AG nominee William Barr: 'In some places it may not be necessary to have a wall'
WASHINGTON – During much of his confirmation hearing, William Barr presented himself as independent-minded and unworried about any pressure that might come from President Donald Trump if they were to disagree.
But when the subject of immigration came up, Barr on Tuesday sounded very much like the man who nominated him to be attorney general but eventually clarified his stance when pressed further on the matter of a border wall.
“We need a barrier system on the border in order to get control of the border,” he told lawmakers on the Senate Judiciary Committee.
The federal government has been partially shut down for more than three weeks because President Trump demanded that his proposal for a border wall be funded before he would agree to any budget deal with Congress.
Democrats who control the House refuse to budge on Trump’s request, arguing that his wall proposal is impractical and a waste of money.
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The subject came up during the confirmation hearing when Iowa GOP Sen. Joni Ernst asked about crimes committed in her state by illegal immigrants and the flood of methamphetamine that come into Iowa and the rest of the U.S. from Mexico.
After his initial response, Barr seemed to make a point of repeating several times that a “barrier” was needed to stem these problems.
Later, when asked about how the shutdown should be resolved, he repeated the need for a barrier.
Sen. Kamala Harris, D-Calif., sought to clarify Barr's view: "Are you advocating a wall?
"I am advocating a barrier system," Barr said. "In some places it may not be necessary to have a wall."
Harris pointed out that most illegal drug trafficking occurs at ports of entry into the U.S.
Throughout his testimony, Barr repeatedly said that he would remain independent from the White House. Former attorney general Jeff Sessions was subjected to frequent ridicule by Trump because he chose to recuse himself from oversight of the special counsel’s investigation into collusion by the Trump campaign with Russia in the 2016 election.
“I will not be bullied by anybody into doing anything wrong," Barr said.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: AG nominee William Barr: 'In some places it may not be necessary to have a wall'
