Any person who aligns with trump thinking they can temper hor control his actions is delusional. Trump acts like a caged animal when his back is against the wall and he will take anyone down. Trump has zero loyalty, to anyone. I even believe if trump junior or Ivanka crossed him he'd excise them as well.
2
Nixon walks the halls of the White House yet again.
1
Oh My...
Barr is a survivor but he underestimated the ability of Trump to destroy anyone who works for him with is incompetence and corruption. Barr seriously overestimated his ability to protect DT from his powerful perch with it's control and it's reach into the justice system.
DT is not Bush the elder and this Presidents and his gang of fools does things that leave there detritus all over the place and out in the open. Barr's bag of corrupt crime covering tools doesn't contain anything close to handle this volume and level of illegal acts. He is going to find himself in real and actionable trouble, and I could not be happier. It is going to be fun watching him squirm.
It couldn't happen to a nicer guy.
3
Barr knows that every time you shake a tree near Donald Trump and his lawyer Rudy, another. Russian bagman falls out.
Barr doesn't want any to fall on him and the law firm Barr came from.
1
Mr Barr has given up his reputation by turning the position of AG of the United States into a personal lawyer for a corrupt president. His career is done. The fact that he was traveling the world pursuing unfounded conspiracy theories at he behest of the president rather than working for the American people is a disgrace and a betrayal of the office. He needs to be removed.
7
"Hogan Gidley, a White House spokesman, said, 'It was President Trump who decided to release the entire, unredacted phone call showing everyone he’s done nothing wrong, and while shady sources attempt to push a false narrative of division, the president has a great relationship with the attorney general and respects his decades of service to this country.' "
So, given the track record for honesty of spokespeople for this White House, it's reasonable for readers to assume that Trump was pressured into releasing the transcript, that the transcript (as we know!) was in fact redacted, that it (nevertheless) shows Trump committing criminal acts, that the division between Barr and Trump is real, and that Trump has no respect for him whatsoever?
4
I am saddened every time I see a picture of the host of The Apprentice walking the hallways of the WH, knowing that he is unfit for duty and that putin put him there.
5
Trump burns everybody. Barr isn't unaware - intends to outlast.
2
"...Secretary of State Mike Pompeo argued against releasing the call record, saying that it would hurt American diplomacy if foreign leaders thought their conversations with the president might be made public. Mr. Pompeo was also on the call — which he initially obscured — giving him added reason to not want it publicly aired."
Foreign leaders would understand that their conversations with the POTUS would remain private as long as they DID NOT INVOLVE ILLEGALITY. And, conversely, they should expect ILLEGAL conversations to be likely to be revealed. That helps ensure funny stuff doesn't happen between foreign leaders and our Presidents without a lot more work to collude!
7
With the game he is playing he will be disbarred before becoming a Supreme Court Justice. What goes around comes around.
9
I don't know how anyone with any kind of moral fiber or ethical backbone could serve this president. I never agree with Bill Barr's interpretation of Executive power, and I was very disappointed in how he handled the Mueller Report, but I had always thought him to be an honorable person.
I am encouraged that he appears to be having difficulty towing the line for Donald Trump. Barr should resign before he risks being dragged any further down the rabbit hole.
5
It remains to be seen whether William Barr all of a sudden has grown a spine.
He seems to be an opportunist and enjoys being Attorney General. He can keep his job as long as Trump remains in power, and the two get along. He may be distancing himself from his boss right now, because he doesn’t want to defend Trump against “a controversy that was still unfolding,” Mr. Turley said.
No doubt he doesn want to bite the hand that feeds him. He'll stick by Trump until his presidency is no longer defensible.
7
How much longer must this go on?. I think I’ve heard enough.
3
Such a lovely couple. Breaking up is so hard to do.
8
As long as Barr thinks he has a shot at the Supreme Court and competing against Lindsey Graham for it,
he will finesse any disageements until it's out of reach or he realizes he's too old.
8
When there was testimony under oath during the Watergate hearings that Nixon's tapes were edited and left out many incriminating parts, did the NY Times continue to fawn over Nixon as honorable and upright because he released transcripts that left out the worst parts?
Of course not -- it would be ridiculous.
But this article somehow treats William Barr as if his release of transcripts that intentionally left out the most incriminating evidence of Trump's crimes makes him an honorable hero!
Shameful spin on this story -- this newspaper has got to do better. Try to imagine how you'd report this if it was a Democrat instead of worrying about making sure the Republican always looks upright even when he is not.
13
Barr is a true believer in the all powerful Chief executive. He saw the Russia investigation and the would be autocrat Trump as a vehicle to push his theories to the limit.
Now that he has seen Trump up close and a little too personal he is beginning to realize that there are some limits to the exercise of Presidential power: when an incompetent, egomaniacal deranged narcissist actually occupies he White House.
6
Me thinks the formerly honorable Counselor Barr, like others, is beginning to see and understand the handwriting on the walls that surround him...and are perhaps closing in on him, the occupants of the White House, and the followers of the current occupant of the Oval Office. He might be trying to salvage whatever is left of his honor and respect, but it is too little too late. His only future will be with the extremist ideologues who will spend years in court.
Good luck and sleep well, counselor. This is the bed you made.
9
Jonathan Turley is a right wing ideologue. Since the New York Times is often concerned about balance and therefore provides ample space to right wing commentators, in this case it would’ve been appropriate for reporters to seek out responses from legal experts who are not best buddies with Barr. As well as Mr. Turley, of course.
9
Barr is in lockstep with Trump. Look at the picture.
4
Here's an idea- Trump, Bernie, Giuliani, Biden, Barr, Dershowitz, Gingrich, Limbaugh- everyone over 70 should just go away- move to Florida, retire and just shut up. Make way for the next generation, we'd all be better off.
8
@Richard Katz
People are people, no matter their age.
2
Maybe this whole incident, and Trump constantly flapping his gums, has cast a pall over Barr’s criminal investigation of the (Mueller) investigators. He has exonerated him on the Mueller charges, now he’s supposed to exonerate on the Ukraine allegations? Without any investigation? Barr may give the appearance of being Trump’s “Roy Cohn”, but he’s not stupid.
Neither was Cohn - he was just vain and arrogant.
1
Mere minutes ago, Trump already declared that he barely knew Sondland (whom he has praised as a great American weeks ago), just before he boarded Marine One to golf in his resort on taxpayers’ dime.
Hoping that Barr was not listening and that he doesn’t do a Jeff Session — this lapdog deserves to go down with his master.
10
@Opinioned!
By the time he’s done, Trump will not know anyone, including himself.
6
Every major news outlet should be pounding barr and his office daily until he responds.
No comment is not acceptable.
He is the AG and there is an active impeachment inquiry going on.
This inquiry is either legitimate or it’s not. It cannot be anything in the middle.
He set the precedent, inserting himself into the Mueller special counsel process.
It is too late to hide.
The American people want to know.
DJT wants to know!
He has brought this on himself.
Bill???... what say you???
Well??
4
Has Barr's office released the FULL transcript of Trump's call with Ukraine? While this NY Times fawning article about Barr conveniently forgets to mention it, there is testimony UNDER OATH that makes it clear that transcript Barr released left out many incriminating parts.
Barr is still covering up for Trump. But it is telling that right before Barr releases his so-called "investigation" that proves that Trump is totally innocent and it's the Democrats who should be locked up, the NY Times is paving the way with this outrageously one-sided fantasy where Barr is not covering up for Trump.
This self-serving "Barr is an honorable man" article is simply a repeat of what this newspaper did when they reported as absolutely truth that the Mueller Report completely exonerated Trump. After all, the upright and honorable William Barr said so. Pure propaganda, just like this article.
6
there was never a distance or closeness between these two men.
there is only a happenstance parallel alignment in their individual careerist calculations. and happenstance is always unwound by subsequent events.
2
It's one thing to go down with a sinking ship. It's another to jump onto it rather than watching from a safe distance.
