WASHINGTON – US Attorney General William Barr deserves to be convicted of firing a federal prosecutor whose office has investigated President Donald Trump’s personal lawyer, but the effort will be a “waste of time,” a prominent Democratic lawmaker said on Sunday.

Jerrold Nadler, chairman of the House of Representatives Judiciary Committee who helped lead Trump’s impeachment session last year, told CNN’s “United State” that the Republican-led Senate would block any efforts to sanction Barr.

“I think he deserves impeachment. He certainly deserves impeachment. But again, it’s a waste of time because Republicans in the Senate won’t see that and we have, we have another way to get this, “Nadler said.

A Justice Department spokesman did not immediately respond to requests for comment

The Berman shootings are the latest in a series of movements by Barr that critics say aims to benefit Trump politically and undermine the independence of the Justice Department.

Nadler’s comments on Sunday underlined the challenges facing Democrats on Capitol Hill in trying to control Barr with a Republican Senate who was wary of criticizing Trump before the November 3 presidential election.

Nadler said his panel would investigate the shooting of Trump prosecutor Geoffrey Berman on Saturday after a deadlock over the independence of one of the country’s most important federal prosecutors’ offices.

US lawyers for the Southern District of New York have not shied away from taking figures in Trump’s orbit and have investigated his personal lawyer, Rudy Giuliani.

US Representative Adam Schiff, the main prosecutor in Trump’s impeachment, told NBC “Meet the Press” the motivation to fire Berman was suspected, “given the patterns and practices of the two presidents in finding ways to use the justice system to respect friends, punish enemies, protect their loved ones. and Bill Barr’s willingness to bring the water to the president. “

Nadler said he had asked Berman to give testimony in the Justice Committee’s investigation of political interference in the Department of Justice launched earlier this year.

Nadler said he did not know whether Berman would testify at a hearing on Wednesday with reporters from the department, “but I am sure he would testify” at some point.

The dispute began Friday night when Barr announced Berman was stepping down and would be replaced by US Securities and Exchange Commission Chair Jay Clayton. Berman refused to resign until the Senate confirmed his successor, saying the investigation of his office would continue.

Only after Barr stepped down from his plan to elect the acting US attorney himself, which allowed Berman’s deputy, Audrey Strauss to take control, Berman agreed to resign on Saturday.

Several Democratic lawmakers, including Senator Elizabeth Warren, called for the impeachment of Barr. The Senate, in which the Republican Party holds 53 of the 100 seats, will never vote for it so the Democrat-led House must pursue alternative measures, Nadler said, citing his proposal to cut $ 50 million in funding from Barr’s personal budget.

On Saturday night, at least 135 former federal prosecutors weighed a political storm with a petition criticizing Trump and Barr for “undermining confidence in our criminal justice system.”

Clayton’s link to Wall Street – Deutsche Bank AG was among his clients at the law firm Sullivan & Cromwell – could require him to resign from a number of investigations. Deutsche Bank, one of the largest creditors for hotels, golf courses and other Trump properties, is still under investigation by the Justice Department.

Republican Senator Tim Scott on Sunday played down concerns that Clayton might try to neutralize the inquiry related to Trump and his business.

“There is no indication that the investigation will stop,” Scott told ABC “This Week,” calling Clayton a “straight shooter.”