WASHINGTON — More than 1,900 former Justice Department employees on Tuesday repeated a call for William Barr to step down as attorney general, asserting in an open letter he had ‘‘once again assaulted the rule of law’’ by moving to drop the case against President Trump’s former national security adviser, Michael Flynn.
The letter, organized by the nonprofit Protect Democracy, was signed by Justice Department staffers serving in Republican and Democratic administrations dating back to President Eisenhower.
Protect Democracy, which counts Justice Department alumni among its members, has organized several similar letters critical of Barr’s decisions or other Trump administration actions.
Advertisement
The new letter asserted that its signers ‘‘continue to believe that it would be best for the integrity of the Justice Department and for our democracy for Attorney General Barr to step aside.’’ The group also called on Congress to formally censure Barr and asked a federal judge in Washington to hold a hearing to scrutinize whether to dismiss the case against Flynn.
‘‘Our democracy depends on a Department of Justice that acts as an independent arbiter of equal justice, not as an arm of the president’s political apparatus,’’ the group wrote.
A spokeswoman for Barr did not immediately respond to a message seeking comment.
WASHINGTON POST