Donald Trump is under fire from senior Republicans after he forced out Homeland Security secretary Kirstjen Nielsen, with the likes of Texas Senator John Cornyn breaking ranks to denounce the “mess” left behind at the department tasked with ending illegal immigration from Central America.
Veteran senator Chuck Grassley warned further sackings could follow while others have expressed disquiet about the ever-growing influence of White House aide Stephen Miller, a “zero-tolerance” hard-liner.
Meanwhile, US attorney-general William Barr will appear before Congress to answer questions on the Justice Department's budget but is expected to face a barrage of questions about the much-delayed release of the Mueller report.
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When asked whether he had considered the consequences of his department opposing the health care bill for Americans at risk of losing their coverage, William Barr shot back at one Democratic lawmaker: “If you think it’s such an outrageous position, you have nothing to worry about.”
He then concluded his detailing of the Mueller report by adding that he will convene with Republican and Democratic leadership from the House Judiciary Committee after the report’s release to determine whether they will require any further information. Lawmakers may also request grand jury information from the courts, he said — a move he noted the Justice Department would not be making under his leadership.
Donald Trump has claimed the Obama administration originally separated immigrant families arriving at the border, and that he took measures to end it — in spite of recent reports that the current president wants to bring the policy back after a court ruled it was illegal.
"Just so you understand, President Obama separated the children. Those cages that were shown — I think they were very inappropriate. They were built by President Obama's administration. Not by Trump," the president said during a meeting in the Oval Office. "President Obama had child separation. Take a look."
Democrat Nita Lowey has spoken to reporters following Attorney General William Barr’s hearing on Capitol Hill.
“It was clear to me that the Attorney General felt that he was an appointee of the President of the USA,” she said. “And it's very hard for me to believe that he didn't make any changes ... based on suggestions that might have come from the White House."
Meanwhile, the president has been tweeting a series of attacks against Congresswoman Ilhan Omar, using video from Fox Business to support his accusations of anti-Semitism against the House newcomer.
The attorney general abruptly declined to answer further questions about the report halfway through the House Judiciary Committee hearing, saying “I’ve said what I was going to say about the report today.” He then refused to answer whether the White House had been briefed on any aspect of the special counsel report.
“I’m not going to say anything more about it until the report is out,” he added.
Democrats expressed frustration and concern with Mr Barr’s handling of the report, with Nita Lowey, the chairwoman of the House Appropriations Committee, grilling him over how he managed to reduce the massive report into a nearly four-page letter just days after he had received it.
“Even for someone who has done this job before, I would argue it’s more suspicious than impressive,” she said.
William Barr is once again discussing hate crimes, saying he is concerned about the issue while being questioned by Democrat Brenda Lawrence.
“The FBI is engaged in a major initiative” to improve local crime reporting systems, Mr Barr said, acknowledging the administration “needs to get a better handle” on how the issue is handled.
William Barr is discussing reports investigators from the special counsel office are upset with his handling of the report, saying he is unaware who those sources were in the New York Times story.
Attorney General William Barr is back to being grilled by Democrat Matt Cartwright about what happens whether the Justice Department is successful in opposing the Affordable Care Act in federal court.
Democrat Nita Lowey is grilling William Barr over his opposition to the Violence Against Women.
He said he supports the reauthorisation of the bill and that he had referred to the legislation in a negative way “many, many years ago.”
“I fully support what we’re doing in the violence against women,” he added.
William Barr is discussing the “problem of mental health,” claiming it’s “the elephant in the room” from which school shootings are stemming.
