simple majority in the full Senate. The GOP’s new 53-47 majority in the Senate will make that easier in the new Congress.
The confirmation hearings come less than a week after it was revealed that Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein will be leaving his position as the Justice Department’s No. 2 shortly after Barr’s confirmation.
Rosenstein is expected to leave only in a way that ensures a smooth transition, and Barr will be able to pick his own deputy.
[Read more: Attorney general nominee might have to cede oversight of Mueller investigation if confirmed]
