By Steve Neavling
Two private ethics groups are calling for the impeachment of Attorney General William Barr, accusing him of misusing his position to help President Trump get re-elected.
The University of Pennsylvania’s Center for Ethics and the Rule of Law (CERL) and the Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington (CREW) made the case in a 267-page report released Monday that outlines how they say Barr has undermined public confidence in the Justice Department, Bloomberg reports.
They pointed to what they called the intentional distortion of Robert Mueller’s special counsel report, Barr’s repeated news interviews in support of the president, and his appointment of U.S. Attorney John Durham to investigate the Trump-Russia investigation. Barr also has intervened in criminal cases involving Trump associates, including former National Security Adviser Michael Flynn.
They said these actions may also violate the Hatch Act, which prohibits federal employees from engaging in most political activity while on duty.
“The working group came to the reluctant conclusion that Attorney General Barr is using the powers of the Department as a vehicle for supporting the political objectives of President Donald Trump,” they wrote. “It appears that the Department has transitioned from one that is subject to law, to become one that instead views the application of law as politically discretionary; moving from rule of law to rule by law.”
