Attorney General William Barr (Photo by Jahi Chikwendiu/The Washington Post via Getty Images)
The duties to act impartially, to avoid even the appearance of partiality and impropriety, and to avoid manifesting bias, prejudice, or partisanship in the exercise of official responsibilities are bedrock obligations for government lawyers. In the context of pending investigations, government lawyers also are obliged to be circumspect in their public statements and to avoid prejudging the outcomes of those investigations.
Mr. Barr has disregarded these fundamental obligations in several extended public statements during the past few months.
–New York City Bar Association, in a letter to Speaker Pelosi, Minority Leader McCarthy, Majority Leader McConnell, and Minority Leader Schumer asking Congress to investigate whether Attorney General William Barr is too politically biased to fulfill the obligations of his position. The letter, which highlighted several public comments and actions made by the AG, argued that Barr’s conduct “threatens public confidence in the fair and impartial administration of justice.”
Kathryn Rubino is a Senior Editor at Above the Law, and host of The Jabot podcast. AtL tipsters are the best, so please connect with her. Feel free to email her with any tips, questions, or comments and follow her on Twitter (@Kathryn1).