U.S. President Donald Trump's nominee for attorney general, William Barr, will likely have to explain his past criticism of special counsel Robert Mueller's probe of Russian election meddling at his Senate confirmation hearing starting on Tuesday.
Senators were expected to seek assurances that he will protect Mueller's inquiry — a frequent target for criticism by Trump and his allies — from political attack.
Previously attorney general under Republican President George H.W. Bush in the 1990s, Barr was expected to testify under oath that if he becomes the nation's top law enforcement officer, he will allow Mueller to complete the probe.