William Barr
William Pelham Barr served as the 85th United States attorney general. He was a member of President Donald Trump's (R) administration.
On December 14, 2020, Barr announced that he would be leaving his role as attorney general, effective December 23, 2020. President Donald Trump stated in a tweet that Deputy Attorney General Jeff Rosen would become acting attorney general after Barr's departure.[1]
Trump announced his intent to nominate Barr to the position on December 7, 2018, and he was formally nominated on January 3, 2019. He was confirmed by the Senate on February 14, 2019, by a vote of 54-45 and sworn in on the same day.[2][3][4][5]
Barr served as the 77th United States attorney general under former President George H.W. Bush from November 1991 to January 1993. He was unanimously confirmed by the Senate.[6]
The only other person to serve as attorney general twice was John J. Crittenden. He served as the 15th and 22nd attorney general from March 1841 to September 1841 and July 1850 to March 1853.[7]
The U.S. attorney general is responsible for the following:[8]
- Representing "the United States in legal matters";
- Supervising and directing "the administration and operation of the offices, boards, divisions, and bureaus that comprise the Department";
- Furnishing "advice and opinions, formal and informal, on legal matters to the President and the Cabinet and to the heads of the executive departments and agencies of the government, as provided by law";
- Making recommendations to the President concerning appointments to federal judicial positions and to positions within the Department, including U.S. Attorneys and U.S. Marshals";
- Representing or supervising "the representation of the United States Government in the Supreme Court of the United States and all other courts, foreign and domestic, in which the United States is a party or has an interest as may be deemed appropriate"; and
- Performing or supervising "the performance of other duties required by statute or Executive Order," according to the U.S. Department of Justice.
Biography
Barr was born on May 23, 1950, in New York City. He earned his bachelor’s degree in government from Columbia University in 1971 and his master’s degree in government and Chinese studies from Columbia University in 1973. Barr then worked at the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA). While working for the CIA, Barr earned his law degree from George Washington University in 1977. He clerked for a judge on the United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit.[9]
In 1978, Barr joined the Washington, D.C. office of the law firm of Shaw, Pittman, Potts & Trowbridge as an associate. From 1982 to 1983 he worked in the Reagan White House. He then returned to Shaw, Pittman, Potts & Trowbridge and became a partner in 1985.[9]
In 1989, Barr served as the Justice Department’s Office of Legal Counsel as an assistant attorney general. In April 1989, he became the deputy attorney general for the Justice Department. He then served as U.S. attorney general from 1991 to 1993 under President George H.W. Bush.[9]
Career
Below is an abbreviated outline of Barr's academic, professional, and political career:[9][10]
- 2019-2020: United States attorney general under President Donald Trump
- 2017-2019: Of Counsel at Kirkland & Ellis LLP in Washington, D.C.
- 2009: Of counsel to Kirkland & Ellis LLP
- 2000-2008: General Counsel and Executive Vice President of Verizon Communications
- 1994-2000: General Counsel and Executive Vice President of GTE Corporation
- 1991-1993: United States Attorney General under President George H.W. Bush
- 1989-1991: Deputy U.S. Attorney General
- 1989: Assistant Attorney General in the Justice Department’s Office of Legal Counsel
- 1985-1989: Partner at Shaw, Pittman, Potts & Trowbridge
- 1982-1983: Worked on domestic policy in the Reagan White House
- 1978-1982: Associate at the Washington, D.C. office of the law firm of Shaw, Pittman, Potts & Trowbridge
- 1977: Earned his law degree from George Washington University
- 1973-1977: Worked at the Central Intelligence Agency
- 1973: Earned his master’s degree in government and Chinese studies from Columbia University
- 1971: Earned his bachelor’s degree in government from Columbia University
U.S. attorney general
| Nomination tracker | ||
|---|---|---|
| Candidate: William Barr | ||
| Position: U.S. Attorney General | ||
| Confirmation progress | ||
| Announced: | January 3, 2019 | |
| Hearing: | January 15-16, 2019 | |
| Committee: | Judiciary Committee | |
| Reported: | February 7, 2019 (12-10) | |
| Confirmed: | February 14, 2019 | |
| Vote: | 54-45 | |
Barr was the United States attorney general from 2019 to 2020. President Donald Trump announced his intent to nominate Barr to the position on December 7, 2018, and he was formally nominated on January 3, 2019. He was confirmed by the Senate on February 14, 2019, by a vote of 54-45 and sworn in on the same day.[4][5] On December 14, 2020, Barr announced that he would be leaving his role as attorney general, effective December 23, 2020. President Donald Trump stated in a tweet that Deputy Attorney General Jeff Rosen would become acting attorney general after Barr's departure.[1]
Senate confirmation vote
On February 14, 2019, the Senate voted 54-45 to confirm Barr as attorney general. Fifty-one Republicans and three Democrats—Sens. Doug Jones (Ala.), Joe Manchin (W.Va.), and Krysten Sinema (Ariz.)—voted for Barr. Forty-four members of the Democratic caucus and Republican Sen. Rand Paul (Ky.) voted against Barr’s nomination. Sen. Richard Burr (R-N.C.) did not vote.[2]
| William Barr confirmation vote, February 14, 2019 | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Votes for |
Votes against |
Total votes |
| 3 | 42 | 45 | |
| 51 | 1 | 52 | |
| 0 | 2 | 2 | |
| Total Votes | 54 | 45 | 99 |
Senate Judiciary Committee hearing
The Senate Judiciary Committee held a confirmation hearing for Barr January 15-16, 2019.[11]
In his opening statement, Barr said that, if confirmed, he would "enforce the law evenhandedly and with integrity," as he said during his confirmation hearing for attorney general in the George H.W. Bush administration. He added, "We live in time when the country is deeply divided. In the current environment, the American people have to know that there are places in the government where the rule of law – not politics – holds sway, and where they will be treated fairly based solely on the facts and an even-handed application of the law. The Department of Justice must be such a place."[12]
Barr also told senators that he that he would allow special counsel Robert Mueller to finish his investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 election and let the public and Congress learn about the conclusions. He did not promise to release the full contents of the final report.[12][13]
As attorney general, Barr said that his priorities would be to combat violent crime and predatory violence, enforce and improve immigration laws, and protect the integrity of elections.[12]
The Senate Judiciary Committee advanced Barr's nomination by a vote of 12-10, along party lines, on February 7, 2019.[14]
Noteworthy events
On October 4, 2020, a Justice Department spokesperson said Barr was self-quarantining and had tested negative for COVID-19 four times since October 2. Barr had attended a White House event announcing Trump's Supreme Court nominee, Amy Coney Barrett, on September 26.[15]
See also
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Bloomberg, "Barr Departs Administration Early After Crossing Trump," December 14, 2020
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Senate.gov, "On the Nomination (Confirmation William Pelham Barr, of Virginia, to Attorney General)," February 14, 2019
- ↑ NPR, "Attorney General William Barr Swears Oath Of Office After Senate Confirmation," February 14, 2019
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 The Hill, "Trump picks William Barr as next attorney general," December 7, 2018
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 WhiteHouse.gov, "Seventeen Nominations Sent to the Senate," January 3, 2019
- ↑ Justice.gov, "William Pelham Barr," February 14, 2019
- ↑ Justice.gov, "John Jordan Crittenden," July 7, 2017
- ↑ Justice.gov, "Organization, Mission & Functions Manual: Attorney General, Deputy and Associate," accessed December 7, 2018
- ↑ 9.0 9.1 9.2 9.3 Justice.gov, "Attorney General: William Pelham Barr," accessed December 7, 2018
- ↑ Kirkland and Ellis, "William P. Barr," accessed December 7, 2018
- ↑ Judiciary.Senate.gov, "Senate Judiciary Committee Sets Hearing for Attorney General Nominee," January 2, 2019
- ↑ 12.0 12.1 12.2 The Wall Street Journal, "Written Testimony of William P. Barr," January 15, 2019
- ↑ The Wall Street Journal, "Mueller Report to Top Agenda for Next Attorney General," January 16, 2019
- ↑ Politico, "Trump’s attorney general nominee clears Senate Judiciary Committee," February 7, 2019
- ↑ The Hill, "Barr reverses, will quarantine for several days after potential coronavirus exposure," October 4, 2020
| Political offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Jeff Sessions |
U.S. Attorney General 2019-2020 |
Succeeded by Jeffrey Rosen |
| Preceded by Howell T. Heflin |
U.S. Attorney General 1991-1993 |
Succeeded by Janet Reno |
| |||||||||||||||||||
