Trump stands by attorney-general William Barr, who accused him of making job 'impossible'

Barr (above) said in an ABC Interview that he cannot do his job “with a constant background commentary”. PHOTO: REUTERS

WASHINGTON (REUTERS) - President Donald Trump on Tuesday (Feb 18) said he has total confidence in US Attorney-General William Barr, who last week said in an interview that Trump's tweeting habit had made it impossible for him to do his job.

"I do make his job harder...I do agree with that," Trump told reporters before boarding Air Force One.

"The Attorney-General is a man with great integrity."

Last week, senior Justice Department officials withdrew an earlier sentencing recommendation for longtime Trump friend Roger Stone, who was found guilty in November of seven counts of lying to Congress, prompting upheaval within the department.

More than 1,000 former department officials have now called for Barr to resign.

Trump has used Twitter to attack the four prosecutors who had argued the case as well as the judge presiding over it.

Barr said in an ABC Interview last Thursday that he cannot do his job "with a constant background commentary" and that it is "time to stop the tweeting about Department of Justice criminal cases."

SPH Brightcove Video
US Attorney General William Barr is considering resigning over President Donald Trump’s tweets about Justice Department investigations, a source familiar with the situation told Reuters, while the department said he was not leaving.

While Trump offered words of support for Barr, he also spoke enthusiastically about tweeting.

"Social media for me has been very important because it gives me a voice," he said.

Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.