2020 Democratic Candidates Call for Attorney General William Barr to Resign
A host of 2020 Democratic candidates called for Attorney General William Barr’s resignation on Wednesday in response to his handling of Special Counsel Robert Mueller’s report on Russian interference in the 2016 election.
“AG Barr is a disgrace, and his alarming efforts to suppress the Mueller report show that he’s not a credible head of federal law enforcement,” Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) tweeted. “He should resign—and based on the actual facts in the Mueller report, Congress should begin impeachment proceedings against the President.”
Two of the candidates calling for Barr’s resignation also had the opportunity to question him as he testified Wednesday before the Senate Judiciary Committee. Moments after she grilled the attorney general, Sen. Kamala Harris (D-CA) told reporters: “No prosecutor worth her salt would make a decision about whether the president of the United States was involved in obstruction of justice without viewing the evidence. This attorney general lacks all credibility.” She called for Barr’s resignation.
Sen. Cory Booker (D-NJ), a fellow judiciary panelist and Democratic candidate, shared a similar sentiment, urged supporters on Twitter and via email to sign a petition calling for Barr’s ouster.
“We can’t trust him to tell the truth, and these embarrassing displays of propaganda have to stop,” Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY) said. And former Rep. Beto O’Rourke (D-TX) tweeted: “Barr has failed in his responsibility to our country. He is not fit to serve as Attorney General and should resign.”
Prior to the hearing, Julián Castro had already called for Barr’s resignation and later added in a CNN interview: “The Attorney General takes an oath to defend the Constitution and at every juncture what’s clear is that this Attorney General instead, has tried to be Donald Trump’s personal lawyer. That’s not the role of the Attorney General.” Castro additionally called for him to be impeached should he not resign.
Similarly, Rep. Eric Swalwell (D-CA) also called for Barr’s resignation prior to Wednesday’s hearing.
Former Vice President Joe Biden, the latest to enter the 2020 contest, was campaigning in Iowa during the hearing and a spokesperson said they did not have anything to add at the moment when asked if he agreed with his competitors’ call for Barr’s resignation.
Later in the day however, Biden himself said that he should as he had "lost the confidence of the American people."
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