Top House and Senate Republicans issued a rare joint statement on Tuesday supporting Attorney General William Barr Bill BarrBarr says Ginsburg 'leaves a towering legacy' Republicans call for DOJ to prosecute Netflix executives for releasing 'Cuties' Trump doesn't offer vote of confidence for FBI director MORE amid criticism over recent Justice Department decisions involving Trump associates.



Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell Addison (Mitch) Mitchell McConnellObama calls on Senate not to fill Ginsburg's vacancy until after election Planned Parenthood: 'The fate of our rights' depends on Ginsburg replacement Progressive group to spend M in ad campaign on Supreme Court vacancy MORE (R-Ky.), Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Lindsey Graham Lindsey Olin GrahamSenate Republicans face tough decision on replacing Ginsburg Democratic senator calls for eliminating filibuster, expanding Supreme Court if GOP fills vacancy What Senate Republicans have said about election-year Supreme Court vacancies MORE (R-S.C.) and House Republican Leader Kevin McCarthy Kevin Owen McCarthyTrump asked Chamber of Commerce to reconsider Democratic endorsements: report The Hill's Morning Report - Sponsored by The Air Line Pilots Association - White House moves closer to Pelosi on virus relief bill Trump's sharp words put CDC director on hot seat MORE (Calif.) praised Barr as a "man of the highest character and unquestionable integrity."



“Suggestions from outside groups that the Attorney General has fallen short of the responsibilities of his office are unfounded. The Attorney General has shown that he is committed without qualification to securing equal justice under law for all Americans," they said.



They added that they expect "that, as always, efforts to intimidate the Attorney General will fall woefully short.”



Barr has faced mounting criticism about recent decisions made by the Department of Justice (DOJ). Last week, the department made the decision to override federal prosecutors and ask for a sentence of "far less" than the original seven to nine years recommended for Trump associate Roger Stone Roger Jason StoneOur Constitution is under attack by Attorney General William Barr Justice IG investigating Stone sentencing: report Romney says Trump's protest tweets 'clearly intended to further inflame racial tensions' MORE.

Stone was found guilty on charges of lying to Congress and witness tampering.



Trump praised Barr for "taking charge" of the case. The attorney general subsequently told ABC News that he had already planned to intervene in the sentencing recommendation before Trump tweeted his displeasure with the original DOJ recommendation.

Barr told ABC News that Trump's tweets were "making it impossible" for him to do his job and suggested the president should stop tweeting about active Justice Department cases.

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McConnell, during a Fox News interview last week, backed Barr, saying Trump "ought to listen to" the attorney general's advice.

But the Justice Department's decision sparked widespread calls among Democrats for Barr to testify, as well as renewed public demands from some lawmakers that he resign.

More than 2,000 former DOJ employees, in a letter shared by the nonprofit watchdog group Project Democracy, have also called for him to resign, accusing him of doing the president's "personal bidding."

But Barr's remarks on Trump also put him back in the hot seat among some Republicans. Fox Business anchor Lou Dobbs Louis (Lou) Carl DobbsSean Hannity and Lou Dobbs to be deposed in Seth Rich lawsuit: report Trump praises several Fox News shows at briefing for coverage of Russia probe GOP leader says he doesn't want Chamber's endorsement: 'They have sold out' MORE said late last week that he was "so disappointed in Bill Barr."

“It is a damn shame when he doesn’t get what this president has gone through and what the American people have gone through and what his charge is as attorney general," he added.

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Trump, however, stood up for Barr on Tuesday, saying he had "total confidence" in the attorney general.

“I think he is doing an excellent job," he added.



Graham, McConnell and McCarthy added on Tuesday that Trump "chose ... a strong and selfless public servant to lead the Department of Justice."

The Justice Department's decision on Stone came just before The New York Times reported late last week that Barr had taken the unusual step of asking outside prosecutors to review the criminal case against former Trump administration official Michael Flynn.

Meanwhile, the U.S. Attorney’s Office in D.C. informed former FBI Deputy Director Andrew McCabe Andrew George McCabeGraham: Comey to testify about FBI's Russia probe, Mueller declined invitation Barr criticizes DOJ in speech declaring all agency power 'is invested in the attorney general' GOP votes to authorize subpoenas, depositions in Obama-era probe MORE’s counsel on Friday that they will no longer seek criminal charges against McCabe, closing a high-profile case against the former official whose conduct during the 2016 election was scrutinized.