*By Christian Smith* When William Barr, President Trump's nominee for attorney general, appears before the Senate Judiciary Committee on Tuesday for his confirmation hearing, his views on executive privilege will be under the microscope. "Mr. Barr has expressed some very broad views of executive authority and he's also expressed a very strong view that a president cannot be criminally charged," Jennifer Daskal, Associate Professor of Law at American University, told Cheddar on Monday. Barr has a history of supporting presidential power. As attorney general under former President George H.W. Bush, Barr argued the the president did not need congressional approval to engage in conflict in Iraq, Daskal noted. In prepared testimony released Monday, Barr said that he would let Special Counsel Robert Mueller complete his investigation into Russian meddling in the 2016 presidential election if he is confirmed as attorney general. He also said that the results should be made public. While Daskal said the statement was a good step, she expects Democrats on the committee to press him for more assurances about transparency. "He is somebody who has consistently taken very, very broad views of the executive authority and we have currently an executive who asserts very, very strong claims about his prerogative to make unilateral decisions," she said. "So at the very least, it should be an interesting couple of years." Barr's confirmation hearing is set to begin to Tuesday morning in the Senate Judiciary Committee. For full interview [click here](https://cheddar.com/videos/how-william-barrs-confirmation-could-impact-the-mueller-investigation).

Share:
More In Politics
Skydio CEO On Russia-US Drone Collision
Adam Bry, co-founder and CEO of drone manufacturer Skydio, joined Cheddar News to discuss the company's latest funding round and the Russia-US drone collision.
Fed Set to Launch Digital Payments System Over the Summer
The Federal Reserve on Wednesday evening said its long-awaited digital payment system, the FedNow Service, will start operating in July. The service is designed to provide a national platform for financial institutions to settle payments in real-time and at lower cost. That could include large banks, payment processors, and the U.S. Treasury.
Long-Used US Abortion Pill Under Threat in Texas Lawsuit
A federal judge in Texas raised questions Wednesday about a Christian group's effort to overturn the decades-old U.S. approval of a leading abortion drug, in a case that could threaten the country's most common method for ending pregnancies.
Load More