On Thursday, Sen. Doug Jones, D-AL, became the first Democratic lawmaker to announce that he will vote in favor of confirming President Donald Trump’s pick for U.S. Attorney General, William Barr.

Barr, a Republican, formerly served as U.S. Attorney General from 1991 until 1993 under President George H.W. Bush. He came under fire last month during hearings before the Senate Judiciary Committee for, among other things, a memo he wrote criticizing the ongoing investigation by Special Counsel Robert Mueller into the president and his campaign.

During the hearings, Barr defended the memo but claimed he would not impede Mueller’s investigation.

“Many have expressed concerns that Mr. Barr’s views of executive power, which frankly are much more expansive than my own, would place the Special Counsel’s investigation in jeopardy and that he would not commit to publicly release any Special Counsel report,” Jones said in a statement. “However, during his confirmation hearing last month, Mr. Barr said that nothing could be more destructive to the rule of law than tolerating political interference in applying the law. Mr. Barr said that the rule of law is what enables us to ensure that justice is not arbitrary; that laws must be universally applied, including to our highest officials. In my own conversation with Mr. Barr, he reiterated that no one, including the President of the United States, is above the law.”

Jones stated that he has spent nearly two months examining Barr’s record and followed his hearings closely and has personally met with the president’s pick for Attorney General.

“After thorough consideration, I have concluded that Mr. Barr is qualified for the position of Attorney General and his record strongly suggests he will exercise independent judgment and uphold the best interests of the Department of Justice,” Jones said.

In his statement, Jones noted that he leaned on his experience as a former U.S. Attorney to make the decision to approve Barr’s nomination.

“While we often talk about the rights and freedoms guaranteed to us under the United States Constitution, the rule of law is what ensures those rights and freedoms are protected,” Jones said. “We live in deeply divided times, but it is in precisely this kind of environment that this principle is so important.”

Jones stated that he believes Barr shares his “commitment to the institutional independence of the Department of Justice” and “will bring stabilizing leadership that is badly needed.”

For his part, Jones supports making the full report of Mueller’s findings available to the public but noted that it would be “inappropriate for any Attorney General nominee to commit to releasing a report in its entirety without knowing its contents, especially when portions of it may contain sensitive intelligence and national security issues.”

However, Jones stated that Barr has stated “unequivocally” that there is a “strong public interest in being as transparent as possible” in regard to the Special Counsel’s investigation.

Jones further stated that he stressed the importance of the Justice Department’s civil rights functions to the people of Alabama and felt confident that Barr would show a “commitment to protecting civil rights, including the vigorous enforcement of voting rights protections.”

The Senate Judiciary Committee approved Barr with a 12-10 vote, clearing the way for his nomination to go before the full U.S. Senate.