House Democrats on Tuesday accused Attorney General William Barr of helping President Trump distract from the administration’s handling of the coronavirus response and aid his reelection campaign by cracking down on protests across the U.S.
During a hearing before the House Judiciary Committee, Barr’s first appearance before Congress in more than a year, Democratic lawmakers expressed anger at the attorney general’s aggressive response to the demonstrations.
Rep. Zoe Lofgren (D-Calif.) characterized Barr’s deployment of federal officers to cities like Portland, Ore., as “trying to create a scene” and “divert attention from the COVID failure” from the administration.
Chairman Jerry Nadler (D-N.Y.) pressed Barr on whether he had discussed the reelection campaign with the president and if the deployment of federal law enforcement officers had been a part of those discussions.
Barr responded that Trump has discussed the reelection race with his Cabinet but declined to say whether the use of department resources were a part of that.
“I’m a member of the Cabinet and there’s an election going on. Obviously the topic comes up,” Barr said.
“I’m not going to discuss what I discussed with the president,” he added when pressed further.
Barr is expected to face further questions Tuesday afternoon about allegations that he has used the department to protect Trump and his associates and his response to protests against police brutality.
Republicans have painted protests around the country as violent and have defended Barr’s actions.
After his opening remarks, Rep. Jim Jordan (Ohio), the panel’s ranking Republican, played a video that edited images of violence at protests into a loop, underscoring his side’s arguments.
Democrats have argued that protests in Portland and other cities have been largely peaceful, with some exceptions.