3
With the impeachment process Barr probably has already crossed the line of behavior that could well get him impeached so he is staying very quiet. He also may see, from his limited legal expertise. that Trump is really , really guilty.
1
deafening-silence
Noun
(idiomatic) A silence, or a lack of any response, such as due to disapproval or lack of any enthusiasm.
Usage: The deafening silence from the Attorney General said it all.
4
@Nick...deafening silence as in uh oh I stepped in it. May Barr enjoy the sinking ship he deserves to be on.
2
There is one and only one public statement Barr needs to make: "I am recused from all matters relating to the Ukraine investigation. I was named as a participant in the matter under investigation in the whistle blower's complaint. Because my conduct is within the scope of the investigation, and because my impartiality may be questioned, I may not, under long-settled rules and norms of the Justice Department, act."
8
Barr is but inches from providing Trump with cover for impeachment proceedings. His "hands off" approach is a weak attempt to rejoin the brotherhood/sisterhood of decent lawyers.
The top cop serves the people, not the president. Barr misses the respect of other political attorneys. Not a high bar for Barr.
2
This suggests that Barr was more concerned with the jeopardy the conversation placed himself in than Trump. Barr needed to have the telephone conversation released so that he could deny Trump's coupling together of Barr and Giuliana. If the conversation were not released Barr realized it would eventually get out and then Barr would find himself in the middle of a cover up to protect himself and Trump, and the fall guy - Barr is not stupid, and would wisely want to steer clear of a fate anywhere near similar to that of John Mitchell.
2
Barr will try to make it up to Donald Trump by upping the investigation into the investigation to a criminal matter. He is apparently superseding the IG investigation and intends to indict people. In all likelihood this will backfire when those indicted defend themselves and unleash all manner of additional dirt that will embarrass Donald Trump more than anything else.
1
Stop hoping/expecting Barr to act with honor. He has proven time and again that he has none.
6
barr seemed to think himself trump's lawyer at the conclusion of the Mueller investigation, has conducted himself in ways to prove his statement during his confirmation hearing that he didn't care about his reputation but now, maybe just maybe he is remembering that he is supposed to be OUR attorney - for all of us here in the country, not the dude in the white house.
hopefully barr will regain his integrity by doing the right thing in this case
and hogan, if that summary was an entire unredacted transcript of that 30 minute phone call those on the call must have been speaking very very slowly
2
Gettin' a tad crowded under that bus, but still plenty of room for Guiliani and Barr, Pompeo and Mulvaney, and Anonymous once Trump thinks he's found him.
3
Apparently, the stance of the Attorney General and the Department of Justice is that the President can be investigated for crimes.
For the AG/DOJ to say that there were no crimes committed in the President's call, there must have been an investigation, no matter how limited. The government can't lawfully make that determination without any facts at all.
This runs right into the position of the President that he is immune to investigation for potential crimes.
That is, unless, the President can only be investigated for crimes for which he'll be exonerated.
1
Barr is just observing the age old principle of armed struggle, "Keep your powder dry." A Justice Department that holds a public news conference right now to bolster Trump in the court of public opinion is one that when the going gets really tough in the months ahead cannot claim to be independent of the White House (believe me, they will come to claim that when the time is right).
Promoting a theory that there is growing light between an otherwise sycophantic Attorney General and the President is useful for when Barr really needs to come to the President's aid with a twisted version of the Justice Department during the removal trial.
3
Barr is a calculating, right-wing individual, who stymied the efforts to hold to account the illegal actions of President Reagan's cabinet members in the Iran-Contra affair (where US arms sales were covertly and illegally made to Iran, so that the profits could be used to support a right-wing rebel force opposed to the duly established government of Nicaragua). This was bad enough. But now, Barr has enabled Trump, who breaks laws, violates norms, advocates for unchecked presidential power, and makes impulsive and uninformed decisions that affect our national security. Barr's provision of support to Trump, who is clearly unfit to govern, is a violation of his oath of office. His playing fast and loose with the Mueller Report is unfitting of his role as the highest legal officer in the United States. He is a stain on this country.
33
If only all of Trump's ex disgruntled employees would get together and spill the beans on everything said while they were employed; about supporters, members of congress, and every other dirty little detail about his dealings with Russia and other enemies of the US. I'm sure it would be revealing and of interest to all voters, even his base.
Come on, stand up, redeem yourself, and show your patriotism!
12
"Mr. Barr said that he could not recall whether Mr. Trump asked him to hold a news conference, according to an administration official."
Sure Jan.
8
Since everything in his sphere of influence gets besmirched, smeared, or betrayed, I want more conservatives to join this hateful and tragic group.
3
So Mr. Barr has his principles and his limits, but what of his judgment? Trump had a well known pattern of asking people he appointed to do unethical/illegal things and asking them to fall on their swords when they could not. Did Barr expect his case to be different? He has extravagant notions about the extensions of executive power that apparently were worth the risk to him, yet the irony of supporting a would-be dictator that would want to go beyond what Barr himself is willing to tolerate was apparently lost on him.
No doubt he, and most Republicans in Washington expect that they are preparing the office for a more efficient and effective dictator that will one day occupy it. Vanity and lust for power blind them all to the danger of what they are doing. Is it scruples, then, that hold Barr back or is it more careful connivance? Is he just another lawyer that worries about how a thing might be done rather than should it be done? God deliver us from the aspirations of clever men with puny moral judgment.
12
What does Barr know and what is the Justice Department hiding regarding Ukraine and quid pro quo?
We have yet to hear from one person from the Justice Dept, but we have been given a variety of "it wasn't us" excuses.
Either Barr was part of--and knowledgable of--what was going on with Ukraine, or he was considered such a sellout that the president was name dropping him as just another lackey. Either look is bad.
I hope congress puts some focus on this.
5
My theory is that Barr may have recently grasped what history will do with his legacy if he does not start standing up straight. The Department of Justice is deeply fractured under his command simply because he is not an honest dealer and everybody knows it full stop, just as they know about the evil winds blowing over at SD.
History will not be kind to William Barr, nor any other person unwise enough to hook their wagon to a 21st-century fascist. Are you listening, senators?
11
His only perceived power is to say “You’re Fired!” How ironic that it’s the thing that his minions want to hear most.
1
A reader writes, “ When will republicans admit that Donald trump's use of 'relationships' means a mob-boss attempt to use others? That's all. He has no concept of the Justice Dept as an American institution! He wants a willing sycophant, and he found one in Billy Barr.”
Most of us would cringe and abhor to be called, “a willing sycophant.” That’s just plain horrible. It means we have giving up all decency, forgot all our parents’ love, tears, tribulations, and hopes while they raised us.
7
Barr has violated his oath of office time and time again. He is crime boss Trump's personal lawyer. He must never be trusted to act on behalf of the nation as is his legal obligation. He should be impeached along with Trump.
11
How vile to see anyone dare defend this man. Barr is a disgrace. He’s a hateful religious extremist who has done little but harass Justice Department professionals and waste taxpayer money on long disproved Hillary nonsense. He asking foreign governments to investigate his own department! He whitewashed the Mueller report to protect Trump. He will go down in history as the most corrupt AG in history.
13
Consigliere Barr needs to be disbarred along with Giuliani and the rest of the suit of so-called lawyers Trump has gathered around him.
“The first thing we do is kill the lawyers”
-William Shakespeare
8
Barr now needs to decide how he would like his legacy to read ,toady Roy Cohn stand in to save Trump from self destruct or a lawyer who respects the institutions of the United States of America especially our constitution and the rule of law who nobody is above or too powerful to bring to justice.
3
Sorry @REBCO. Barr’s “legacy” has already been defined both by recent actions (whitewashing the Mueller report, opening his investigation into origin of 2016 election interference) and previous actions under George H. Bush. He’s an advocate for expanded presidential power and actions and weakening the power of congress. In other words, his philosophy clears the way for demagogy and dictators by weakening the checks and balances of our system of government.
