WASHINGTON: US Attorney General William Barr will not recuse himself from overseeing Special Counsel Robert Mueller's investigation into Russian meddling in the 2016 election and possible links between US President Donald Trump's campaign and Moscow, Bloomberg reported on Monday (Mar 4), citing a Justice Department spokeswoman.

Before his nomination for the attorney general post, Barr wrote a 19-page memo in which he argued that part of Mueller's investigation into whether Trump had obstructed justice was "fatally flawed". He shared the memo with Trump's legal team and the Justice Department.

Later, in Senate confirmation hearings, Barr said he would allow Mueller to finish his inquiry and would make as many of its findings public as he can.

Mueller is widely expected to finish his investigation in the coming weeks.

Former attorney general Jeff Sessions, who Barr had been brought on to replace, had recused himself from overseeing the probe after he failed to disclose at his own confirmation hearing meetings he had held with the Russian ambassador.

Trump constantly publicly ridiculed and berated Sessions over his recusal. </s> WASHINGTON (AP) — Attorney General William Barr will not recuse himself from overseeing the special counsel's Russia probe after consulting with senior ethics officials, the Justice Department said Monday.

The officials advised Barr against recusal from Robert Mueller's investigation into possible coordination between Russia and Donald Trump's presidential campaign, Justice Department spokeswoman Kerri Kupec said.

"Consistent with that advice, General Barr has decided not to recuse," Kupec said in a statement.

During his confirmation hearing in January, Barr sought to assuage concerns that he might disrupt or upend Mueller's investigation as it reaches its final stages.

Some Democrats had raised those concerns, citing a memo Barr had sent to Justice Department and White House lawyers in which he criticized Mueller's investigation for the way it was presumably looking into whether Trump had obstructed justice.

Barr downplayed the memo during his confirmation hearing, saying it was narrowly focused and shouldn't be read that he has prejudged the investigation. Barr vowed during the hearing to consult with ethics officials about whether he should recuse himself, but told senators the decision would ultimately be his to make under Justice Department guidelines.

Barr also stated without hesitation that it was in the public interest for Mueller to finish his investigation and that he wanted to release as much information as he can about Mueller's investigation to Congress and the public.

Under Justice Department guidelines, Mueller will provide a confidential report to Barr that explains his decisions to pursue or decline prosecutions. Barr will then prepare his own report that would be released to Congress. He has said he intends to share some information with the public, though it's unclear whether Mueller's actual report will ever be made public.

Former FBI Director James Comey, whose firing is among the things being investigated by the special counsel's office, said in an op-ed in The Washington Post on Monday that "providing detailed information about a completed investigation of intense public interest has long been a part of Justice Department practice."

"Every American should want a Justice Department guided first and always by the public interest," Comey wrote. "Sometimes transparency is not a hard call."

The president had assailed and ultimately pushed out his first attorney general, Jeff Sessions, for recusing himself from Mueller's investigation because of Sessions' work with the Trump campaign.

The president named Matthew Whitaker, who was Sessions' chief of staff, as acting attorney general in November. But Whitaker came under fire after he declined to recuse himself from the Mueller investigation even though a top Justice Department ethics official advised him to step aside out of an "abundance of caution."

Before joining the Justice Department, Whitaker had made critical comments about Mueller's investigation, including once opining about a scenario in which Trump could fire Sessions and then appoint an acting attorney general who could stifle the funding of Mueller's probe. </s> WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. Attorney General William Barr will not recuse himself from overseeing Special Counsel Robert Mueller’s investigation into Russian meddling in the 2016 election and possible links between U.S. President Donald Trump’s campaign and Moscow, Bloomberg reported on Monday, citing a Justice Department spokeswoman.

Before his nomination for the attorney general post, Barr wrote a 19-page memo in which he argued that part of Mueller’s investigation into whether Trump had obstructed justice was “fatally flawed.” He shared the memo with Trump’s legal team and the Justice Department.

Later, in Senate confirmation hearings, Barr said he would allow Mueller to finish his inquiry and would make as many of its findings public as he can.. Mueller is widely expected to finish his investigation in the coming weeks.

Former attorney general Jeff Sessions, who Barr had been brought on to replace, had recused himself from overseeing the probe after he failed to disclose at his own confirmation hearing meetings he had held with the Russian ambassador.

Trump constantly publicly ridiculed and berated Sessions over his recusal. </s> Attorney General William Barr will not recuse himself from overseeing special counsel Robert Mueller’s investigation into allegations of collusion between President Donald Trump’s 2016 presidential campaign and the Russian government, a Justice Department spokeswoman said Monday.

