Trump's attorney general pick will protect Russia probe, describes friendship with 'Bob' Mueller

President Trump likes to say former FBI Director James Comey is "best friends" with Special Counsel Robert Mueller, but that descriptor may be better suited for his attorney general nominee.

William Barr, the former attorney general who is Trump's pick to take the spot again, submitted testimony Monday ahead of his Senate confirmation hearings. In it, Barr affirmed he'll allow Mueller "to complete his work," and describes how he's known Mueller "personally and professionally for 30 years."

After former Attorney General Jeff Sessions' ouster, there's been constant concern that Trump will pick an attorney general who interferes with Mueller's probe into the Trump campaign's potential involvement with Russian election interference. Acting Attorney General Matt Whitaker's public criticism of the probe only exacerbated those fears.

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Barr, meanwhile, worked with Mueller under former President George H.W. Bush and says he's been friends with "Bob" ever since. And, suggesting opposition to the idea that Trump's team may alter Mueller's final report, Barr promised "the public and Congress" that they'll get "transparency" when it comes to the probe's results.

Barr will undergo a confirmation hearing with the Senate Judiciary Committee starting Tuesday.