This archive report was first published on 16 November 2019.
November 16, 2019
Attorney General William P. Barr vigorously defended President Trump's use of executive authority, suggesting that House Democrats' impeachment inquiry undermines the will of voters.
Speaking at a conference hosted by the Federalist Society, a conservative legal group, Barr argued that Trump's opponents are engaged in a 'war to cripple by any means necessary a duly elected government.'
Barr's forceful defense of the president came after some of Trump's allies accused him of failing to vociferously back the president.
Trump was said to be frustrated that Barr urged him to release a reconstructed transcript of the July call with President Volodymyr Zelensky of Ukraine, which is at the center of the impeachment case.
Trump has denied that account, and Barr hit back at the president's critics, arguing that Trump has not overstepped his authority as president.
While Barr never uttered the word 'impeachment,' he castigated those he sees as stalling Trump's agenda, defending the president's right to set policies, steer the country's diplomatic and military relations, and keep executive branch conversations confidential from congressional oversight.
Barr also noted that opponents labeled themselves 'the resistance' immediately after Trump was elected and accused them of 'using every tool and maneuver to sabotage the functioning of the executive branch and his administration.'
