Democrats Who Voted to Confirm Barr: Whoops!!!

By Sophie Weiner  |  May 1, 2019 | 11:45pm
Congress

The Democratic senators who voted to confirm William Barr as attorney general are having some regrets, according to Politico. These new doubts were spurred by the news yesterday that special counsel Robert Mueller wrote a letter to Barr expressing concerns about his summary of Mueller’s report on Russian interference in the 2016 election, followed by Barr’s appalling performance in his Senate Judiciary Committee hearing today.

One of the three senators who supported Barr’s nomination was Alabama’s Doug Jones, who is up for reelection next year. Jones told Politico that he is “greatly, greatly disappointed in what I am seeing in the attorney general.”

“I also thought he would bring this institutional stability to the Department of Justice. And not be the president’s personal lawyer. And he seems like he is moving and has moved toward a less independent role,” Jones told Politico. “That bothers me for the 12 remaining investigations out there.”

Folks, we’ve got to give Jones the benefit of the doubt. Who would have thought when Barr was up for confirmation just a few months ago that another ghoul installed by Donald Trump might not have the best intentions?!

But Jones still doesn’t know if he really regrets voting to confirm Barr.

“I’m getting close to that. I haven’t said that yet. But it sure is so disappointing. I’m getting close. You might want to check tomorrow,” he said, referencing the hearing that Barr has now cancelled with the House Judiciary Committee.

West Virginia Senator Joe Manchin is also troubled that Barr is behaving in a way consistent with every other Trump appointee.

Manchin told Politico that if special counsel Robert Mueller’s concern with Barr “proves out, absolutely I have buyer’s remorse. I would have made a big mistake.”

Whoopsie!

“It’s troubling, absolutely. The difference between the interpretation between what Mueller really meant and what he intended. And he thought he didn’t present it properly. And Barr said he basically did represent properly,” Manchin told Politico. “We’ve got to get that cleared up. And I would encourage my friend Lindsey Graham to bring Mueller in as quickly as possible.”

The last Democratic senator who supported Barr’s nomination was Kyrsten Sinema of Arizona. She has requested a meeting with Barr to discuss his summary of the Mueller report, a Sinema aide told Politico.

Better luck next time, guys!

 
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