A number of 2020 Democratic presidential hopefuls are calling on Attorney General William Barr to resign from his post following his testimony on Capitol Hill on Wednesday.
Barr took questions from the Senate Judiciary Committee in the wake of the release of the report compiled by Special Counsel Robert Mueller on the 2016 election. During the hearing, a number of Democrats said the attorney general was too close to President Donald Trump.
Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), Sen. Cory Booker (D-N.J.), former Vice President Joe Biden, Sen. Kamala Harris (D-Calif.), Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.), former HUD Secretary Julian Castro, and former Rep. Beto O’Rourke–among others–have all called on Barr to step down as attorney general.
Here’s what they had to say:
Elizabeth Warren
“AG Barr is a disgrace, and his alarming efforts to suppress the Mueller report show that he’s not a credible head of federal law enforcement,” Warren wrote on Twitter. “He should resign—and based on the actual facts in the Mueller report, Congress should begin impeachment proceedings against the President.”
AG Barr is a disgrace, and his alarming efforts to suppress the Mueller report show that he's not a credible head of federal law enforcement. He should resign—and based on the actual facts in the Mueller report, Congress should begin impeachment proceedings against the President.
— Elizabeth Warren (@ewarren) May 1, 2019
Cory Booker
“Attorney General Barr answers to the American people—not to President Trump—and over the past 24 hours it’s become clear that he lied to us and mishandled the Mueller Report. He needs to step down,” Booker wrote, adding a link to a petition.
Attorney General Barr answers to the American people—not to President Trump—and over the past 24 hours it’s become clear that he lied to us and mishandled the Mueller Report. He needs to step down. Add your name if you agree: https://t.co/x7KkyROdi5
— Cory Booker (@CoryBooker) May 1, 2019
Kamala Harris
Harris, who sits on the Senate Judiciary Committee, had a somewhat contentious exchange with Barr on Wednesday. After his testimony, she said Barr “lacks all credibility.” When asked if she believed he should resign, she offered a one-word answer: “yes.”
After questioning William Barr @senkamalaharris: "This Attorney General lacks all credibility and has I think compromised the American public's ability to believe that he is a purveyor of justice."
— CSPAN (@cspan) May 1, 2019
Q: "Should he resign?"
Harris: "Yes." pic.twitter.com/hh8rBVHBjj
On Wednesday Harris also called the testimony “unacceptable” and called for his resignation in a tweet.
Joe Biden
Biden, while campaigning in Iowa, was asked if he thought the attorney general should step aside. The former vice president responded:
“I think he’s lost the confidence of the American people. I think he should,” he said.
NEW: @JoeBiden says AG Barr should resign pic.twitter.com/boQOxkWzxK
— Bo Erickson CBS (@BoKnowsNews) May 2, 2019
Beto O’Rourke
“Barr has failed in his responsibility to our country. He is not fit to serve as Attorney General and should resign,” O’Rourke wrote on Twitter.
Barr has failed in his responsibility to our country. He is not fit to serve as Attorney General and should resign.
— Beto O'Rourke (@BetoORourke) May 1, 2019
Kirsten Gillibrand
“Attorney General Barr needs to resign. Today, he’s proven once again that he’s more interested in protecting the president than working for the American people. We can’t trust him to tell the truth, and these embarrassing displays of propaganda have to stop,” the New York lawmaker wrote.
Attorney General Barr needs to resign. Today, he's proven once again that he's more interested in protecting the president than working for the American people. We can't trust him to tell the truth, and these embarrassing displays of propaganda have to stop.
— Kirsten Gillibrand (@SenGillibrand) May 1, 2019
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Julian Castro
“In attempting to deceive the American people, Attorney General Barr went in front of Congress and lied under oath. Congress must hold this administration accountable—that starts with launching impeachment inquiries into William Barr and Donald Trump,” Castro wrote on Twitter.
In attempting to deceive the American people, Attorney General Barr went in front of Congress and lied under oath. Congress must hold this administration accountable—that starts with launching impeachment inquiries into William Barr and Donald Trump. pic.twitter.com/y7F4QZvzY9
— Julián Castro (@JulianCastro) May 1, 2019
Pete Buttigieg
Last month Buttigieg, the mayor of South Bend, Indiana, said Barr was “behaving more like the president’s lawyer than like the attorney general.”
“I think given the legitimate concerns that it’s raised whether his true loyalty is to the president, or to the Constitution, if he were ever asking me for advice—which he wont—I would advise him to step aside,” he said, according to NBC News.
Eric Swalwell
On Wednesday, Rep. Eric Swalwell (D-Calif.) noted that he called for Barr’s resignation last month.
“I was suspicious of AG Barr LAST MONTH and called for him to resign then. Today, I’m beyond certain he cannot credibly continue as America’s Attorney General. #BarrMustResign,” he wrote.
I was suspicious of AG Barr LAST MONTH and called for him to resign then. Today, I’m beyond certain he cannot credibly continue as America’s Attorney General. #BarrMustResign https://t.co/Em1OyszhrR
— Eric Swalwell (@ericswalwell) May 1, 2019
Jay Inslee
“Americans cannot trust William Barr to serve as our nation’s top law enforcement officer. He should resign immediately,” Inslee wrote.
Americans cannot trust William Barr to serve as our nation’s top law enforcement officer. He should resign immediately.
— Jay Inslee (@JayInslee) May 1, 2019
John Hickenlooper
“If @realdonaldtrump was a true executive, he would say ‘you’re fired’ to Attorney General Barr for a failed job performance. But that won’t happen, because Barr is doing what Trump hired him to do: to protect his boss, not the American people,” he wrote.
His communications director confirmed to CBS News that he was also calling on Barr to resign.
If @realdonaldtrump was a true executive, he would say “you’re fired” to Attorney General Barr for a failed job performance. But that won’t happen, because Barr is doing what Trump hired him to do: to protect his boss, not the American people.
— John Hickenlooper (@Hickenlooper) May 1, 2019
Other candidates, like Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) called Barr’s actions a “disaster” in the run-up to the release of the Mueller report, but stopped short of calling for him to resign.
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