Barr able to put his stamp on executive power as Trump's AG

They ask Attorney General William Barr about elder fraud. To them, he is a conservative stalwart, an unflappable foe of the left and its excesses, and -- most importantly -- a staunch defender of President Donald Trump. The reception from the Democrats will be closer to the hostility of Little Rock's demonstrators. Barr's first stint was from 1991 to 1993, under President George H.W. Bush.

Gathered in the small assembly hall in Little Rock, Arkansas, their chairs spaced 6 feet (1.83 meters) apart, the business leaders listen admiringly to the nation's chief law enforcement official. They ask Attorney General William Barr about elder fraud. They ask about the investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 election, about the protection of federal monuments. And each thanks Barr for his devotion and service, praising him as a patriot who is working tirelessly to protect America and restore order.

But there are those who disagree. Outside, Black Lives Matter protesters approach the doors, screaming, chanting and banging on the windows. The business leaders strain to be heard over the din. "We've been here an hour and now we all understand what you go through every day," a middle-age banker tells Barr, "so thank you." Barr can expect this kind of praise when he appears Tuesday for the first time before the House Judiciary Committee -- but only from its Republicans. To them, he is a conservative stalwart, an unflappable foe of the left and its excesses, and -- most importantly -- a staunch defender of President Donald Trump.

The reception from the Democrats will be closer to the hostility of Little Rock's demonstrators. In the course of roughly 18 months in office, the 70-year-old Barr has become inexorably linked to a norm-busting president with sagging popularity and uncertain reelection prospects.

His actions, including the investigation he launched into the Russia probe, have deepened criticism of him as Trump's faithful protector. Democrats have suggested he should be impeached and are holding hearings into what they say is the politicization of the Justice Department under his watch. He came to the job with the reputation of an establishment Republican, and the expectation, by some, that he would temper the behaviour of an impulsive and iconoclastic president. He has not, leading some to believe he has tailored his principles to conform with Trump's views on politics and the law.

In fact, for decades Barr has made no secret of his commitment to law and order and his support for expansive presidential power. Those views have married neatly with a president who has repeatedly tested the limits of executive authority, a pairing that has benefited both men and perhaps allowed Barr to let down his hair more than ever before. The people who know him insist that Barr is just being Barr — that he is not motivated by ambition or anything other than the opportunity to put his heartfelt beliefs into practice.

"He doesn't have anything to prove from a professional or career standpoint," said his longtime colleague and friend, attorney Chuck Cooper. "He's been at the apex of the legal profession for a long time. And so, in that respect, he's unlike any other attorney general. He's already ascended to that pinnacle once before." Only one other attorney general has served two non-consecutive terms -- John J. Crittenden, who held the job under presidents William Henry Harrison and John Tyler and later Millard Fillmore in the 19th century. Barr's first stint was from 1991 to 1993, under President George H.W. Bush. He first encountered Bush, then director of the CIA, when Barr was working for the intelligence agency's legislative counsel while attending law school. Bush was testifying before Congress against a proposal to notify people whose mail had been read by the CIA.

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