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William Barr: Who is Trump's controversial pick for Attorney General and what will it mean for the Mueller investigation?

Donald Trump’s latest pick to lead the Justice Department has made several lofty promises to the Senate during his confirmation hearings — several of which appear to go against his own record.

William Barr, the president's nominee and former attorney general under George Bush in 1991, has vowed not to interfere with Special Counsel Robert Mueller’s investigation into Russian meddling in the 2016 election, saying in a prepared statement to senators: “It is in the best interest of everyone — the president, Congress and, most importantly, the American people — that this matter be resolved by allowing the special counsel to complete his work.”

“The country needs a credible resolution of these issues,” he continued.

He went on to assert that his personal beliefs and “improper interests” would not interfere with his decisions as the head of the department, stating: “I can assure you that, where judgments are to be made by me, I will make those judgments based solely on the law and will let no personal, political, or other improper interests influence my decision.”

With the special counsel investigation reportedly reaching its final stages, it appears Mr Barr’s confirmation could prove to be far more contentious than in 1991, when he was approved in a unanimous voice vote.

Democrats have pointed to his sweeping views surrounding executive powers and an unsolicited memo he wrote to the Justice Department last year which rebuked the notion that investigators could force Mr Trump to testify about questions surrounding alleged obstruction of justice. In the memo, Mr Barr refers to the special counsel’s obstruction probe as a “theory,” undermining its legal credibility and writing “[Mueller’s] theory is premised on a novel and legally insupportable reading of the law.”

He’s also supported former Attorney General Jeff Session’s conservative stances on a slate of issues, advocating against the inclusion of gender identity when interpreting federal laws and excluding transgender people from the sex discrimination provisions under Title VII and Title IX.

“William Barr is ill suited to be our country's top law enforcement officer,” Human Rights Campaign government affairs director David Stacy said in a statement sent to The Independent. “We urge Senators to use this hearing to thoroughly address whether Barrplans to continue the administration's attacks on the civil rights of LGBTQ people. And ultimately, the Senate must not confirm any nominee who will not treat all Americans equally and with the dignity and fairness they deserve.”

Mr Barr’s immigration views also appeared in-line with Mr Session’s, claiming Tuesday that US laws “allow us to process, hold, and remove those who unlawfully enter” the country.

Whereas Mr Sessions was opposed to the bipartisan criminal justice overhaul the president signed last year, Mr Barr said he would “diligently implement” the bill into law.

The Justice Department has suffered turbulent leadership under Mr Trump, with the forced resignation of Mr Sessions leaving the leadership role filled on an acting basis by Matthew Whitaker. Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein is reportedly planning on stepping down upon Mr Barr’s confirmation — a likely event based on the Republican majority in the Senate. Meanwhile, it remains unclear who is currently overseeing the special counsel investigation.