President Trump announced today that he will nominate former Attorney General William Barr to return as the nation’s top law enforcement officer. The president, who fired Attorney General Jeff Sessions last month and temporarily filled the post with Acting Attorney General Matt Whitaker, confirmed his intentions to reporters on the White House South Lawn as he prepared to leave for Missouri.
Barr, 68, served as attorney general under President George H.W. Bush from Nov. 26, 1991, to Jan. 20, 1993, and is currently counsel for Kirkland & Ellis.
Trump predicted that, if confirmed, Barr would serve with great distinction.
“I want to confirm that Bill Barr, one of the most respected jurists in the country, highly respected lawyer, former attorney general under the Bush administration, a terrific man, a terrific person, a brilliant man,” Trump told reporters. “I did not know him for — until recently when I went through the process of looking at people. He was my first choice from Day One. Respected by Republicans, respected by Democrats. He will be nominated for the United States attorney general and hopefully that process will go very quickly. And I think it will go very quickly.”
JUST IN: Pres. Trump says he will nominate William Barr to serve as attorney general, calling him "a terrific man, a terrific person."
"He was my first choice from day one." https://t.co/1c3XYsoXLb pic.twitter.com/BYM4AktY20
— ABC News (@ABC) December 7, 2018
More: Sessions Forced Out as Attorney General; Whitaker Named Interim Replacement
Barr’s career began with the Central Intelligence Agency, where he worked from 1973 to 1977, and he received his law degree from George Washington University in 1977. He served on President Ronald Reagan’s domestic policy staff from 1982-83, and then served in private practice until he joined the Justice Department as deputy attorney general in 1990.
Richard Cullen, Vice President Mike Pence’s attorney, told the Washington Post that Barr is the “real deal,” and “truly would be the gold standard in terms of what any president of the United States would be looking for in terms of experience, judgment and intelligence.”
From 1991 Attorney General Swearing-In Ceremony, President George H.W. Bush on William Barr: "For 15 years, I've been honored to know this good man. And I've been deeply impressed by his ability, by his love of country and of his profession." pic.twitter.com/6txTTF4klV
— CSPAN (@cspan) December 7, 2018
