Barr Nomination Continues to Raise Questions About Whether Mueller Report Will be Made Public

“Trump and Russia: the American people deserve to know what happened.” 

WASHINGTON, D.C. —Caroline Fredrickson, President of the American Constitution Society, issued the following statement ahead of the pending vote on William Barr’s nomination to be U.S. Attorney General.

“Let’s all say it together: The President of the United States may have conspired with a hostile foreign power to corrupt our democracy and sway the 2016 elections. We already know that members of the Trump campaign were in touch with Russians during the campaign; numerous Trump campaign staffers have already pleaded guilty to lying to law enforcement about these contacts. We just don’t know how high up the chain the unethical and potentially illegal conduct goes. And that’s why we need Mueller’s final report on the Russia investigation to be made public and only William Barr, should he be confirmed, can ensure that will happen.

“This is potentially the biggest political scandal to ever stain the presidency. Bigger than Iran-Contra, Monica Lewinsky, and even Watergate. Serious, possibly treasonous crimes may have been committed. And the President would like nothing more than to see the report on his potential misdeeds and legal violations buried. But the U.S. Attorney General is not the President’s personal lawyer; he or she is not charged with protecting the President from legal peril. The U.S. Attorney General serves the American people and right now, in the face of what may be monstrous crimes against our nation, that means revealing the truth about what happened between Trump and Russia during the 2016 elections for all to see.

“President Trump clearly views the U.S. Attorney General as a ‘get-out-of-jail-free’ card; it’s up to Mr. Barr to show that his first loyalty is to the truth and to the American people.”

Contact: William Lutz media@acslaw.org.

AMERICAN CONSTITUTION SOCIETY
Founded in 2001, the American Constitution Society (ACS) is a leading progressive legal organization and network of attorneys, law students, scholars, judges, policymakers, and other concerned individuals, dedicated to making the law a force to improve people’s lives. For more information, visit us at www.acslaw.org or on Twitter at @acslaw. You can also follow Caroline Fredrickson on Twitter @crfredrickson.