Should the Attorney General be Impeached?

Many people question whether or not Attorney General William Barr should be removed from his position. Mr. Barr is facing impeachment calls from Democrats over his handling of the Russia investigation. He reportedly misled Congress when he relayed the contents of Special Counsel Robert Mueller's report concerning the investigation.

Congress has the power to impeach Mr. Barr. However, the task would be just as hard as impeaching the President. Article 2 of the Constitution allows for impeachment of cabinet members for treason, bribery, and other high crimes and misdemeanors. William Barr is a cabinet member. The question remains; should he be impeached?

Completing the impeachment process will take several months. Since the presidential election is less than three months away and Mr. Barr’s term will end if President Trump does not win re-election, impeachment might not be the best option. Some people want him to simply resign. If removing Mr. Barr from the Attorney General position is thought to be some sort of punishment, here is more food for thought. The salary provided by the position is measly in comparison to the riches Mr. Barr already had when he accepted the position. Also, William Barr has served as Attorney General in the past.

William Barr served as Attorney General for President George H.W. Bush from 1991 to 1993. When President Donald Trump accepted Mr. Barr as the 85th Attorney General of the United States in 2019, Mr. Barr became the second person in U.S. history to serve twice as Attorney General—Mr. John Crittenden served in 1841 and again from 1850-1853.

The average salary for an Attorney General is roughly $75K/year. Mr. Barr, however, is believed to earn roughly $200K/year in his current position. Losing that salary as a result of impeachment or resignation would likely not serve as a punishment for Mr. Barr since his worth is reportedly over $40 Billion. The lion’s share of his worth was amassed each time he left Government service.

Should William Barr be impeached? Probably not, unless President Trump is re-elected. Otherwise, the process would amount to a waste of taxpayers’ dollars and would not result in real punishment for Mr. Barr. It stands to reason that Mr. Barr might actually be looking forward to leaving Government service again so he can return to increasing his worth by millions.