Sen. Amy Klobuchar, D-Minn., evoked the slaying of Washington Post journalist Jamal Khashoggi by Saudi officials to ask William Barr, President Donald Trump's pick for attorney general, whether the Justice Department would jail reporters "for doing their jobs." After a pause, Barr said he could "conceive of situations where" members of the press could be held in contempt, such as if a news organization knew "that they're putting out stuff that will hurt the country."

WATCH: William Barr says he could conceive of prosecuting journalists ‘as last resort’

Politics

President Donald Trump's nominee for attorney general says he can't rule out jailing reporters for doing their jobs.

William Barr told the Senate Judiciary Committee on Tuesday that there are certain situations where a reporter could be held in contempt "as a last resort."

READ MORE: William Barr's record on 4 key issues

His comment came in response to a question from Sen. Amy Klobuchar, a Minnesota Democrat.

Barr said the situations he was envisioning would involve news organizations "putting out stuff that is hurting the country."

In 2017, former Attorney General Jeff Sessions said he could not make a "blanket commitment" in response to a similar question from Klobuchar.

Support PBS News Hour

Your tax-deductible donation ensures our vital reporting continues to thrive.

WATCH: William Barr says he could conceive of prosecuting journalists ‘as last resort’ first appeared on the PBS News website.

Additional Support Provided By: