About 1,110 former Justice Department officials and former prosecutors posted a rare statement Sunday calling on US Attorney General Bill Barr to resign following an extraordinary week of happenings at the Justice Department.
In the last one week, four career prosecutors withdrew from the case of former Trump friend Roger Stone after Barr overruled their sentencing recommendation, Barr ordered separate investigation of former National Security Adviser Michael Flynn’s case , while the attorney general pushed back against the President in an unusual interview saying Trump’s usual Twitter commentary undercuts his work at the Department of Justice.
The statement posted Sunday calling on Attorney General Bill Barr to resign came from former DOJ officials who had served in Republican and Democratic administrations.
“Mr. Barr’s actions in doing the President’s personal bidding unfortunately speak louder than his words. Those actions, and the damage they have done to the Department of Justice’s reputation for integrity and the rule of law, require Mr. Barr to resign. But because we have little expectation he will do so, it falls to the Department’s career officials to take appropriate action to uphold their oaths of office and defend nonpartisan, apolitical justice,” the officials wrote in a statement.
The statement went on to say career attorneys should report any troubling actions they see by Barr or his allies to the Justice department’s Inspector General.
Barr, appointed by Trump, has been a staunch supporter of the president, with many political commentators saying the Attorney General shouldn’t be partisan.
Barr’s criticism of Trump during the week brought about suggestions that Trump might fall out with the AG, but sources within the White House said Trump is happy with Barr.
Marc Short, Vice President Mike Pence’s chief of staff, said Sunday to CNN’s Dana Bash on “State of the Union” that Barr “does enjoy the support” of Trump, telling that he doesn’t think “it’s impossible (for Barr) to do his job.”
“In fact, I think that Attorney General Barr is doing a great job,” he added. “I think he has a lot of confidence inside the White House. I think that the President’s frustration is one that a lot of Americans have, which feels like the scales of justice are not balancing.”
