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Virginia Attorney General Mark Herring (D) resigned as co-chair of the Democratic Attorneys General Association Wednesday following the revelation that he wore blackface during his college years. “Virginia AG Herring offered to step aside as co-chair and the committee accepted,” a DACA spokesperson said in a statement. In a meeting with black lawmakers earlier Wednesday, Herring admitted to wearing “brown makeup” as part of a costume to resemble rapper Kurtis Blow. “It sounds ridiculous even now writing it. But because of our ignorance and glib attitudes – and because we did not have an appreciation for the experiences and perspectives...

Political showboating abounded on the Hill amid a government shutdown with the confirmation hearing for Attorney General nominee William Barr. Despite having served in the same position from 1991-1993 under President George H.W. Bush, Barr finds himself subject to left-field questions from the fringes. A particular line of questioning from Senator Kamala Harris stood out as she requested that Barr pledge to end the use of private prisons based on an Obama-era Department of Justice report that Barr had not yet read.Senator Harris’s creative partisan interpretation of the report is a deeper issue of concern than the report itself. At...

A planned Senate Judiciary Committee vote on William P. Barr’s nomination to serve as attorney general has been delayed for a week, as Democrats continue to raise concerns about whether he will allow special counsel Robert S. Mueller III to finish his probe and publicize the results unimpeded. The delay, which is customary for high-profile nominations, is not expected to impede Barr’s eventual chances of being confirmed by the full Senate. But it is the latest reflection of the deep partisan tension surrounding Barr’s nomination, most of which centers on Democrats’ desire to protect Mueller’s probe from being unduly constrained....

Special counsel Robert Mueller has almost finished up his nearly two-year investigation into collusion and Russian interference in the 2016 election, the acting attorney general said Monday. "The investigation is, I think, close to being completed, and I hope that we can get the report from [Special Counsel] Mueller as soon we — as possible," acting Attorney General Matthew Whitaker said during a news conference after announcing criminal charges against one of China's largest telecommunications companies. "I have been fully briefed on the investigation, and I look forward to director Mueller delivering the report, and I really am not going...

The probe of possible Russian meddling in the 2016 U.S. election, led by Special Counsel Robert Mueller, is wrapping up, Acting U.S. Attorney General Matthew Whitaker told reporters on Monday. "I've been fully briefed on the investigation and I look forward to Director Mueller delivering the final report"

Gregg Jarrett cautioned against Trump choosing Barr to replace Sessions as AG saying he is a Washington insider. President Trump must stay away from establishment insiders who will never dare take on the DC swamp. As for William Barr, yes unquestionable integrity, a fine reputation, great experience – he brings gravitas to the job but he is an establishment figure at a time that I think we need a disruptor as Attorney General,” Jarrett said, adding, “Somebody who would vigorously go after corrupt officials at the FBI and Department of Justice who were abusing their positions of power and attempting...

Anticipation is building for special counsel Robert Mueller’s report, bringing to boil a debate over whether it will also be made public. The report took center stage at Attorney General nominee Bill Barr’s confirmation hearing last week, where Democrats on the Senate Judiciary Committee pressed him to commit to releasing it publicly. It’s far from clear how close Mueller is to ending his investigation; the former FBI director has shown no signs of concluding his investigation. At the same time, there is a growing sense in Washington that a probe that has captivated the political world for most of the...

After Democratic Senator Mazie Hirono of Hawaii (with an assist from her California colleague Kamala Harris and John Kennedy) decided to declare the Knights of Columbus a terrorist group or something, there was some significant pushback from the rest of the upper chamber. They went so far as to pass a unanimous consent decree (introduced by Ben Sasse) reaffirming the unconstitutionality of religious tests for office and rebuking the Senators raising these issues. So that probably showed Hirono the error of her ways and convinced her to slow her roll, right?Don’t be silly. She went after Sasse as some...

Sen. Kamala Harris, California Democrat, said Thursday she will not vote for William Barr, President Trump’s nominee for attorney general. Ms. Harris, a member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, is the first prominent Democrat to officially announce her intent to vote against Mr. Barr.

The Supreme Court denied an effort to strip acting Attorney General Matthew Whitaker’s name from a pending case, swatting down a push to force the justices to send a signal that President Trump’s temporary pick is illegal. Lawyers had asked the justices to remove Mr. Whitaker and substitute Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein, arguing that he should be the rightful head of the Justice Department under the law, after former Attorney General Jeff Sessions was ousted last year. The request came in a case involving Barry Michaels, who is challenging a law denying him the right to purchase a firearm...

Full title: Gregg Jarrett: Why Rosenstein’s departure will help restore the rule of law at the Justice DepartmentReports Wednesday by Fox News and others that rogue Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein is expected to resign in several weeks – soon after William Barr is confirmed by the Senate as our nation’s next attorney general – mean that the Justice Department is headed for badly needed reforms. Under the failed leadership of fired Attorney General Jeff Sessions and Rosenstein, the department has been operating more like the Department of Injustice in its handling of the out-of-control and ever-expanding Russia probe led...

