Hours after President Donald Trump announced his new proposed Attorney General pick, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) said the nominee would have a \u00ab\u00a0steep hill to climb\u00a0\u00bb in the Senate and called for the Special Counsel\u2019s investigation to \u00ab\u00a0proceed unimpeded.\u00a0\u00bb<\/b>
\nHours after President Donald Trump announced his new proposed Attorney General pick, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) said the nominee would have a \u201csteep hill to climb\u201d in the Senate and called for the Special Counsel\u2019s investigation to \u201cproceed unimpeded.\u201d
\u201cGiven President Trump\u2019s demonstrated lack of regard for the rule of law and the independence of the American justice system, his nominee for attorney general will have a steep hill to climb in order to be confirmed by the Senate,\u201d Schumer said in a statement Friday regarding Trump\u2019s AG nominee, former Attorney General William Barr.
The top Democrat in the Senate added that Barr must commit under oath to both allowing Robert Mueller\u2019s Russia probe to continue and to protect \u201call of our constitutional rights and to the principle of equal justice under law.\u201d
Given President @realDonaldTrump \u2019s demonstrated lack of regard for the rule of law and the independence of the American justice system, his nominee for attorney general William Barr will have a steep hill to climb in order to be confirmed by the Senate.
\u2014 Chuck Schumer (@SenSchumer) December 7,2018
\u201cIt has been many years since Mr. Barr served in government, and the Senate will need to fulfill its constitutional obligation to carefully review and consider both his record in the Reagan and Bush administrations, as well as his record in the private sector,\u201d Schumer added.
The president announced Barr\u2019s nomination on Twitter earlier on Friday. \u201cAs the former AG for George H. W. Bush and one of the most highly respected lawyers and legal minds in the Country, he will be a great addition to our team. I look forward to having him join our very successful Administration!\u201d Trump wrote.
I am pleased to announce that I will be nominating The Honorable William P. Barr for the position of Attorney General of the United States. As the former AG for George H. W. Bush\u2026.
\u2014 Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) December 7,2018
House Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) also sounded off about Trump\u2019s replacement for recently ousted AG Jeff Sessions, calling Barr \u201cdeeply concerning.\u201d
\u201cBarr\u2019s constant attempts to weaken and undercut the credibility of the Special Counsel investigation cast serious doubt on his ability to oversee this critical investigation,\u201d Pelosi added.<\/p>\n