Gowdy Shreds Dems Calling for Barr's Resignation: 'Dumbest Damn Thing I Ever Heard'
Former Republican rep blasts Democrats demanding attorney general stands down
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Former Republican Rep. Trey Gowdy shredded Democrats calling for Bill Barr to resign as attorney general this week, slamming the calls as "the dumbest damn thing I have ever heard."
Gowdy, the former chair of House Oversight Committee, blasted Dems on Wednesday night during an interview with Martha MacCallum of Fox News.
The former South Carolina lawmaker was responding to calls from Democratic senators Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) and Richard Blumenthal (D-CT) who called for Attorney General William Barr to resign.
The demands for Barr to resign came after the Department of Justice recommended a lighter sentence for Roger Stone.
“Congress must act immediately to rein in our lawless Attorney General," Warren tweeted.
"Barr should resign or face impeachment."
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"And Congress should use spending power to defund the AG’s authority to interfere with anything that affects Trump, his friends, or his elections,” Sen. Warren added.
“Attorney General William Barr ought to be ashamed and embarrassed and resign as a result of this action directly interfering in the independent prosecution of Roger Stone,” Senn. Blumenthal added.
On Tuesday, Trump offered "congratulations" to Attorney General Bill Barr after the Justice Department submitted an amended filing seeking a lighter sentence for the former Trump campaign adviser than prosecutors initially recommended.
The move comes as Democrats accuse the White House of politicizing the department and follows the withdrawal of all four prosecutors from the case in apparent protest.
Congratulations to Attorney General Bill Barr for taking charge of a case that was totally out of control and perhaps should not have even been brought. Evidence now clearly shows that the Mueller Scam was improperly brought & tainted. Even Bob Mueller lied to Congress!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) February 12, 2020
Democratic lawmakers called on Barr to resign Wednesday, while the House Judiciary Committee announced it'll grill the attorney general during a March 31 hearing over his handling of the sentencing.
"I can tell you this: Bill Barr was aware of this recommendation before President Trump ever tweeted a single syllable, a single character," said Gowdy.
"So the notion that Barr was somehow motivated to move because of this tweet is just factually wrong"
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"The notion that Barr should resign is about the dumbest damn thing I've ever heard," Gowdy added.
"If a United States Senator really believes that the head of the Department of Justice cannot weigh in on what a proportional sentence is..." Gowdy trailed off, adding that "there are child pornographers, people who rob banks who do not get nine years."
"Let the judge decide, I think two or three years is about right," he continued.
Trump's critics accused the president of hypocrisy over his handling of the case after he criticized former President Bill Clinton for potentially interfering with the Hillary Clinton email investigation during a 2016 meeting with then-Attorney General Loretta Lynch.
"The president has the power to commute Roger Stone's sentence," Gowdy fired back.
"He has the power to pardon him, he can pardon him right now if he wants to."
"He could do it by tweet tonight.
"He's the head of the executive branch and people have a chance in November if they want a different one."
With that said, Gowdy reiterated his belief that the president should steer clear of ongoing investigations for the time being.
"I am being consistent," he said.
"I do not think presidents should weigh in on prosecutions."
