The Justice Department shut down “rumors” that Attorney General William Barr plans to resign.
Kerri Kupec, Barr’s spokeswoman, responded to reports Tuesday evening that said Barr confided to people inside and outside the White House that he was considering an exit prompted by President Trump’s tweets about DOJ matters.
“Addressing Beltway rumors: The Attorney General has no plans to resign,” Kupec said in a tweet.
Addressing Beltway rumors: The Attorney General has no plans to resign.
— KerriKupecDOJ (@KerriKupecDOJ) February 19, 2020
The attorney general intervened to backpedal prosecutors’ initial sentencing recommendation of seven to nine years for former Trump adviser Roger Stone. Barr claimed the decision was not based on Trump’s tweets about the steep request, but Democrats and other critics have raised concerns about the president having undue influence in politically sensitive investigations and cases.
Last week, Barr told ABC News that the president made it “impossible for [him] to do [his] job” because of Trump’s public commentary about the DOJ.
“He has his limits,” one unidentified source said of Barr to the Washington Post.
Former DOJ employees have also weighed in on the controversy.
More than 2,000 former employees signed a letter over the weekend calling on Barr to resign for doing Trump’s “personal bidding” over the Stone case.
“Those actions, and the damage they have done to the Department of Justice’s reputation for integrity and the rule of law, require Mr. Barr to resign,” the letter said.