1
This article reads like right wing pro-Barr propaganda.
Readers are not informed of Barr's long history of covering up for the President. We are barely informed that UNDER OATH there is clear and uncontradicted testimony that the Ukraine transcript Barr released left out the most incriminating parts. But the NY Times treats the leaks of people who refuse to testify under oath as if they should be given equal weight.
And more concerning, this sentence:
"Mr. Barr released a four-page letter summing up Mr. Mueller’s findings that CRITICS CONSIDERED tilted to the most sympathetic interpretation for the president. "
NY Times, what is wrong with you? "Critics" did not consider it tilted -- it was factually dishonest -- a lie. There is no "he said she said" there are FACTS. And the fact is that Barr completely misled the American people about what was in the Mueller report.
This is what happened in Nazi Germany. Hitler could make the most horrendous smears to make people hate Jews, and the NYTimes type of newspaper would print "critics of Hitler disagree about Jews plotting to murder Germans" .
When it comes to William Barr, this newspaper prints his lies and says "rabid critics say something different, you decide whether the man we just characterized as upright and honest or his rabid critics are telling the truth".
That isn't journalism. It's propaganda.
8
Barr, as corrupt and authoritarian-leaning as he is personally, is now finding out what so many before him have belatedly realized - that hitching one’s star to the Trump wagon leads inevitably to a ruined reputation, prison or both.
It was one thing for him to lie about the Mueller report to ingratiate himself with his boss. Now he’s neck-deep in the malfeasance himself, and it is way too late to introduce “distance.” Barr himself should be next in line for impeachment.
5
IMO, Barr knows trump is guilty, and whether he was present during the call or not, he doesn’t want to go down with him. But, the thought always remains, if he gets called to testify for trump, and was party to the call, or even if trump told him about it, would he perjure himself to protect trump, or refuse to appear, and be charged with contempt? Hate to say this, but the democrats need to request warrants for all those that were served subpoenas, and refused to appear. They’ve been threatened, but empty threats don’t work! Anyone that has raised young kids know how invaluable empty threats can be. Dems...DO something about these contempt threats, because threats don’t work, especially for trump supporters. They know they’ll be protected by him.
7
Barr hasn't jumped in to defend trump because he can't. His powers of redaction (has anyone yet seen the unredacted Mueller Report?) cannot be used on House-controlled depositions. Also, it's pretty much common knowledge that anyone associated with trump ends up under the bus and/or in jail. Barr is pretending to be busy chasing down those 2016 election interference conspiracy theories to keep out of the impeachment spotlight.
3
He must realize, at this point, to keep the large sum of promised money from Ukrainians really stinks to high heaven. Ukrainian soldiers are fighting for their lives against invading Russians. While this fighting goes on, while our ally Ukraine is trying to get on its feet, a call is made: the promised, much-needed funds are withheld until Ukrainian confirmation of a Trump pet 2016 conspiracy theory. A smear against Trump's 2020 election opponent, Joe Biden, must be announced, for God's sake.
Good job, Barr, lay low. I imagine he remembers that Richard Nixon won the 1972 election while Watergate had been well exposed. Woodard and Bernstein didn't manage to get their breakthrough story published in The Washington Post until after the election. Although, for though for those paying attention, the betrayal of office details already added up, and Nixon won anyway.
Today our media is thoroughly covering Trump's oath of office failure. However, we have a problem with fanatical people who don't respect authority. We all know this lack of respect leads to rejection of all normal media outlets. Then in their parallel universe - bolstered by Prez Tweets - the ridiculous pro-Trump version of events is perfectly spun.
We also face some swing-state voters, who don't care enough as long as the economy is treating them okay, or don't vote. Being fully in the loop regarding this American public, Barr seems to be trying to keep his dignity, while the whole travesty parades.
1
There should be no "treating me like a confidant" between President & Attorney General. Barr is learning now just how much trump will use him as a personal attorney & "fixer". trump has put Guilani over Barr in the Ukraine fiasco. How can Barr be happy with that? How does he feel that trump involved him in this shadow state?
Mr. Barr, learn a lesson from Michael Cohen & see what it got him. Fixers don't last long in the trump mob family.
3
I think Bill Barr is totally in lock step with Trump as evidenced by the picture for the article. It's clear that Barr can't be trusted and his belief that Trump can do whatever he wants without regard to the Constitution and the Rule of Law is outrageous and dangerous.
4
Prosecute the Epstein accomplices, Mr. Barr and I'll think about it.
You have a chance at redemption.
2
If the edited partial transcript Trump willingly handed over was this indicting , one can only imagine what the actual transcript said. What, like "play ball with us on the Biden frame-up, or your army is toast." ?
5
And Barr will be hitting the ground under the next bus in 5,4,3...
1
“It was a perfect call.” That tells you all you need to know about Trump’s inability to recognize lines between what is right and wrong. Barr is an enabler, par excellence. Don’t assume anything about his perceived silence. Behind the scenes, he is orchestrating a protection plan for the president’s “unlimited executive authority.” He’s a stooge for a criminal president, exactly what the Founders worried about in creating the impeachment provisions.
6
Is unimaginable that we, the American public, are questioning the loyalty of the Attorney General of the United States......
BUT
That is exactly what this Trump Presidency has wrought in so many once trusted government positions and areas.....
A total recalibration of the president, his presidency and his appointments is urgently needed - before it's too late to repair the damage to our country and its sacred Constitution......
7
Are we sure Barr isn't just laying low until he comes out with his big FBI/Deep State investigation? I see know hint of integrity in the man.
2
Yes, there is a limit. Barr googled Atty General John Mitchell and found he was indicted and spent 19 months in jail. Perhaps it is too late?
5
Anyone who is near a malignant narcissistic personality will lose a piece of their soul for every single interaction.
1
The facts are obvious.
1. President Trump requested a foreign government, Ukraine, to investigate a political adversary, former VP Joe Biden. Given the power disparity -- the presidential ask entails a de facto quid pro quo as it would for any US Presidential ask under similar power disparity.
2. Joe Biden's son was paid enormous sums of money by Ukrainian company, Burisma Holding, Ltd., while VP Biden made 5 trips to the Ukraine in the last 3 years of the Obama administration and actively leaned on the President of Ukraine (remains an open question for what and why).
The consequences in dispute.
1. Is it an impeachable offense for a president to cause a foreign government to undertake an investigation into a political opponent who has done nothing wrong? Absolutely.
2. Is it an impeachable offense to cause a foreign government to undertake an investigation into a political opponent where there is a clear reason to be concerned whether that political opponent had misused his office for personal/family gain? That remains in doubt.
What if the person being investigated was not a political opponent? Does status as political candidate confer immunity from investigation?
Politics is ugly business. Is that news??
Trump could have avoided all of this by exposing the known facts without asking for an investigation. In politics if you are explaining you're losing -- Biden affair demands an explanation.
2
They both belong behind bars for the rest of their lives.
4
Barr is no dummy; by refusing to defend the indefensible in public, Trump's criminality, he is covering his 'behind' for the storm in the horizon, coming to claim justice as it's reward. Of note, this is not to diassociate Barr from his misguided role as Trump's personal lawyer ('a la Giulianu')...instead of the role he advertised for under false pretense, Attorney General.
1
Remember the scene in "The Blob" where the old man realizes in horror that the alien slug has attached itself to his arm and tries in vain to free himself from its deadly grip. Working for Trump must feel like that. The slime must be up to Barr's neck by now.
3
When will this newspaper report on Bill Barr as the corrupt Attorney General he is. THIS kind of bad reporting -- where all the previous corrupt actions of Barr are not mentioned in an attempt to convince readers to TRUJST that the NY Times was always right when they presented Barr as the upright and honorable man he isn't.
