Jerry Nadler accused William Barr of being a threat to the United States on Tuesday as the Attorney General was set to testify before the House Judiciary Committee.
Nadler, chairman of the committee and a Democrat, excoriated Barr for protecting President Donald Trump and undermining the rule of law in the nation.
“Your tenure has been marked by a persistent war against the department’s professional core in an apparent attempt to secure favors for the President,” Nadler said in his opening statement.
Watch part of his statement:
Nadler calls Barr a direct threat to the liberty and safety of the country. pic.twitter.com/VF1To993fb
— PoliticusUSA (@politicususa) July 28, 2020
“In your time at the Department, you have aided and abetted the worst failings of this President.”
“You personally have interfered with ongoing criminal investigations to protect the President and his allies from the consequences of their actions,” he said.
Nadler didn’t hold back in his criticism, even saying that Barr represented a real threat to American democracy – as many of the Attorney General’s critics have pointed out.
He said that Barr’s approach to executive authority “represents a direct threat to the liberty and safety of the country.”
Nadler said that Congress had been warned about Barr and suggested that his harshest critics’ predictions had come to pass. The hearing is ongoing.
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