Attorney General William Barr delivers remarks at an event at the Department of Justice Headquarters, Wednesday, Jan.

Former Attorney General William Barr on Friday distanced himself from reports that the Trump Justice Department seized communications records belonging to two prominent Democratic lawmakers who were spearheading investigations into then-President Donald Trump.

Barr became attorney general in 2019.

Barr said that while he was attorney general, he was “not aware of any congressman’s records being sought in a leak case.” He added that Trump never encouraged him to zero in on the Democratic lawmakers who reportedly became targets of the former president's push to unmask leakers of classified information.

The Justice Department’s inspector general, Michael Horowitz, is launching a separate investigation.

In a statement on Friday, Schiff applauded the Attorney General for requesting and Inspector General investigation into the matter but said it “will not obviate the need for other forms of oversight and accountability — including public oversight by Congress — and the department must cooperate in that effort as well.”.

Democratic congressional leaders are already vowing to investigate the Trump Justice Department’s efforts to seize the communications records.

Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer and Judiciary Committee Chair Dick Durbin (D-Ill.) on Friday called for Barr and his predecessor as attorney general, former Sen.

“This appalling politicization of the Department of Justice by Donald Trump and his sycophants must be investigated immediately by both the DOJ Inspector General and Congress,” Schumer and Durbin, the top two Democrats in the upper chamber, said in a joint statement, adding that the Judiciary Committee “will vigorously investigate this abuse of power.”.

“The Justice Department has specific procedures for such sensitive investigations, and the inspector general is already working to determine if they were followed.”.

Trump's Justice Department sought communications records for Intelligence panel staffers and family members, including a minor, according to the Times