Global InformationWilliam Barr information
William Barr | |
|---|---|
 Official portrait, 2019 | |
| 77th and 85th United States Attorney General | |
| In office February 14, 2019 – December 23, 2020 | |
| President | Donald Trump |
| Deputy |
|
| Preceded by | Jeff Sessions |
| Succeeded by | Merrick Garland |
| In office November 26, 1991 – January 20, 1993 Acting: August 16, 1991 – November 26, 1991 | |
| President | George H. W. Bush |
| Deputy | George J. Terwilliger III |
| Preceded by | Dick Thornburgh |
| Succeeded by | Janet Reno |
| 25th United States Deputy Attorney General | |
| In office May 26, 1990 – November 26, 1991 | |
| President | George H. W. Bush |
| Preceded by | Donald B. Ayer |
| Succeeded by | George J. Terwilliger III |
| United States Assistant Attorney General for the Office of Legal Counsel | |
| In office January 20, 1989 – May 26, 1990 | |
| President | George H. W. Bush |
| Preceded by | Douglas Kmiec |
| Succeeded by | J. Michael Luttig |
| Personal details | |
| Born | William Pelham Barr May 23, 1950 New York City, U.S. |
| Political party | Republican |
| Spouse |
Christine Moynihan (m. 1973) |
| Children | 3 |
| Parents |
|
| Relatives | Stephen Barr (brother) |
| Education | Columbia University (BA, MA) George Washington University (JD) |
| Signature |  |
William Pelham Barr (born May 23, 1950) is an American attorney who served as the United States attorney general in the administration of President George H. W. Bush from 1991 to 1993 and again in the administration of President Donald Trump from 2019 to 2020.
Born and raised in New York City, Barr was educated at the Horace Mann School, Columbia University, and George Washington University Law School. From 1971 to 1977, Barr was employed by the Central Intelligence Agency. He then served as a law clerk to judge Malcolm Richard Wilkey of the United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit. In the 1980s, Barr worked for the law firm Shaw, Pittman, Potts & Trowbridge, with one year's work in the White House of the Ronald Reagan administration dealing with legal policies. Before becoming attorney general in 1991, Barr held numerous other posts within the Department of Justice, including leading the Office of Legal Counsel (OLC) and serving as deputy attorney general. From 1994 to 2008, Barr did corporate legal work for GTE and its successor company Verizon Communications, which made him a multimillionaire. From 2009 to 2018, Barr served on the board of directors for Time Warner.
Barr is a longtime proponent of the unitary executive theory of nearly unfettered presidential authority over the executive branch of the U.S. government.[1][2][3] In 1989, Barr, as the head of the OLC, justified the U.S. invasion of Panama to arrest Manuel Noriega. As deputy attorney general, Barr authorized an FBI operation in 1991 which freed hostages at the Talladega federal prison. An influential advocate for tougher criminal justice policies, Barr as attorney general in 1992 authored the report The Case for More Incarceration, where he argued for an increase in the United States incarceration rate.[4] Under Barr's advice, President George H. W. Bush in 1992 pardoned six officials involved in the Iran–Contra affair.
Barr became attorney general for the second time in 2019. During his term, he received criticism from many for his handling of several challenges, including his letter on the Mueller report, interventions in the convictions and sentences of former advisors to President Trump, Roger Stone and Michael Flynn,[5][6] his order of the federal government to resume federal executions after 17 years,[7][8] and allegations of political interference in the removal of Geoffrey Berman from his Southern District of New York attorney position in a matter pertaining to the indictment of Turkish bank Halkbank, a bank with close personal ties to Recep Tayyip Erdoğan.[9][10] On December 1, 2020, Barr stated FBI and Justice Department investigations found no evidence of irregularities that would have changed the outcome of the presidential election.[11] Barr is the second person to ever serve two non-consecutive terms as U.S. Attorney General, after John J. Crittenden.
- ^ Savage, Charlie (January 14, 2019). "Trump Says He Alone Can Do It. His Attorney General Nominee Usually Agrees". The New York Times. Retrieved September 29, 2019.
- ^ Cite error: The named reference
:20was invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ Johnson, Eliana (May 1, 2019). "The real reason Bill Barr is defending Trump". Politico. Retrieved September 29, 2019.
- ^ Cite error: The named reference
:16was invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ Cite error: The named reference
cbsnews-may-18-2020was invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ Cite error: The named reference
bloombergwas invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ Mystal, Elie (July 17, 2020). "The Trump Administration Is on a Capital Punishment Killing Spree". The Nation. Retrieved December 15, 2020.
- ^ Cite error: The named reference
personally orderedwas invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ Cite error: The named reference
Weiserwas invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ Lipton, Eric; Weiser, Benjamin (October 29, 2020). "Turkish Bank Case Showed Erdogan's Influence With Trump". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved November 1, 2020.
- ^
- Balsamo, Michael; Mascaro, Lisa; Tucker, Eric (December 1, 2020). "Disputing Trump, Barr says no widespread election fraud". Associated Press. Archived from the original on December 1, 2020. Retrieved June 29, 2022.
- Balsamo, Michael; Mascaro, Lisa; Tucker, Eric (December 2, 2020). "Disputing Trump, Barr says no widespread election fraud". Associated Press. Archived from the original on December 2, 2020. Retrieved June 29, 2022.
- Bauder, David (June 28, 2022). "The story behind AP report that caused Trump to throw lunch". Associated Press. Archived from the original on June 28, 2022. Retrieved June 29, 2022.