Feinstein to William Barr: The next attorney general must be able to tell the president 'no'

Source: NBC News



As confirmation hearings for President Trump's AG nominee began, the California senator said the memo he had written about the Mueller investigation raised "serious questions" about his views on executive authority.

Jan. 15, 2019, 10:04 AM EST
By Rebecca Shabad

WASHINGTON — Sen. Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif., the top Democrat on the Senate Judiciary Committee, told President Donald Trump's nominee to be the next attorney general Tuesday that anyone filling that position must be capable of telling the president "no."

"He must have the integrity, the strength and the fortitude to tell the president 'no,' regardless of the consequences," Feinstein said in her opening remarks at the Senate confirmation hearing for Attorney General nominee William Barr, which began Tuesday morning on Capitol Hill. "In short, he must be willing to defend the independence of the Justice Department."

Feinstein also said that the memo Barr wrote about the Mueller investigation raises "serious questions" about his views on executive authority and whether he thinks the president is above the law.

"In the memo, you conclude that special counsel Mueller is 'grossly irresponsible' for pursuing an obstruction case against the president," she said. "I hope we can straighten that out in this hearing."

Read more: https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/congress/feinstein-william-barr-next-attorney-general-must-be-able-tell-n958626?cid=public-rss_20190115