Barr has been going abroad to smear the FBI, the CIA, Mueller and the origins of the investigation into Russia ties. And he is doing that for one purpose only -- to "totally exonerate" Trump the way he lied to the American people and claimed that the Mueller report "totally exonerated" Trump.
When will this newspaper stop acting as if all the corrupt actions for the past few months should go unmentioned, because a leaker from Barr's office wants this newspaper to tell readers Barr is honest right before he releases his report smearing all who challenge the corrupt Trump and Barr himself.
Barr falsely claimed the Mueller Report exonerated Trump and his Justice Department locked up evidence of Trump's corruption to protect Trump.
The NY Times is like the townspeople and the Republicans are the boy who cried wolf. But in this case, the NY Times keeps believing the boy even after he cries wolf 100 times and he lives thousands of miles from where any wolves live.
3
Unlike Trump, who is a deranged dotard, Barr is simply morally ambiguous.
2
@John✅Brews - Ambiguous? He seems pretty clearly rotten.
1
Barr will learn that like all pathological narcissists, trump will betray him and he'll end up the fool. The abuse trump doles out will always hit someone close eventually. He has no capacity to handle limits on his sense of entitlement or any criticism. He's only got one coping mechanism: irrational aggression.
3
After Barr's rousing endorsement and exoneration of Trump once the Mueller Report was released, his decision to NOT hold a briefing and state “no laws were broken in Trump’s call with Ukraine’s president” comes as a surprise, if not a shock.
This entire "he said/he said not" scenario could be cleared up if the original transcript of the July 25 call with Zelensky and Trump were made public.
But that would be too easy. And it would probably prove more detrimental because anything less would make this a no brainer.
Making the call's transcript public once and for all would either prove if Trump's conservation was indeed "perfect" or laced with illegal verbiage and acts of abuse of power.
I think Barr's refusal to publicly defend Trump and his "urging" Trump to "release a reconstructed transcript" is the proverbial line in the sand.
Whatever rock solid relationship and understanding Trump assumed he had with the AG is quickly eroding like sand castles in the wind.
42
@Marge Keller Barr didn't come forward to defend Trump on Ukraine because he knew it wasn't as easy to gaslight the American people as he did on the Mueller report. We are watching and listening and he knows it wouldn't be prudent this time around.
He will come forward with some conspiracy theory about Ukraine hacking the DNC instead of Russia since he has been flying all over Europe trying to get someone, anyone to agree with him.
10
@Marge Keller
If the recording matches the transcript would you agree the impeach proceedings should stop? I doubt it. This has nothing to do with the law or even ethics. It's clear to most it's about overturning the 2016 election.
@Marge Keller
Run Bill, Run!
3
Frogs all. Americans are so sick of Trump and his GOP. All Americans want is peace and quiet and honesty and knowing we still have a democracy that works for all. Trump and the GOP have brought chaos and corruption that only by voting them out can we bring back peace to this torn apart country.
48
Its good not to hear from Barr. Not sure why a man would sell his soul at this point in his life.
27
@John
He'd already done that nearly 20 years ago. There was a good reason why William Safire, in this newspaper, pegged Barr as the Coverup General.
5
Time for confession, Monsignor.
11
According to the Constitution Barr is supposed to be working for the American people. Period.
Not protecting the POTUS from being put behind prison bars for various crimes he has committed the last 3 years.
31
@Hal
Care to provide a list of those crimes?
I'm curious, whether you even know what 'crime' means.
1
These are ruthless, unprincipled crooks. Barr isn’t backing off he’s keeping his powder dry. Expect unpleasant surprises and even deeper depths of brazen lies and spin.
20
For Barr, life is unfair and Presidents can be weasels with impunity.
9
"Reconstructed"? Does that mean something other than "Fabricated"?
14
" “It was President Trump who decided to release the entire, unredacted phone call showing everyone he’s done nothing wrong" . here it says UNREDACTED, but apparently it was redacted. so if lying trumpy says it is a perfect conversation, why not release the REAL UNDRECACTED transcript???N
7
Not even a “transcript”
1
Yes, Barr will split from Trump. And Santa will bring us all presents in Christmas. And Elvis is alive and well and living in a trailer park (Jimmy Hoffa told me so).
Wake up. Barr and Trump are thick as thieves. One is just as corrupt as the other. In a just world they would both be impeached and removed from the offices they are debasing and corrupting. Thanks to the seditiously partisan republican Party they won't be.
13
Willy Barr was a bullfrog
Was a Trump AG
Never understood a single thing he did
But he sold out the land of the free
Singing woe to the world
All the Trumpy pols
Woe to the people of the deep blue states
Woe to you and me
---Apologies to Three dog night
10
"according to two people..."
Nameless, faceless nobodies.
Just like the whistle blower, who may not even exist.
Or the Anonymous author of an upcoming book.
That's NOT what the free press was intended to be.
Despicable aberration of journalism.
Gone are verifiable and proven facts. Enter allegations and insinuations.
I repeat: despicable.
2
@waldo
Looks like you missed the transcripts. Hopefully you will have an opportunity to catch up next week with live sessions.
3
@waldo "...just like the whistle blower who may not even exist".
Are you suggesting that the IG made him/her up?
2
@waldo you must have just started paying attention to the press. Sources have always been anonymous to protect them. This is not new. And just because it is not blasted in real time recorded in 4k doesn't mean it did not happen or is false. The internet disease has made a lot of people forget about the nuances of communication and living.
2
To Mr Barr:
You gave Trump the benefit of the doubt at the beginning.
But as time passed, you are now realizing that Mr Trump is essentially a lawless man.
Do right by your Country !
5
It takes more than Barr and Giuliani to come close to Cohn. But boy are they trying. But with Trump’s guile, Rasputin’s influence, and Machiavelli’s guidance, they’re getting close.
Where’s Joseph McCarthy when we need him?
3
A simpler question, 'has Barr lawyered up?'
6
The only reason Barr is not commenting is because he does not want to become an indicted co-conspirator.
7
Trump is rather blind to boundaries with others and he pushes people beyond their personal zones of comfort and tries to humiliate them if they resist. But Barr seems to continue serving his insecurities and vindictive compulsions with the investigating the investigators nonsense. So what is coming out of the White House is a lot of silliness. Trump has no team but a collection of sycophants who don’t collaborate with Trump but only try to please him. Barr it seems has not even come close to exhaustion with Trump, as have many rather hardy people, previously.
4
I think Barr read Gail Collins column rating him the most awful cabinet member of all times. If Barr chose not to read it, he must have at least been forwarded that column multiple times by his family friends colleagues for earning the “highest” rating of most awful!
You go Gail! Three cheers hip hip hurray!
11
Ah yes. Barr lied and misled about the Mueller Report and has staunchly defended the scoundrel in the White House. Lo and behold-- now the sanitizing and rehabilitation of Barr's actions begins.
6
@cec better pray it is that positive..
This article amounts to wishful thinking. The NYT is simply part of the effort to keep the momentum of the inquiry going but it’s running out of gas.
1
Running out of gas? How much more fuel could this administration possibly add, (in terms of unforced errors, even), to the dumpster fire of this presidency?
4
The "whistleblower" launched this entire impeachment investigation, even though he had no direct knowledge of the phone call, and even though the transcript of the phone call was released. Schiff, Nadler et al did not care - they wanted impeachment no matter what.
Now that the whistleblower's identity has been released, and now that his his roles with the NSC, Brennan, the Biden/Ukraine scandal, and connections to Schiff's office are being uncovered, the democrats will be in a precarious situation moving forward.
The American People know a sham when they see it!
https://www.realclearinvestigations.com/articles/2019/10/30/whistleblower_exposed_close_to_biden_brennan_dnc_oppo_researcher_120996.html
2
@99percent and yet there are multiple people who heard the call, were in the room or on the phone that corroborate everything the whistle blower said, your president included.
Instead of trying to attack the identity of the whistleblower, maybe try to stick to the content of what they are saying. Try that out.
