Schatz Statement On Senate Vote To Confirm William Barr to U.S. Attorney General

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Brian Schatz (D-Hawai‘i) released the following statement after voting against the confirmation of William Barr to serve as the U.S. Attorney General.

“Mr. Barr has been clear where he should be vague, and vague where he should be clear. He has made sweeping claims about Special Counsel Mueller’s investigation without knowing all the facts, describing potential lines of pursuit as ‘grossly irresponsible,’ ‘an unprecedented expansion of obstruction laws,’ and ‘potentially disastrous.’ Yet when asked by members of the Senate Judiciary Committee if he would protect the independence of the Justice Department, if he would follow the advice of career ethics officials at the Department, and if he would make Mueller’s report public, he gave ambiguous answers.

“There should be no doubt on the part of the Senate, or the American people, that the next Attorney General will protect our system of law enforcement and justice administration from political interference. That is why I voted no on the confirmation of Mr. Barr.”

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