Wyatt Earp. Elliot Ness. J. Edgar Hoover. Inspector Clouseau. James Comey. The names reflect a continuum of greatness to farce and mediocrity. In the annals of U.S. law enforcement, no individual has reached the depths of disgrace as James “Cardinal” Comey. The “Cardinal” was a sobriquet FBI agents used to denigrate their leader. As Deputy Attorney General, he was called “drama queen.” Known for his pomposity and self-regard, Comey cut a swath of arrogance unknown in either of those illustrious organizations. He was the cult of personality. He surrounded himself with sycophants, people dedicated to his promotion and their advancement....

Full Title: Acting Attorney General Matthew Whitaker reportedly does not have to recuse himself from Robert Mueller's probe Acting Attorney General Matthew Whitaker reportedly will not have to recuse himself from continuing to oversee special counsel Robert Mueller's investigations. CNN reported that Whitaker, who was appointed last month to temporarily lead the Justice Department, has been told by department ethics officials that he can continue to supervise the probes. The investigations include whether Whitaker's boss, President Donald Trump, tried to obstruct justice in Mueller's inquiry into Russian interference in the 2016 election. CNN said Whitaker would inform senators of the...

Democrats eager to protect the Mueller probe should be pleased at the prospect of Acting Attorney General Matthew Whitaker’s pending departure. But his would-be successor, William Barr, is a gifted conservative lawyer who proved a scourge to the Iran-Contra special prosecutor in the early 1990s. Democrats must now decide whether to delay Barr’s confirmation or place it on a glide path, and both options are unappealing. President Donald Trump’s selection of William Barr for attorney general has caught Democrats in the horns of a dilemma. Without a Senate majority, Democrats have little chance of stopping Barr’s confirmation, but with ordinary...

Another Democrat has revealed her totalitarian impulse under the malign influence of Trump Derangement Syndrome. Letitia James, who will take office as attorney general of the State of New York, has just admitted to the friendly folks at NBC News that she is channeling Lavrenty Beria, Stalin’s notorious secret police head, who famously said, “Show me the man and I’ll find you the crime.” Letitia James compaigning in 2013 (Photo credit: croppped from "I think within the first 100 days this bill will be passed," she said, adding, "It is a priority because I have concerns with respect to...

President Trump's pick for US attorney general, William Barr, believes that the Clintons "should be investigated" and there are "things" about Bill and Hillary "that haven’t been investigated.” Trump announced last week that Barr will take over from acting AG Matthew Whitaker to lead the Department of Justice, describing the incoming attorney general as "my first choice from Day One." According to Barr, the DoJ would be “abdicating its responsibility” if it fails to investigate Bill and Hillary and the Clinton Foundation.

In nominating William Barr for AG, the president could not have done better In 2007, the Justice Department was in disarray. Though it was largely exaggerated, a controversy over the firing of some United States attorneys, the intrusion of politics into Justice Department hiring decisions, and White House contacts with Main Justice forced the resignation of an overmatched attorney general, Alberto Gonzales. The Justice Department is not just any arm of government. It is a bulwark of the rule of law on which our domestic tranquility and prosperity depend. It is a watchman against terrorists and hostile foreign powers, ensuring...

President Trump’s picks for attorney general and U.N. ambassador have run into immediate opposition from Democrats -- suggesting both nominees could face tough confirmation hearings. Trump announced Friday morning that he plans to nominate William Barr, the George H.W. Bush-era leader of the Justice Department, as his next attorney general to replace former AG Jeff Sessions. Fox News is told Trump liked the respect Barr commands and the fact that he has earned bipartisan support in the past. If confirmed, he would replace Matthew Whitaker, the former Sessions chief of staff who took over as acting attorney general last month....

President Trump has nominated a "brilliant man" to replace Jeff Sessions as attorney general, the president said outside the White House Friday. He has tapped William Barr, former attorney general for the late President George H. W. Bush, for the position. BREAKING; “I think he will serve with great distinction.” President Trump announces William Barr as new attorney general pic.twitter.com/mKzYDZgNj9— TODAY (@TODAYshow) December 7, 2018 Trump said he "did not know" Barr until recently, but found him to be respected by lawmakers from both partIes. He predicted the process will go "very quickly."  However, Democrats have hinted that they will...

Barr, 68, a well-respected Republican lawyer who served as attorney general from 1991 to 1993 under President George H.W. Bush, has emerged as a favorite candidate of a number of Trump administration officials...Administration officials expect Barr’s nomination would be received positively by Republicans who respect his experience and Democrats who would likely view him as an old-school GOP lawyer with no particular personal loyalty to the president.