1
@99percent The "whistleblower" is completely irrelevant at this point. It doesn't matter if he was riding with Ted Kennedy at Chappaquiddick on his way to a meeting with George Soros. Everything alleged in the complaint has been verified by others. Including Trump's Chief of Staff...in front of a room full of reporters...on television. Why is that a hard concept to comprehend?
The "transcript" of the call was released only because of the whistleblower's complaint. It is not a complete transcript but a partial reconstructed version of the call. According to Lt Colonel Vindman passages omitted are even more damaging to Trump. Oh by the way, Lt Col Vindman WAS on the call.
Trump extorted an ally using public funding in an effort to generate dirt on a domestic political opponent. That much is clear and obvious. No amount of sliming of individuals who testify to that change those basic facts. Only a clueless Trump dead-ender thinks identifying the whistleblower at this point is somehow relevant.
Mr Barr is standing on the lip of a volcano. Does he jump in to save Trump and risk his life or does he walk away and let Trump save himself. It appears that self preservation is prevailing.
What is interesting is that Trump could not evaluate the call for himself to see if there was incriminating evidence. He clearly does not know right from wrong. Barr was able to lead him by the nose and do the right thing for our country by releasing that transcript. Although, I don't think he did it for the right reasons. Barr is trying to save his own skin.
4
Barr got what he wanted- an attorney general position. Now he can timidly start playing “an objective attorney”.
Sorry but it does not work for me.
5
‘It was President Trump who decided to release the entire, unredacted phone call...”.
Excuse me, sir, but what was released is widely acknowledged as a White House “reconstruction” of the phone call, not an unredacted version. In fact, Lt. Col. Vindman, who was on the call, testified that the reconstructed version left out details that altered the relevant context and President Trump’s specific reference to Biden’s name. Why would a 20-year active duty officer assigned to the National Security Council because of his expertise on Ukraine make something like that up?
I find the Army Lt. Col. to be much more believable than the spokesperson from the White House press office.
9
Trump is fly-paper for trouble...non-stop unethical behavior, endless controversies, on-going lawsuits, worsening foreign policy debacles, and unremitting denial of it all. A grand conspiracy from "dems," fueled by "fake news." When will this ugly farce of a presidency end?
7
So we’re about to find out whether the old adage “there’s no honor among thieves” still applies?
2
One of the last lines in this article succinctly states a basic truth of this Administration;
“But for every cabinet officer in Mr. Trump’s turnover-heavy administration, a countdown clock begins ticking from the moment they are appointed and the question is when it will eventually go off. “
But there is also human nature. Despite evidence to the contrary, every Trump affiliate appears to believe he is the exception to the rule, that he is special in ways others are not and that he will be the one to garner the loyalty from Trump that Trump demands from him. A sad delusion.
No man in this Administration demonstrates more hubris and sense of unearned entitlement than William Barr. His belief in his abilities to navigate the Trump whirlpool as it heads for the drain is the stuff of classic tragedy.
121
@Chickpea the holder of the championship for hubris is Pompey.
8
@Chickpea It's not tragedy. It's a case of "fools rush in, where angels fear to tread."
14
@Chickpea Yes. Michael Cohen warned all of Trump’s next-in-line toadies that they would be sorry the way he has been sorry. Many, like Cohen, will be going to prison.
Barr probably is drawing the line at prison; hence his recent distancing from Trump. Republican Senators may turn a blind eye to Trump’s crimes, but, come 2021, if not sooner, all the Trump-enabling toadies are fair game...especially if there will be a Democrat-appointed AG.
13
There is something basic here everyone needs to understand. The Attorney General's role is to be our "top cop." If there has been wrongdoing he has to take the lead in ferreting it out. Except that creates a huge conflict when the alleged wrongdoer is his own boss, the President. So he has to finesse that situation, except what he cannot do is take on the role of the President's defender. Doesn't President Trump realize that?
For a better appreciation of the problem here check out President Nixon's famous "Saturday night massacre," when he fired both Attorney General Elliot Richardson and Deputy Attorney General William Ruckelshaus because they refused to fire special prosecutor Archibald Cox. And you know how that ended.
15
It's far too late for Barr to salvage his reputation now. It's conceivable (slightly) that he thought he was acting for the good in giving his pre-emptive analysis of the Mueller report in exchange for a near-full release. The reality shows it for what it was - an attempt to obscure the facts in favor of a narrative serving Trump. Barr at that moment went fully to the dark side, and there's no redemption available.
19
@Evil Overlord
True! Thank you. Would you mind if i use these four sentences for a “fill in the blanks exercise” for my English class?
It’s far too late for...to ....now. It’s conceivable (slightly) that ....thought ...was acting for the good in........in exchange for a....The reality shows it for what it was. - an attempt to...in favor of.... Mr.X at that moment went fully to the dark side, and there’s no redemption available.
In truth I am thinking of personal and painful present circumstances. Hindsight is 20/20. Redemption at times feels like the horizon. We see it daily. Unreachable.
From the outset, I could not believe that Bill Barr had so little respect for our constitution, laws and himself. I am sure there are more than a few who will never trust Barr again. This apparent snag in Trump/Barr relations may be only a small blip. But if it should indicate that there are Trump places where Barr simply wont go, we might get our DOJ back to some semblance of normalcy. I have my doubts, but we need a shot of good health back into our DOJ. The level of mistrust for the Trump administration jumped when Barr came on and cleared Trump of all wrong doings. It may take more than a few spats before Barr gets the message.
9
AG Barr is now starting to find out that it's going to be extremely difficult to extricate himself from the mud he helped create. Trump has no limits on how far he will stoop to retain power. Now Barr needs to decide on whether he is a true American patriot or is he a Trump lacky. Apparently most of the Republican Senators and Congressmen/women chose the latter.
13
There shouldn't BE a 'relationship' between those two, except as regards to their oaths to 'faithfully' follow the laws of their nation.
It's pretty bad, when headlines come from a gangster movie; the relationship between two liars is strained because of conflicting interests. Ugh.
When will republicans admit that Donald trump's use of 'relationships' means a mob-boss attempt to use others? That's all. He has no concept of the Justice Dept as an American institution! He wants a willing sycophant, and he found one in Billy Barr.
Barr is finding himself sliding way further down the slimy drain that is trump. He can still redeem himself by just re-reading his oath of office and DOING THE RIGHT THING.
14
@deb
No he can’t. He will forever be remembered as just another GOP partisan hack.
3
To me, the fact that Barr "has spoken with pride about how much Mr. Trump relies on him and treats him as a confidant" speaks volumes about the kind of person he is, his judgment, and his moral compass, or lack thereof.
21
In a CBS interview Barr was asked if we was not concerned about his legacy by seeming to act more like Trump's personal attorney more than like the country's Attorney General.
At the end of a long and defensive reply, he said: "I am at the end of my career...everybody dies."
He appears go be a very conservative Catholic (his father converted from Judaism). Maybe he has gone to confession recently.
We can only hope.
5
The simple fact is that trump is as guilty as sin and Barr is trying to protect himself. Not everyone out there will fall on the sword for Donald.
7
"The attorney general has not jumped in to publicly defend the president against the Democratic inquiry as he did with the Mueller investigation."
There will be much more "estranged" allies, as they watch water seeping through multitudes of holes into Trump's administration ship! When Lindsey Graham jumps off the ship, it signals that the sinking has become irrevocable.
7
This situation is getting a little hot for Barr. His role in the scheme relates to his opening an investigation into the Russia investigation and planned coordination with an announcement by Zelensky that they are looking into it actually being Ukraine that tampered. Barr is part of the coordinated effort but is smarter than most in Trump’s orbit and knows when it’s time to step back. For more information on references to Barr’s position in the scheme: https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2019/10/23/hidden-revelation-taylor-hints-worse-come-trump/
5
Should anybody be surprised that their honeymoon may soon come to an end much like fake billionaire Donald Trump's doomed presidency?
