Barr contemplating exit over Trump’s tweets?

Attorney General William Barr has told people near to him he’s considering quitting his post after President Donald Trump wouldn’t heed his warning to avoid tweeting about Justice Department cases, an administration official told The Associated Press.

The revelation came days after Barr took a public swipe at the president, saying in a tv interview that Trump’s tweets about Justice Department cases and staffers make it “impossible” for him to do his job. The very next day, Trump ignored Barr’s request and insisted that he has the “right” to intervene in criminal cases and sidestep the Justice Department’s historical independence.

The administration official had not been authorized to go over Barr’s private remarks and requested anonymity.

It’s unclear how seriously Barr has considered resigning or whether he is instead trying to pressure Trump to back off his provocative tweets about the Justice Department. Barr’s spokeswoman said late Tuesday that the attorney general “does not have any plans to resign.”

Barr is probably the president’s closest allies in the administration and is a staunch defender of Trump’s policy decisions. But considering resigning from his post suggests he sees the Justice Department’s reputation as an institution which makes decisions on criminal cases independently, unmoved and unbound by political sway, as more important than his allegiance to the president.

Trump tweeted on Tuesday that he’s considering suing those involved with special counsel Robert Mueller’s Russia investigation and opined that his confidant Roger Stone deserved a fresh trial after being convicted of witness tampering and obstruction.

Barr’s comments about Trump’s tweets came during an interview with ABC News just days after his Justice Department overruled its prosecutors - who had recommended in a court filing that Stone be sentenced to seven to nine years in prison - and took the extraordinary step of lowering the amount of prison time it could seek. All prosecutors from Stone’s trial quit the case and one left the Justice Department altogether.

The reversal came after Trump blasted the initial sentencing recommendation as “very horrible and unfair,” though officials have insisted your choice to generate a new recommendation came before Trump’s tweet.

“I’m pleased to say that, actually, the president hasn't asked me to accomplish anything in a criminal case,” Barr said in the ABC News interview. “However, to have public statements and tweets made about the department, about our persons ... about cases pending in the department, and about judges before whom we've cases, make it impossible for me personally to do my job and to assure the courts and the prosecutors in the department that we’re doing our work with integrity.”

The attorney general have been sharing the same sentiment privately with Trump for many weeks, a person acquainted with the problem told The Associated Press. The person was not authorized to discuss Barr’s private conversations and requested anonymity.

Talking with reporters earlier Tuesday, Trump said he understood his tweets makes Barr’s job harder, but he showed no signs of relenting. He said he previously “total confidence in my own attorney general” but insisted that “everybody gets the to speak their mind.” He added: “And I probably wouldn’t have gotten here without social media because I certainly don’t get fair press.”

“Yeah, I really do make his job harder. I really do agree with that. I believe that’s true,” he said. “He’s a very straight shooter. We've a great attorney general, and he’s working very difficult. ... But I will say this: Social media, for me personally, has been very important because it gives me a voice, because I don’t get that voice in the press. In the media, I don’t get that voice. So I’m permitted to have a voice.”

Barr, serving in his second stint as legal professional general, sought to paint himself as an unbiased leader who not bow to political pressure. But Democrats have repeatedly accused Barr of acting similar to the president’s personal lawyer than the attorney general. Barr became a largely reliable Trump ally and defender of presidential power.

Trump would likely face a challenge trying to locate a replacement for Barr, who's overseeing several investigations that are essential to the president, including a criminal investigation into the origins of the Russia probe. Any nominee would face a grilling in the Senate.

Some Democrats have called for Barr to resign, and Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer called on the Justice Department’s inspector general to open a study into Barr’s role in the sentencing reversal. A lot more than 1,100 former Justice Department prosecutors called on Barr to resign in a letter released Sunday, insisting that Barr’s decision to intervene in Stone’s case tarnished the department’s reputation.

In recent days, a blast of Trump allies, including Sen. Lindsey Graham, a South Carolina Republican, have issued statements expressing their full confidence in the legal professional general. But Trump has a low tolerance for criticism, especially public criticism, from his allies and frequently fires back kind.

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy and Graham released a joint statement on Tuesday, calling Barr a “man of the best character and unquestionable integrity.”

“I believe he’s doing a great job,” Trump said of the legal professional general on Tuesday. “He’s a solid guy.”