Barr’s confirmation for a second stint as the nation’s top law enforcement officer came under scrutiny given his previous statements about the special counsel’s investigation. Barr reportedly sent an “unsolicited memo” to the Justice Department last year, in which he expressed skepticism about parts of Mueller’s investigation. He said that Mueller’s inquiry into potential obstruction of justice by Trump was based on a “fatally misconceived” theory that would threaten the presidency and the executive branch.

During his Senate confirmation hearings last month, Barr refused to say whether he would recuse himself from any role in Mueller’s probe but noted he would allow Mueller to complete his investigation and make as many of its findings public as possible. Barr was confirmed by a vote of 54 to 45 in the Senate. Mueller is widely expected to wrap up his investigation in the comings weeks.

Justice Department spokeswoman Kerri Kupec said Monday that Barr would not step aside from overseeing Mueller’s inquiry and that the department’s ethics team concurred, CNN reported. Barr previously told lawmakers he would seek counsel from ethics officials on the recusal issue.

“Following General Barr’s confirmation, senior career ethics officials advised that General Barr should not recuse himself from the Special Counsel’s investigation,” Kupec said. “Consistent with that advice, General Barr has decided not to recuse.”

Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein, who appointed Mueller to oversee the Russia probe in 2017 after former Attorney General Jeff Sessions recused himself from the inquiry, is expected to leave the department later this month. Sessions was ousted by Trump from the Justice Department one day after November’s midterm elections, putting an end to a tumultuous partnership between the commander-and-chief and senior cabinet member that was marked by repeated public humiliations ever since Sessions announced he would recuse himself from any investigation into the 2016 campaign. Until he steps down from the Justice Department, Rosenstein plans to oversee Mueller’s investigative and prosecutorial work. Trump has announced plans to nominate Department Transportation Secretary Jeffrey Rosen to replace Rosenstein as the No. 2 official at the Justice Department, but another official could be named to the post on an acting basis. The former head of the U.S. Office of Government Ethics under President Barack Obama, Walter Shaub, criticized Barr’s decision. “The most important reason for Barr to recuse is not the ethics rules but the illegitimacy of his predecessor’s firing for refusing to stop an investigation of POTUS,” Shaub wrote on Twitter. “Do not misread the ethics officials as having weighed in on that issue. They did not.” </s> Attorney General William Barr delivers a press conference at the Justice Department ahead of the expected release of special counsel Robert Mueller's report on Russian interference in the 2016 election.

A redacted version of the report is expected to be released on Thursday. </s> William Barr was confirmed Thursday by the Senate to serve as President Trump’s next attorney general, sending him to lead a Justice Department whose past officials have come under sharp criticism from the president over the ongoing Russia investigation.

Several Democrats joined nearly all the Republicans in confirming Barr, 68, a longtime lawyer who served as attorney general from 1991 to 1993 under the late President George H.W. Bush. He was confirmed 54 to 45.

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Three Democrats, Arizona Sen. Kyrsten Sinema, Alabama Sen. Doug Jones and West Virginia Sen. Joe Manchin, voted to confirm Barr. Kentucky Sen. Rand Paul was the lone GOP nay.

Barr will be sworn in Thursday afternoon in the Oval Office at the White House. Chief Justice John Roberts will administer the oath of office.

Barr becomes the second full-fledged attorney general of the Trump administration: the president, upset over his recusal in the Russia investigation, fired former Attorney General Jeff Sessions from running the Justice Department the day after the 2018 midterm elections. Matthew Whitaker has served as acting attorney general during the vacancy.

“A major victory for justice and the rule of law in America: the Senate just confirmed President @realDonaldTrump’s outstanding nominee William Barr as Attorney General,” tweeted White House press secretary Sarah Sanders.

Barr’s confirmation came the same day former FBI Deputy Director Andrew McCabe, who was fired by the president last year, detailed the central role he played in the bureau’s Russia probe and the eventual appointment of a special counsel — while describing Justice Department meetings where officials discussed ousting the president.

Trump fired back that McCabe is a “disgrace to the FBI and a disgrace to our Country.”

Barr’s Senate confirmation hearings ended last month with little uproar. But even so, some Democrats charged that Barr had indicated he would exploit legal “loopholes” to hide Special Counsel Robert Mueller’s report from the public and resist subpoenas against the White House.

