The Senate voted Tuesday to advance the nomination of William Barr, President Trump’s pick to serve as attorney general, to a final vote.
Barr’s confirmation cleared a procedural hurdle along mostly party lines, in a 55-44 vote. The vote followed a contentious Judiciary Committee hearing last week in which Democrats questioned Barr’s ability to fairly oversee special counsel Robert Mueller’s probe into the Trump campaign’s alleged collusion with Russians.
Barr won the overwhelming support of Republican senators, who praised his long career as a lawyer and former attorney general for President George H.W. Bush.
Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., called Barr “a tried and true public servant and a proven professional” who is committed to upholding the rule of law.
Despite initial support from senior Democratic lawmakers, Barr ended up passing with few Democratic votes.
Democrats said they were alarmed by a 20-page memo Barr authored in June questioning the legitimacy of the Mueller probe and making the case that Mueller should not demand Trump “submit to interrogation about alleged obstruction.”
Barr told Judiciary Committee lawmakers during his confirmation hearing his memo aimed to narrowly address the obstruction question and that he believes Mueller should be able to complete his investigation into alleged collusion.
Democrats said they were not convinced by Barr’s testimony and believe he’s a Trump loyalist appointed to protect the president from Mueller.
Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., who is running for president, said Tuesday Barr has already taken extraordinary steps to undermine the Mueller probe by authoring the memo.
“Man, that is quite the cover letter for a job application, when the job is overseeing the very investigation you don’t think should exist in the first place,” Warren said.
Warren also criticized Barr’s views on women’s reproductive rights and immigration.
She said Barr would “continue to take our government further and further in favor of the powerful few over everyone else.”
Democrats backing bar were Sens. Doug Jones of Alabama, Joe Manchin of West Virginia, and Kyrsten Sinema of Arizona.
“Today I will vote to confirm William Barr to be the next attorney general because he is well-qualified, and I am confident that he will faithfully execute the duties of the chief law enforcement officer of the United States of America,” Manchin said.
Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky. voted against Barr because of Barr’s support for warrantless surveillance.
