The Senate Judiciary Committee is preparing for the second time in two years to consider President Donald Trump’s nominee to lead the Justice Department.
As he did almost 30 years ago, William Barr is appearing before the Senate Judiciary Committee to make the case he’s qualified to serve as attorney general.
Barr served as attorney general from 1991 to 1993 and has been nominated by President Donald Trump to do the job again. His confirmation hearing Tuesday has multiple story lines worth watching.
The 68-year-old nominee aims to show Republicans he’s sufficiently supportive of Trump’s tough-on-crime and hardline immigration agenda while assuring skeptical Democrats that special counsel Robert Mueller’s Russia investigation will finish without interference or interruption.
The panel he’ll face is led by a new Republican chairman, Sen. Lindsey Graham of South Carolina, known for a rapid-fire questioning style. It also includes at least three Democrats seen as potential presidential contenders — Cory Booker of New Jersey, Kamala Harris of California and Amy Klobuchar of Minnesota — for whom the hearing could be an opportunity to raise their profiles.
Unless there’s a major surprise, Barr is expected to win confirmation not only because Republicans control the Senate but also because some Democrats are eager to move on from Matthew Whitaker, the controversial acting attorney general.
Some things to watch:
THE SPECIAL COUNSEL INVESTIGATION:
The hearing will unquestionably be dominated by talk of Barr’s oversight of Mueller’s investigation into potential coordination between the Trump campaign and Russia.
Barr will tell the committee that he believes Mueller should be permitted to conclude his investigation, and that he thinks Congress and the public should be able to see the results of Mueller’s work.
Those statements, released ahead of the hearing, were aimed at pre-empting some of the most significant questions Barr will face from Democrats.
Barr’s oversight is especially significant since Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein, who appointed Mueller and who has overseen his day-to-day work, is expected to step down soon after Barr is confirmed.
