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Attorney General William Barr at the National Sheriffs' Association Winter Legislative and Technology Conference in Washington, DC, February 10, 2020. /AP
U.S. Attorney General William Barr on Tuesday on Tuesday denied accusations that he had abused his powers in a bid to help President Donald Trump's associates and boost Trump's re-election hopes.
Barr was defending himself in front of a Democratic-led House of Representative committee.
"Your tenure is marked by a persistent war against the (Justice) Department’s professional core in an apparent effort to secure favors for the president," Reuters quotes House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jerrold Nadler.
Barr responded by saying, "I feel complete freedom to do what I feel is right."
Tuesday's hearing was Barr's first testimony before the House Judiciary Committee since he took office in February 2019, and comes as the Justice Department faces criticism for sending federal officers to forcibly disperse protesters in Portland and Washington, D.C.
Barr denied the allegations that the federal agents were deployed to boost Trump's re-election bid.
Less than 100 days remain before the 2020 U.S. presidential election, but the country is still trapped in the raging coronavirus pandemic and nationwide protests against racial discrimination and police brutality.
Widespread and mostly peaceful protests against racial bias and police brutality have occurred throughout the United States since George Floyd's May 25 death in the custody of Minneapolis police.
Reuters reports Barr to have highlighted highlighted the arson and violence that have broken out at some protests, blaming them primarily on far-left "antifa" elements and urging federal prosecutors to bring criminal charges whenever possible.
Barr defended the use of federal law enforcement to quell the protests in Portland, where some protesters have thrown objects at the federal courthouse.