Why Trump’s Call for ‘Overwhelming Bipartisan’ Vote for Barr Seems Unlikely

[Right_in_Virginia]

Why Trump’s Call for ‘Overwhelming Bipartisan’ Vote for Barr Seems Unlikely
Roll Call, Dec 7, 2018, John T. Bennett

[snip]

The former AG, however, has amassed writings and comments on executive power that could make for a bumpy confirmation process. For instance, he has written about the need for the executive branch to resist congressional attempts to obtain executive data.

In a July 1989 memo after he joined the Justice Department’s Office of Legal Counsel, Barr urged the department’s officials to try to avoid lawmakers’ “attempts to gain access to sensitive executive branch information,” as well as hinder a chief executive’s ability to fire a subordinate, the New York Times reported.

“It is important that all of us be familiar with each of these forms of encroachment on the executive’s constitutional authority,” Barr wrote in that memo. “Only by consistently and forcefully resisting such congressional incursions can executive branch prerogatives be preserved.”

Barr also has sharply questioned several key fundamental aspects of the special counsel probe, and Trump used his morning  “executive time” to fire off another remarkable Twitter attack on the Russia investigation.

But none of that seems like a problem for Senate Republicans.

More:  https://www.rollcall.com/news/politics/trumps-call-overwhelming-bipartisan-vote-barr-seems-unlikely