Dozens of Democrats have backed a resolution calling for Congress to consider impeaching William P. Barr, President Trump’s attorney general.
Rep. Steve Cohen of Tennessee, a senior member of the House Judiciary Committee, introduced the resolution Tuesday with the support of 35 co-sponsors.
Announcing the resolution on the House floor, Mr. Cohen listed some of several complaints about Mr. Barr that he argues warrants replacing him as head of the Department of Justice.
“We have been experiencing a very unusual pattern of behavior by the attorney general of the United States. Behavior that has scared many and should scare all,” said Mr. Cohen.
The congressman proceeded to voice concerns over the attorney general’s handling of criminal cases involving defendants linked to Mr. Trump, such as former campaign advisers Michael Flynn and Roger Stone, as well as Mr. Barr’s role in ordering authorities to clear peaceful protesters from a demonstration taking place near the White House early last month.
Several other issues with the attorney general are listed in the actual eight-page resolution, ranging from his abrupt firing last month of Geoffrey S. Berman, the top federal law enforcement official in Manhattan, to his initiation of antitrust investigation into the automobile, technology and legal marijuana industries, among others.
“My oath to support and defend the Constitution compels me to confront this corruption,” Mr. Cohen said in a statement. “Congress is a co-equal branch of government and we must get to the bottom of this and hold Bill Barr accountable.”
The resolution, if passed, would instruct the Judiciary Committee to conduct an inquiry to determine whether the full House should vote to impeach the attorney general and potentially remove him from office. That probe would be conducted under the same 2019 rules that governed the impeachment inquiry into Mr. Trump that resulted in the president’s impeachment by the House and later his acquittal by the Senate.
Among the resolution’s 35 co-sponsors, all Democrats, are vocal critics of the Trump administration including California Reps. Eric Swalwell, Ted Lieu and Maxine Waters, as well as prominent young progressives such as Reps. Ilhan Omar of Minnesota and Ayanna Pressley of Massachusetts.
The Justice Department did not immediately return a request for comment.
• Andrew Blake can be reached at ablake@washingtontimes.com.
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