Barr defended the Trump administration’s efforts to add a citizenship question to the 2020 census and combat asylum abuse, as well as to debunk claims of election fraud, saying his office saw no merit in them.
Barr established Torridon Law Group to handle government investigations and civil litigation matters. At the Government Investigations & Civil Litigation Institute conference, he shared his motivations for starting this firm during a fireside chat session.
He is no longer at the Justice Department
As attorney general, William Barr defended President Trump’s Muslim ban and attacked the Justice Department’s investigation of allegations of corruption in his presidential campaign, while endorsing policies which violate civil liberties. Additionally, he praised the FBI’s intrusive surveillance programs against American citizens while suggesting Roe v. Wade should be overturned; intervened in convictions and sentences of Trump advisors like Roger Stone and Michael Flynn as well as revising rules for federal executions.
Barr’s allegiance to Trump was often put to the test, especially after Democrats won an election and Trump refused to accept defeat and asserted baseless accusations that the votes had been stolen.
Barr has established Torridon Law Group, a firm which provides regulatory, legislative and government law advice. He has written a book about legal issues. Barr earned his law degree at George Washington University before serving as clerk to Judge Malcolm Richard Wilkey of the USCAFDC Circuit.
He is advising a business lobbying group
An American Free Enterprise Chamber of Commerce lobbying group once heavily supported by Republicans has recruited former Attorney General William Barr as its legal ally, who will fight “against outdated regulations, future-killing tax policies, corporate cronyism and backroom deal making that threaten our economic future,” according to its website.
Barr has extensive experience working with businesses, having served in both his roles of attorney general and director of the Office of Legal Counsel. Additionally, he is an internationally acclaimed bestselling author who speaks frequently on matters relating to law, politics, and business matters.
Barr is widely recognized for being a staunch defender of religious liberty, which earned him an invitation to speak at Notre Dame University in March. But Berg cautions that Barr’s one-sided interpretation of the Constitution and expansive conception of executive power may make him problematic for Catholic liberals and civil libertarians; his one-sided understanding confers legitimacy on Trump’s claims of voter fraud, while also providing cover for his dismissal of former FBI Director James Comey.
He is writing a book
As attorney general of President Donald Trump, Barr took many controversial actions which fractured their relationship. For example, he sought a more lenient sentence for political ally Roger Stone and rejected an inquiry into whether Trump had committed obstruction of justice by lying about the Russia investigation. Furthermore, he overruled prosecutors and attempted to dismiss Geoffrey Berman – an FBI agent investigating allegations that Trump lawyer Rudy Giuliani misled Congress.
Barr defended these decisions in his memoir and asserts that the Justice Department is not a “private law firm” shielding only one client: President Donald Trump. Additionally, he discusses his decision to restart federal executions after 17 years as part of an effort to build trust in electoral systems based on perceptions that working-class Americans felt ignored by politicians. Regardless of these achievements critics accuse Barr of turning the department into an instrument of presidential power despite these accomplishments; here on Rutgers Today he discusses his book!
He is resigning
Barr’s departure will leave deputy attorney general Jeff Rosen as acting leader of the agency, as announced by President Donald Trump via tweet. Barr is leaving just before Christmas so as to spend more time with his family.
Barr has tried to restore the Justice Department as an impartial executive branch. Some senators, however, have criticised him for serving Trump’s interests by appearing to advance them during campaign and presidency.
He was also widely criticized for ordering the violent removal of peaceful protesters during the coronavirus lockdown, intervening in cases involving former advisors Roger Stone and Michael Flynn, as well as for making comments that widespread voter fraud claims had not been proven.
His statement in early December that there was no evidence of widespread election fraud was an effective response to efforts by Trump’s legal team and supporters to invalidate Joe Biden’s victory, as well as to Trump’s baseless allegations of an international conspiracy that denied him his reelection victory.
