Lindsey Graham’s effort to give Bill Barr more power blocked — by Republicans on the Judiciary Committee he chairs

Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC) suffered a defeat on Thursday before the Senate Judiciary Committee he chairs.

"The Senate Judiciary Committee blocked an effort by Chairman Lindsey Graham to give the attorney general the power to veto investigations of Justice Department lawyers by the inspector general," Bloomberg reports. "The committee instead backed -- over the objections of Graham and Attorney General William Barr -- a bipartisan bill by Republican Senator Mike Lee of Utah that would empower the department’s inspector general to investigate such allegations on his own authority."

Former Judiciary Chairman Chuck Grassley (R-IA) ignored the position of AG Barr on the issue.

“I don’t care what the attorney general says on this IG thing,” Grassley said. “We designed IGs to be very independent."

Read the full report.