McConnel advises Trump to listen to Barr and cut back on tweeting

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell appears on Fox (screen shot)

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell advised President Trump to listen to Attorney General William Barr and cut back on tweeting.

McConnell appeared on Fox News on Thursday and defended Barr after the attorney general criticized Trump’s social media presence, saying the president’s tweets make “it impossible for me to do my job.”

“The president made a great choice when he picked Bill Barr to be attorney general, and I think the president should listen to his advice,” McConnell said.

The Kentucky Republican avoided directly criticizing Trump’s social media presence but said that Trump should trust Barr’s judgment and let the attorney general do his job.

“I think the attorney general knows what he is talking about. I am not the attorney general, but I have confidence in Bill Barr. I think he is doing a good job, and I think he has told the president this is not helpful, making it difficult for him to do his job,” McConnell said. “I think the president ought to listen to him.”

GOP Sen. Lindsey Graham also sided with the attorney general on Thursday, tweeting out support for Barr and saying he “has my complete confidence.”

The Department of Justice announced on Tuesday that it would intervene in GOP operative Roger Stone’s sentencing and seek a lower penalty after Stone was convicted of obstruction, witness tampering, and lying to Congress last year. Federal prosecutors had planned to push for a prison sentence of up to nine years.

On Wednesday morning, Trump congratulated the Justice Department and Barr for “taking charge of a case that was totally out of control and perhaps should not have even been brought.” Democrats on Capitol Hill have accused Trump of abusing his power to aid Stone.