Attorney general nominee must assure Senate on Mueller report

William Barr needs to be unequivocal about releasing special counsel Robert Mueller’s full findings.

January 31, 2019 7:18 PM

The next U.S. attorney general will determine which findings by special counsel Robert Mueller will be made public. While President Donald Trump’s nominee, William Barr, likely has the votes in the Republican-controlled Senate to win confirmation, he also must have the confidence of the American people that he will be independent.

Barr, who served in the job for two years under President George H.W. Bush, and in many key Justice Department positions before that, certainly has impressive credentials, even if you disagree with some of his policy positions. Unlike acting Attorney General Matthew Whitaker, who is totally unqualified for the position, the controversy surrounding Barr has little to do with his resume, but much to do with this extraordinary time in the nation. As a special counsel conducts an investigation that could bring down a presidency, Barr’s expansive views of executive privilege, which give the president power to withhold information, raise doubts that he’s the best person for the job right now.

https://www.newsday.com/opinion/editorial/attorney-general-nominee-must-assure-senate-on-mueller-report-1.26685977

Are they afraid of him already?

As Trump makes border wall pitch, other countries say theirs work

As President Trump seeks to fulfill his promise to build a wall on the southern border, he is getting support from leaders in countries that have erected their own border barriers – and who hail those projects as critical to battling illegal immigration.

But despite claims that such barriers are ineffective, in countries such as Israel and Hungary, top officials say they are a key mechanism in keeping a border secure and illegal migration flows down.

“Since we built a fence, and since the police and army have been there, we basically have no illegal migrants on the territory of the country,” Hungarian Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto told Fox News in an interview last week. “There are constant attempts to break through, but the infrastructure itself, namely the fence, and police and the army, make it impossible to get in.”

"So that's a success," he said.

https://www.foxnews.com/politics/as-trump-makes-border-wall-pitch-other-countries-say-theirs-work