FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
January 16, 2019
Contact: Emily Phelps | press@indivisible.org
Washington, DC—Today, Elizabeth Beavers, associate policy director of the Indivisible Project, issued the following statement on the confirmation hearing for Attorney General nominee William Barr:
“We said it before his confirmation hearings and we’ll say it again now: Barr is not fit to be attorney general. During the hearing, he played word games to avoid recusing himself from overseeing the Mueller investigation, committing to making the investigation findings public, or even affirming that he would follow recommendations from career ethics officials. Additionally, his statements did nothing to assuage concerns that he will pick up where Jeff Sessions left off in carrying out attacks on immigrants, people of color, and other communities targeted by the Trump administration.
“Barr has long advocated for unchecked executive powers, a philosophy that is attractive to an aspiring tyrant like Trump. He has a track record of being willing to undermine executive investigations and his past comments about Mueller’s investigation show that he’s not likely to defend the probe with the independent rigor that is needed from an attorney general. Additionally, his record is littered with red flags on issues of racial justice and civil rights.
“Trump chose Barr because he knows he would be an attorney general that works for the president and not for the people. He had already considered Barr to be his personal counsel to defend him amidst the ongoing investigations — a job that he eventually gave to one of his most fervent defenders, Rudy Giuliani. As attorney general, Barr will only have a stronger post from which he can shield Trump from accountability and carry forward attacks on communities disproportionately at risk. We urge the Senate not to confirm another Trump yes-man.”
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