William Barr confirmation hearing - LIVE: Trump's attorney general nominee grilled by Senate over Mueller investigation

Mr Barr says he does not believe specal counsel Robert Mueller would be 'involved in a witch hunt'

President Donald Trump names William Barr as Attorney General nominee

Donald Trump‘s nominee to become attorney general has said that special counsel Robert Mueller will be allowed to complete his Russia probe as his confirmation hearing opened in Washington.

William Barr, who is facing questions from the Senate, has said he doees not believe Mr Mueller would be involved in a witch hunt and that his predecessor Jeff Sessions “did the right thing” in recusing himself from overseeing the investigation.

Mr Barr will have to navigate his confirmation hearing skillfully, emphasising his support for Mr Trump’s hardline immigration policies while assuring Democrats he will not respect mr Mueller’s independence.

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[15 January 2019 16:22 · Chris Riotta]

William Barr said he supports “an adjustment to some drug sentences,” noting that “fentanyl is the new crack and it’s coming in from China.” 

He went on to say he supports strong drug penalties.

[15 January 2019 16:26 · Chris Riotta]

An interesting note from today's hearings: While William Barr acknowledged he may be "bullied" into certain positions, he feels that he is at a point in his life where he can truly be "independent." 

[15 January 2019 16:28 · Chris Riotta]

Senator Michael Lee has begun his questioning by asking about civil asset forfeiture, asking if it’s something he will address with law enforcement. 

"I know some people are concerned with this and I've heard horror stories. I haven't gotten into it myself, I plan to get into and see exactly what the horror stories are," William Barr said. "At the same time, I think it's a valuable tool with local law enforcement. I want to see if we can strike the right balance."

[15 January 2019 16:33 · Chris Riotta]

The committee has gone on a break. In the mean time, here’s The Independent’s analysis on William Barr and what his potential appointment to the Justice Department could mean for Special Counsel Robert Mueller’s probe into Russian impact in the 2016 election. 

[15 January 2019 16:40 · Chris Stevenson]

Away from the hearing, the number two Democrat in the House, Steny Hoyer has said the chamber will not take a scheduled recess if the government is still shutdown.

[15 January 2019 16:55 · Chris Stevenson]

As for the shutdown, the Trump administration had initially estimated it would would cost the economy 0.1 of a percentage point in growth every two weeks that employees were without pay.

But on Tuesday, there was an updated figure: 0.13 percentage point every week because of the impact of work left undone by 380,000 furloughed employees as well as work left aside by federal contractors, a White House official told Reuters.

[15 January 2019 17:49 · Chris Stevenson]

For are closing our coverage for now. Thanks for reading.