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Attorney General William Barr has agreed to testify before the House Judiciary Committee next month, after avoiding the panel for the past year.
Chairman Jerry Nadler, D-N.Y., and 22 other Democratic members of the panel released a letter to Barr on Wednesday.
“We are writing to confirm your agreement to testify before the House Judiciary Committee on March 31, 2020,”
In the letter, the Democrats wrote they plan to ask Barr questions about Trump confidant Roger Stone and the Justice Department’s decision to overrule career prosecutors and propose a reduction in the sentence, NBC News reported.
The panel stated Democrats had “numerous concerns regarding his leadership of the Department of Justice and the President’s improper influence over the Department.”
“Since President Trump took office, we have repeatedly warned you and your predecessors that the misuse of our criminal justice system for political purposes is both dangerous to our democracy and unacceptable to the House Judiciary Committee,” the Democrats wrote.
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The Democrats also indicated they plan to press Barr about the removal of Jessie Liu, the U.S. attorney of D.C., who oversaw sensitive cases that grew out of Mueller’s probe of Russian interference in the 2016 election, including the Stone case.
“In your tenure as Attorney General, you have engaged in a pattern of conduct in legal matters relating to the President that raises significant concerns for this Committee,” they added.
The panel first demanded Barr’s testimony one year ago, in the aftermath of special counsel Robert Mueller’s investigation.
In addition to Stone and Liu, Democrats have a number of other issues they’re likely to press Barr on, including his involvement in Trump’s decision to withhold military funds from Ukraine last year.
“These are not the only issues that our Committee intends to discuss with you when you appear, but they are enough to require our immediate attention.” the Democrats wrote.
