Trump taps William Barr as new attorney general

WASHINGTON—President Donald Trump announced Friday he will nominate former U.S. Attorney General William Barr to once again serve as the nation’s top law enforcement official. Barr, 68, is currently a corporate lawyer at the Kirkland & Ellis law firm. He previously served as attorney general in the George H.W. Bush administration from 1991 to 1993. He worked at the CIA from 1973 to 1977 and served in Ronald Reagan’s administration. If confirmed by the Senate, Barr will succeed Attorney General Jeff Sessions, who resigned last month at Trump’s request. Sessions, a former U.S. senator from Alabama, incurred the president’s disfavor after recusing himself from overseeing special counsel Robert Mueller’s investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 U.S. presidential election and whether Trump obstructed the investigation.

Matthew Whitaker is currently serving as acting attorney general. Democrats have strongly criticized Whitaker’s temporary appointment, saying the position should have gone to Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein. They have also criticized Whitaker for past negative remarks about the special counsel’s investigation.

At the time of the announcement, the president said Barr was his “first choice from day one.”