Even though William Barr is shameless and dirty, he is much smarter than Trump. As such, he will never allow Trump to sacrifice him as easily as he has sacrificed many of his past supporters.
7
In the current chaotic scenario in which,
amongst a range of complex issues and problems,
WHAT enables ANY policymaker, elected or selected,
at whatever level, party membership, and
ideological-hue, whatever their psychological STATE, to
behave as if they are above the law? BEyond the law’s reach?
Complacent citizens!
Complicit ones!
Democracy’s taking-for-granters!
The freedom to choose to be willfully blind about
what IS, and shouldn’t BE.
The “RIGHT,” Constitutional, or not, to
BE willfully deaf- not listening nor hearing-
paying attention- to the unnecessary-existential-pains
experienced by ALL too-many. All around.
BEcoming willfully indifferent to ummenschlichkeit. All around.
Choosing neither to know...
nor to understand...
willful ignorance amidst generalizable available and
accessible FACTs...
as one fills a hungry maw with
raw, as well as cooked, unnourishing-
“goulashed” fiction, fantasies, “alt-facts;”
spiced with ordinary lies and organic-prevarications.
Trump, trumpets HE is the Chosen One!
Barr, bars mutual trust. Mutual respect.
Is “Have you no sense of decency?” -voiced not too long ago-
just to remain as a documented memory?
3
If Barr was not in Trump's back pocket, he would not be in office. No one in the Trump administration will leave with their honor and integrity intact. To serve under Trump, means you leave your moral ethics and values at the front door of the White House. "All Ye Who Enters, Must Kiss The Feet Of The King".
Send the only message Republicans will understand. "Unemployment". Vote each and every Republican out of office. America has had enough.
9
William Barr as Attorney General has clearly showed himself to be Donald Trump's personal attorney and not the Attorney General for the United States as a whole. He may be a bit more cautious in what he is saying right now but don't be fooled. Donald Trump owns him. He has debased himself and the legal field he swore an oath to. His character and fitness for holding his law license should be immediately investigated. Mr. Barr was chosen to hold an extremely important office in our country and he has turned it into a farce.
21
He should just do his job, not blur the lines. It seems as though no one connected to the president is capable of upholding the responsibilities of their job. They all muddy the waters.
9
The white house released the summary of the call but refuses to release any other evidence concerning what led up to the call and what happened after the call. The reason for this decision is simple. The white house wants the public to believe that if there is any wrong doing by Trump, it should be determined solely on the basis of the call and nothing else. But this was a very lame approach to defending Trump and certainly did not deter House democrats from unraveling the before and after of the call despite the fact that there still remains a mountain of evidence under the control of the white house that they refuse to allow congress and the public to see. One way or another this evidence will be seen and I am very hopeful that it will be seen before the applicable statute of limitations for bribery, extortion and other crimes run their course.
3
I am not shocked that William Barr did not join the fight against House Democrats who are pursuing the president. As one who could easily exercise the vice of hypocrisy, he knew rather well that he needs to keep his tail out of the fire as the rising threat of impeachment is becoming a harsh reality.
William Barr’s release of the redacted letter summing up Mueller’s report was the beginning of his end as a worthy attorney. I don’t think his defense of Trump would matter anymore because Pandora’s box is open.
5
I wondered what had happened to Rudy after the Mueller Report release. Then, I found out. I think Barr, the personal attorney of the president is just keeping his order dry until he can release his investigation of the investigation, which will likely divert attention from Ukraine giving them something else to rail against.
1
But the memorandum on the phone call was redacted, so how can it also be unredacted?
There is always a breaking point when a man with a conscience takes his marching orders from a man without a conscience or any scruples. Barr may be finding that his qualities of truthfulness and honesty are hard habits to break or compromise. Will he bail out while he still can or go further into perdition. He has to decide soon which side of history he wants to be on.
3
"The truth is incontrovertible. Malice may attack it and ignorance may deride it, but in the end, there it is."
- Winston Churchill
Maybe the president, his cabinet and Republicans in congress should print this quote out, frame it and hang it on their wall.
8
Barr will catch up to the rapidly moving goalposts sooner rather than later. Expect a statement. He’s in on the crime; we would be foolish I to think otherwise.
4
I don't trust Barr but it makes sense that he would distance himself from Trump's impeachment perils. Congress has a lot more power than he does. Also worth noting, Republicans are doing terrible in elections. If Trump is set to go down in flames next year - and no one can say with great surety what will happen - Barr may want to cut ties with him as much as possible. If Trump loses, Barr will be fired and could then be investigated for his motives regarding his release of the Mueller report. He said things that were simply untrue.
6
Have no compassion for duplicitous Barr as his corrupt ways and sycophantic loyalty are to no avail as his deal with the devil shall surely come back to haunt him, ultimately leading to his demise and dismissal from the careening Trump train. He has sullied the office perhaps not seen in a way since another president under the shadow of impeachment used his Attorney General as well - John Mitchell.
7
Oh, it's so nice to know that this lying, cheating religious zealot William Barr, who was willing to lie to defend the worst President in history, is now being viewed by some in the media as an honorable man, simply because he's not willing to lie once more, when it's going to inconvenience him.
7
If you believe Barr stood up to Trump I have a used car I want to sell you. Trump and Barr want people to think Trump doesn't have Barr in his pocket so the spread this lie. Barr finally found his character after being a Trump sycophant? The yes man finally stood up to his boss and said no? Not in this lifetime!
9
@Steven McCain
What you're saying, I believe is exactly what applies in the case of FOX and Trump ... supposedly parting ways.
However, in the case of William Barr, I believe it is a totally different story.
Trump is feeling the heat and is doing what he has always done when desperate. He's trying to shield himself by holding (in this case) his dirty
Attorney General out in front to save him ...not caring how bad it will make Barr look!
While Barr is dirty, he is not dumb.
Barr will do what he needs to do to make sure that when "country lawyer" dumb-dumb fall-guy Rudy Guiliani joins Cohen in jail ... he won't be with him.
The most likely explanation is that Barr's desire to save his own hide is more powerful than his desire to be Trump's lackey.
9
The idea that Barr won't go the distance for the President is absurd. He already has gone the distance for the President. The Mueller report was absolutely clear. Trump should have been gone months ago.
What Barr knows which everyone knows is impeachment is not based on basic legal principles. We have the political opposition doing the investigation and the potential jury pool is partial. The future jurors to any high crimes and misdomeaners are publicly defending the President and taking campaign donations that President has raised for their own campaigns. Barr doesn't have to do anything to protect the President the Jury fix is in.
This is not a just or a legal system in play. The sad reality is the Cabinet, members appointed by the President and confirmed by the Senate should remove the President when he is clearly unfit to serve and Barr, who may be the most credible person to lead this group won't do it. He is protecting the President.
The founders of the Republic never considered Citizens United and a system where money is so largely in play in politics that party comes before country. The impeachment process they devised doesn't work.
380
@HL How many of the current cabinet members have been confirmed by the Senate?
18
@HL It’s a sorry state of affairs when Bill Barr is the most credible Cabinet member. I’m skeptical about trusting Barr after he unjustifiably discredited the Mueller Report in a clear abuse of the Attorney General’s power.
39
@HL How many cabinet members have been confirmed by the Senate? Seems like Trump keeps as many in "acting" capacity as he can so they can be as incompetent as he wants them to be.
37
What’s the old saying, “No honor among thieves, etc...”?
12
The function of this column is to buff up Barr's tattered credibility and pretend there is some separation between Barr and Trump even though Barr has been touring Europe trying to undermine the FBI and American intelligence agencies as part of Trumps attempt to discredit all witnesses against him. It was instantly predictable that Baker and Haberman would be authors because they have made their careers at the NY Times as the official stenographers of the Trump administration from the earliest "here Trump turns Presisdential" and "Ivanka and Jared are moderating influences" articles right up to this latest tough bath for an unnamed "source" [Barr] in the administration.