Sen. Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., on Thursday said he would vote against Barr’s nomination because he has “not committed to making special counsel findings public and not committed to public testimony from Mueller.”

Democrats and many Republicans have said they believe that Mueller’s final report should be fully released. Barr has said that he will be as transparent as possible under Justice Department regulations, noting that regulations call for the report to be confidential, requiring only that the report explains the decisions to pursue or to decline prosecutions, which could be as simple as a short list, or a report of hundreds of pages.

“I don’t know what—at the end of the day, what will be releasable. I don’t know what Bob Mueller is writing,” Barr said at his hearing last month.

After his confirmation hearing last month, Barr disclosed that he had discussed Mueller’s investigation with Vice President Pence, but insisted that he neither provided legal advice to the White House nor received any confidential information from Pence. Barr also defended a memo he sent to the Justice Department last year that was critical of the Russia probe, explaining that it was narrow in scope and based on potentially incomplete information.

Barr, though, said “it is vitally important” that Mueller be able to complete his Russia investigation.

“I believe it is in the best interest of everyone—the President, Congress, and most importantly, the American people—that this matter be resolved by allowing the Special Counsel to complete his work,” Barr said. “The country needs a credible resolution of these issues. If confirmed, I will not permit partisan politics, personal interests, or any other improper consideration to interfere with this or any other investigation.”

He added: “I can assure that, where judgments are to be made by me, I will make those judgments based solely on the law and will let no personal, political, or other improper interests influence my decision.”

Barr also maintained that he has known Mueller for decades, respects him, and believes he should be allowed to complete his work.

“I have the utmost respect for Bob and his distinguished record of public service,” Barr said. “When he was named special counsel, I said that his selection was ‘good news’ and that, knowing him, I had confidence he would handle the matter properly. I still have that confidence today.”

Barr also told senators that Trump did not seek any assurances or promises before nominating him. Trump has decried the Russia probe as a “witch hunt,” but Barr defended Mueller’s work.

“I don’t believe Mr. Mueller would be involved in a witch hunt,” Barr said at his hearing.

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Trump had complained that Sessions, throughout his tenure as attorney general, was weak, and did not protect him from the Russia investigation. Sessions recused himself early on in the investigation, prior to Mueller’s appointment, due to his involvement with the Trump campaign in 2016.

In turn, Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein took on oversight of the investigation and tapped Mueller as special counsel. Rosenstein is expected to leave his post at the Justice Department in the coming weeks.

Barr, though, has extensive experience in law enforcement, even beyond holding the post as attorney general under the Bush Sr. administration. Barr served as deputy attorney general and assistant attorney general overseeing the Office of Legal Counsel during that administration, covering work ranging from combatting violent crime to investigating the Pan Am 103 bombing. Barr also coordinated counter-terror activities during the first Gulf War, according to his biography.

Prior to joining the Justice Department, Barr worked with the White House Domestic Policy staff for a year under then-President Ronald Reagan. In the 1970s, Barr worked in the Central Intelligence Agency as an analyst and assistant legislative counsel. While he worked at the CIA, he studied law at George Washington University.

Fox News’ Jake Gibson and The Associated Press contributed to this report. </s> Senate confirms Trump nominee William Barr as attorney general

He takes over the position with the special counsel's report on Trump and Russian collusion expected to land on his desk within weeks. </s> WASHINGTON – The Senate has confirmed William Barr as attorney general, placing the veteran government official and lawyer atop the Justice Department as special counsel Robert Mueller investigates Russian interference in the 2016 election.

The Senate voted 54-45 to confirm Barr, who previously served as attorney general from 1991 to 1993. Barr will succeed Jeff Sessions, who was pushed out by President Donald Trump last year. The president was angry with Sessions for recusing himself from the Russia investigation.

As the country’s chief law enforcement officer, Barr will oversee the remaining work in Mueller’s investigation of potential coordination between the Kremlin and the Trump campaign.

Democrats largely voted against Barr. They said they were concerned about his non-committal stance on making Mueller’s report public. </s> WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The Republican chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee said on Monday he wants Attorney General William Barr to appear before the panel to discuss the special counsel’s report on Russian interference in the 2016 U.S. presidential election.

“What’s next, I hope, will be that he will come to the committee (and) release as much as possible of the Mueller report,” Senator Lindsey Graham said, referring to the report by Special Counsel Robert Mueller.
Newly confirmed Attorney General William Barr announces he will not recuse himself from the special counsel's investigation, per the advice of the Justice Department's ethics officials.