During his January 2019 confirmation hearings, William Barr, whom Trump nominated to succeed Whitaker, suggested the investigation’s findings could be withheld from the public, as their release is not mandated by law. In June 2018, Barr had sent an unsolicited 19-page memo to deputy attorney general Rod Rosenstein and Trump attorneys arguing that the Special Counsel's approach to potential obstruction of justice by Trump was "fatally misconceived" and that, based on his knowledge, Trump's actions were within his presidential authority.[142] In June 2017, Barr had characterized the obstruction investigation as “asinine” and that it was “taking on the look of an entirely political operation to overthrow the president.”