17
He should be disbarred.
13
Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin's academic training was in the law of the Soviet Union.
A background that perfectly prepared Putin for a career as a covert KGB agent and head of the FSB. Along with being born and bred ethnic Slavic Russian and poor on the mighty mean streets of Leningrad nka as St. Petersburg. The home of his hero Czar Peter the Great.
Donald Trump fights by snarling and snarky tweeting and speaking nicknames and slurs while watching Fox News and playing golf.
While Vladimir Putin sends his foes to hospitals, mental institutions, prisons, urns and coffins with a benign smile and smirk.
Putin is a much better ' lawyer' than any attorney that Trump has ever had.
Putin must have something more on Donald Trump than making more money for the Trump Organization as a result of him being President. Right? But what is it?
Trump and Barr and Giuliani and Sekulow are no match for Putin.
13
I wouldn’t be so quick to give Barr any badge of good conscience.
22
In the hereafter our beloved president will be called His Holiness Trump the Innocent by those, like Barr, who love him. The rest of us? Not so much.
3
You know what's changed? Barr has now had a chance to see firsthand how utterly corrupt and incompetent this administration is. The new "distance" in their relationship is a simple case of Barr's buyer's remorse.
4
Barr thinks that he's fooling people by laying low for a while. He outed himself when he declared Mueller's Investigation Report an exoneration of Trump. He's as corrupt as the rest of the Trump Gang. He's still flying around the world for Trump and trying to fulfill Trump's wish to nail the Ukraine for Putin's election interference and find dirt on the Bidens. How did he ever have a good reputation in the legal world? He's just another sycophant trying to overthrow our democracy.
15
Sorry -- trying to put "lipstick on a pig" -- in this case Barr -- doesn't cut it. Barr is corrupt -- he's not dumb or drunk enough to go on TV like the bug-eyed ranting Giuliani, instead he's the snake in the grass, slithering here and there waiting for the moment to strike. Barr is Trump's impeachment and removal away from his own impeachment, disbarring, and sitting a federal prison.
19
The unitary executive that Mr. Barr idealizes entails a good deal of unitary corruption and stupidity. So far this seems to have struck him as mildly ironic at worst, but as it begins to affect him personally he may begin to realize that it is a real problem.
4
He should be disbarred.
7
So, another worm has turned in Trump’s stable of sycophants. I guess there are limits to the corruption toadies will attest to. If we could eliminate the individuals in this country who do not get involved the happenings of their Nation, Trump would be out of favor with the remainder and impeachment would be easy. The Senate would have a mandate they could not deny.
2
Harry Litman told us Barr would be an "excellent choice" for attorney general:
"the roots of his political views concern the rule of law, public safety and the fair application of legal rules to all... Barr plainly has the stature and the character to stand up for the department’s institutional prerogatives and to push back on any improper attempt to inject politics into its work."
https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2018/12/08/count-me-one-democrat-who-thinks-trump-made-an-excellent-choice-william-barr/
Next to "wishful thinking" in the dictionary, there's a picture of him. Color me as unimpressed as it is humanly possible to be.
4
Trump does not usually have long lasting relationships. He readily says "your fired!" both on his reality show and in real life. There is a quick turnover of the people who work with or under him, and the line up in the Cabinet and at the White House is quite different from what is was one year back. Even with wives, he tends to change them quicker than most men.
But with Barr there is an additional factor in his unwillingness to support Trump's lies now. With the Mueller Report, Barr was willing to lie flagrantly to defend his president, because the Mueller Report is a thick volume that none but intellectually gifted people will read through; Barr could hide his malfeasance because it was difficult to uncover his lies --no collusion, no crimes. The Mueller Report never said no crimes, only no indictment by Mueller's team. Barr could pose as an honorable man telling truth. But in the instances now where it is blatantly obvious that Trump committed a crime---extorting from a foreign government for personal gain--Barr will not stick his neck out. Only die-hard supporters and opportunistic enablers will still scream Trump's innocence. One does not have to plow through a thick volume of legalese to see the Emperor without clothes. Listen to the quick and searing testimony. Now Republicans will have to say that our eyes and ears are biased, are " never Trumpers"----Barr wants to maintain some semblance of his reputation.
3
The instant the truth of his corruption has been proved,
William Barr should be disbarred.
6
The attorney general's job is not to do the bidding of the president, and the role has become badly misshapen by this administration. Trump seems to look for and attract people-pleasers, but we have paid a high price for this character trait. Barr falls into that category, but maybe even now he is reaching his limits. Good article by the Times crack reporter team, the Times probably being seen as another "garbage" paper by Trump.
1
Barr, not so much the twinkle-of-his-mother's-eye anymore, will lick whatever Trump wants him to lick so long as he gets a SCOTUS appointment. That's Barr's endgame.
5
The only way I can excuse Barr is if he resigns and voluntarily goes to congress to testify. Anything else is smoke in mirrors.
5
President Trump to Zelensky:
"I will gladly pay you Tuesday for a hamburger today."
Republicans:
"Not a quid pro quo because Trump never got the hamburger"
4
Trump, the narcissist-in-chief, surrounds himself with folks that are already quite narcissistic on their own. A feature of narcissists is that they believe they are quite special, and will be treated differently than others.
Barr, another toxic narcissist, likely suffered quite the narcissistic injury when Trump “on that call lumped him together with Rudolph W. Giuliani, the president’s private lawyer, like interchangeable parts of his personal defense team”.
You don’t really even need to be too narcissistic to be injured by being lumped together with Giuliani.
To quote Rick Wilson, everything Trump touches dies. Barr is foolish for believing he is an exception.
3
Barr is a disgrace to the legal profession. After listening to his speech at Notre Dame Law School, I am convince he must be removed from his office. He has made his bed, he must lie in it despite how uncomfortable it has become.
7
Midas had the golden touch; Trump's is the corrupt touch. No man or woman can avoid its effects. William Barr is just another in a long string of tainted people. He began his term with Trump lying to Americans about the Meuller report's findings. He will depart lying to us about other matters. William Barr is a proven liar.
5
Barr puts on the brakes after sliding across the ice and plowing through the sloppy mudpuddle following? Now refusing to get out of the car . . .
4
barr is an embarrassment to the legal profession.
10
"Power does not corrupt men; fools, however, if they get into a position of power, corrupt power."
George Bernard Shaw
Barr walks a tightrope but really for what purpos A foolish man indeed, and I'm not just talking about Trump.
3
"...the attorney general took it upon himself to declare that its findings did not add up to obstruction of justice, even though Mr. Mueller was not willing to conclude that."
The Mueller investigation took two years, was exhaustive, but not conclusive, according to Mueller, regarding one of the major reasons for the investigation- obstruction of justice. If Mueller wasn't willing to arrive at a conclusion, it doesn't mean that others looking at the same investigation could and that is exactly what Barr did. Mueller is the one that left the door open for interpretation of the findings.
In my view, of the various hats Mueller wore in his career in the Justice Dept., his role as FBI director is the one he chose here wherein the FBI investigates but does not prosecute.
With the Ukraine matter, Barr is at the forefront and he knows very well that Trump has stepped over many lines and will pay for it, but not with Barr's coin.
3
Unless you are a deep state conspiracy believer, one thousand federal prosecutors concluded that Trump committed the crime of obstruction of justice which makes inconclusive, in this case, mean unindicted but not innocent.
3
@Casual Observer
If you were investigated for some potential violation and it was found that there was not enough evidence to support an indictment would you tell people:
a) I was investigated for a potential crime but they didn't have enough to indict me, or;
b) I'm innocent!
In any event, the problem here has to do with the constitutionality of the Justice dept investigating and effectively indicting the president when the only constitutionally supported remedy for criminal behavior of a president is impeachment and conviction in the Senate. It's an extrajudicial process. So, the view of the "thousand" former prosecutors is irrelevant notwithstanding its dramatic tone.
