President Donald Trump has nominated William Barr to be the new attorney general, a post he held in the 1990s.

By replacing Jeff Sessions, who was fired by Mr Trump last month, the 68-year-old will take charge of the investigation into alleged Russian meddling in the 2016 US election.

US media report he has been critical of some aspects of that inquiry.

A well-known conservative lawyer, Mr Barr held the role under President George H W Bush from 1991 to 1993.

The president called him a "highly respected lawyer" by both Republicans and Democrats and "a terrific man" while speaking to reporters on the White House South Lawn.

"I did not know him until recently, when I was going through the process of looking at people," Mr Trump said. "He was my first choice from day one."

Currently, Mr Barr is counsel at the Kirkland & Ellis law firm in Washington DC. Source: myjoyonline.com