AG Nominee Barr Pledges to ‘Diligently Enforce’ False Claims Act

William Barr, President Donald Trump’s nominee for attorney general, said Jan. 15 he will “diligently enforce” a law that lets individuals sue companies on behalf of the U.S. for attempts to defraud the government.

Barr, in testimony before the Senate Judiciary Committee, said he supports the False Claims Act, despite his previous statement that the law’s so-called qui tam provisions were “patently unconstitutional.” Barr made that comment in a 1989 memo he authored while working in the DOJ’s Office of Legal Counsel.

The law’s qui tam provisions allow whistleblowers and other private citizens to bring civil cases for alleged fraud ...