Senate Judiciary Committee sets confirmation hearing for Trump attorney general pick William Barr

By Felicia Sonmez
January 2 at 6:49 PM

The Senate Judiciary Committee will hold hearings later this month on the confirmation of President Trump’s attorney general nominee, William P. Barr, the panel’s incoming and outgoing chairmen announced Wednesday.

The hearings will take place Jan. 15 and 16, according to a joint statement by the current Senate Judiciary Committee chairman, Charles E. Grassley (R-Iowa), and his successor, Sen. Lindsey O. Graham (R-S.C.).

“The hearings for the five most recent Attorneys General lasted one to two days each,” Grassley and Graham said in the statement. “Mr. Barr will receive the same fair and thorough vetting process as the last five nominees to be Attorney General.”

Trump announced last month that he was nominating Barr, a former attorney general, to lead the Justice Department again. The move assuaged fears among some that Trump might tap a less conventional choice to lead the department; Barr served in the position from 1991 to 1993 under President George H.W. Bush and before that was deputy attorney general.

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