President Donald Trump‘s pick for attorney general, William Barr, criticized an aspect of the special counsel’s Russia investigation in an unsolicited memo he sent to the Justice Department.
The document was sent in June and expresses concern with special counsel Robert Mueller’s investigation into whether Trump obstructed justice, which Trump denies. It could factor into Barr’s confirmation hearings and prompt questions about whether he can be unbiased in overseeing the investigation.
Barr’s memo argues there’d be disastrous consequences for the Justice Department and the presidency if Mueller were to conclude that acts a president is legally permitted to take could constitute obstruction just because someone concluded there was corrupt intent.
The Wall Street Journal was first to report on the memo.
