Attorney General William Barr will not recuse himself from special counsel Robert Mueller’s ongoing Russia investigation.
“Following General Barr’s confirmation, senior career ethics officials advised that General Barr should not recuse himself from the Special Counsel’s investigation,” Justice Department spokesperson Kerri Kupec said in a statement to the Washington Examiner. “Consistent with that advice, General Barr has decided not to recuse.”
Barr, who was confirmed last month, attracted scrutiny from Democrats due to a 19-page memo he wrote last June that outlined why he thought President Trump didn’t obstruct justice when he ousted former FBI Director James Comey in 2017. The memo argued it was “fatally misconceived” to probe obstruction of justice charges against Trump and said “Mueller should not be permitted to demand that the President submit to interrogation about alleged obstruction.”
Meanwhile, some conservatives expressed concern over Barr’s relationship with Mueller. Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., said he was caught off guard when he was informed Mueller was a guest at Barr’s daughters’ weddings and that their wives are involved in the same Bible study.
Barr did not commit to recusing himself from the Russia investigation in light of the backlash and instead said he would confer with ethics officials.
Mueller is investigating Russian interference in the 2016 election and whether the Trump campaign colluded with the Kremlin. He is also looking at whether Trump obstructed justice by firing Comey. Trump has repeatedly denounced the investigation and called it a “witch hunt.”
Former Attorney General Jeff Sessions recused himself from the investigation due to meetings with Russia’s ambassador, paving the way for Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein to oversee the investigation as its acting attorney general. Rosenstein then appointed Mueller to lead the investigation.
After Sessions’ departure, former acting Attorney General Matthew Whitaker refrained from recusing himself, even though the Justice Department told Congress that ethics advisers believed he “should recuse himself … because it was their view that a reasonable person with knowledge of the relevant facts likely would question [his] impartiality.” Whitaker had previously been critical of Mueller.