It’s just a matter of time before Trump turns on Barr. I can see Barr joining Jeff Sessions on his fishing trips; consoling one another for their misdeeds, choosing President over country and spiraling to the level of Trump....
15
Barr has so completely hitched his wagon to the Trump presidency, I can’t understand why he won’t do the Don this favor. Is it any different than dismissing the Mueller report? Does he think he has some kind of future as anything other than Trump’s patsy? All I can think of is that he is trying to make himself look independent, so he can “legitimately” pardon Don for something bigger, later on. Am I crazy? And if I’m not, do you suppose Trump is in on this scam, or do they leave him out of the loop because he is such a bad actor he’d give it away?
9
Trump eventually turns against everyone. He has no loyalty to friends or associates. Barr should realize this, and probably realizes it already. It's just a matter of time until Trump gets mad at Barr and dumps him. It happens to everybody in Trump's sphere.
8
"Mr. Barr has spoken with pride about how much Mr. Trump relies on him and treats him as a confidant." That's pretty sad. I think if Trump treated me as a confidant, I'd be headed for the nearest exit door. Mr. Barr's reputation has been permanently sullied because he couldn't separate the man Trump, from the office of the presidency and just caved in completely to being patted on the head by a dog.
9
@Joanna Stelling -- I agree with you that his reputation is "permanently sullied" and add only 2 words "permanently and deservedly sullied". Trump dishonors and abuses the office of president several times per day -- and that's before lunchtime! The senators who vote to retain him as president will have to know that their great-grandchildren will still be ashamed of them. He is inept and moment by moment a grave and imminent danger to our country. Barr's approval of this is equally self-damning. I miss the America that I've lived in these past 82 years!
.
1
@Joanna Stelling Except Kellyanne Conway.
Attorney General Barr has no reason to go before the cameras to say no crime had been committed. The Justice Department has already announced no crime has been committed.
The Justice Department’s Criminal Division investigated allegations that President Trump violated the Federal Election Campaign Act’s prohibition against soliciting something of value from foreign sources when he asked Ukrainian President Zelensky to “look into” allegations involving Joe Biden his son Hunter.
At a press conference, Justice Department spokeswoman Kerri Kupec said, “Relying on established procedures set forth in the Justice Manual, the Department’s Criminal Division reviewed the official record of the call and determined, based on the facts and applicable law, that there was no campaign finance violation and that no further action was warranted. She added, “All relevant components of the Department agreed with this legal conclusion, and the Department has concluded rhe matter.”
2
@William Case You are referring to the letter of the law but ignoring the spirit of the law. You missed the part about whether the Justice Dept. has itself been corrupted.
4
So says a Trump appointee and his cronies. Nothing emanating from the DOJ can be trusted until Barr is removed from leading that agency.
6
@William Case
To claim there has been no "campaign finance violation" is to do more sleight of hand political theater; really what is at bottom is an actual shakedown of a prime minister (abuse of power) in order to shift claims made in the Mueller Report that identifies Russia as an actor supporting Trump and put blame onto Ukraine.
One of the GOP talking, or complaining points, is that the impeachment inquiry is a sham and that the Intelligence Committee is the wrong committee to be managing an inquiry.
However, Speaker Pelosi would have agreed with Schiff that the Intelligence Committee is the correct place to manage an impeachment investigation because at bottom this business is about counter intelligence; campaign finance is what Mr. Barr wants you to think this is about. Better that than treason; so, he has done his duty to the President. Less is more. Barr knows to shut up for now.
4
Once Barr finds himself on Trump's bad side, like his predecessor, his "session" as AG likely will be cut short.
3
I think Bill Barr may be reflecting on the case of an earlier AG named John Mitchell.
7
Barr is smarter than Mitchell. Wonder why gd hasn’t resigned or all of a sudden realize facts he had forgotten.
This could be called Barr's 'Simon Peter' moment with his beloved Trump the Innocent. A couple of more times and it shall pass like a kidney stone.
1
I think it boils down to Attorney General Barr not wanting to become a sad joke like Rudy. When this is over he wants to be writing his book from a nice house not a jail cell.
2
Now the media's going to fawn over what a great man of integrity he is. Please. He's the chief enabler, running around doing Trump's bidding. So one, gross, ridiculous thing hasn't been done. So what?
7
"Late Thursday, Hogan Gidley, a White House spokesman, said, “It was President Trump who decided to release the entire, unredacted phone call showing everyone he’s done nothing wrong."
Except that it showed precisely the opposite, which Trump was too dumb to see it would do.
4
We are all going where the press wants to lead us. Let us take a step back, away from all this and ask:
1. Would the country ever have known about Hillary's emails otherwise? Never. And had Trump wanted to find out, can any reader tell me who he could have approached? FBI? CIA? NSA? No one would have done anything. He acted on a hunch, and the hunch turned out to be justified. Here, the means certainly justifies the ends. Right or wrong - we can debate till eternity.
Trump is using a thief to catch a thief. If we remove nationalities here, you will find he did nothing wrong. After all, democrats are using so many stooges to upset the cart, are they not? They just are using the press to manipulate you and Trump is digging using unconventional means. There is no one better than Russians and Chinese to hack. So let us use them to dig up more dirt. Is Trump entirely right? Certainly not. But are democrats justified in using all kinds of media publicity while Trump is castigated for the same thing? It rankles me.
@Sashidhar
Democrats are not "using the media." The media is just reporting the truth, not half-baked conspiracy theories that the Republicans think up to try to throw you off of their rank scent.
3
Barr is a hack and that is why he was hired. He was a hack in his first stint as AG, when he worked on the pardons of the Iran-Contra criminals. Now we have a second covert foreign policy that the president is corruptly conducting, using unappointed, non-Senate-approved personnel. The administration is now running without any brakes-Trump has succeeded in putting in place non-Senate-vetted, “acting” (definitely a double-entendre) officials who function as nothing more than yes-men to the President. If Trump is getting along with his AG, then you know there is a big problem because Trump is inherently corrupt. That Barr views himself as the president’s confidant is another huge warning sign-the AG is not the president’s lawyer and should not be receiving confidences from him or reciprocating with advice.
7
Maybe Barr heard the backlash after he "summarized" the Mueller report. I still don't trust him.
1
@susan I think Gail Collins column disturbed him more, he realized how many people detest him and have zero faith in him as an AG.
Apparently Barr is not completely indifferent as to how history will describe him
Mr Barr reminds me of a line by Tatum O’Neil in the movie Paper Moon. “I don’t know what s ripples are, but if you have then they belonged to somebody else first.”
2
So Barr may have a vestigial spine somewhere struggling to be noticed? Who knew?
1
As I always like to say, Conservatives are proof that some species eat their young.
3
There is NO distance between Trump and Barr. Barr merely declined to engage in a silly charade that would have backfired and exposed him for the corrupt hack that he is. Without Trump, Barr goes to jail and vice versa. The pair are the most criminally corrupt officials of this century. They make Nixon and Mitchell look like Jesus and Mary.
7
@JFP So, when is Speaker Pelosi going to open an impeachment inquiry into Mr. Barr, and even Mr. Pompeo?
1
The line that made me laugh was: a White House spokesman said, “[T]he president has a great relationship with the attorney general and respects his decades of service to this country.”
Trump respecting someone's decades of service to this country? Say what now?
19
This story is misleading. Barr defended Trump in the Mueller investigation because Mueller's report went directly to Barr. Barr's job was to read the report and then communicate it's contents, which he did. His interpretation of the report was that no wrongdoing occurred and that's what he reported. He has no involvement in the House inquiry and, correctly, has not gotten involved. To say he defended the president in the Mueller investigation but not in the Democratic inquiry is a stretch.
@JrpSLm " His interpretation of the report was that no wrongdoing occurred and that's what he reported."
Seems to me that he willfully distorted the content of the Mueller report. If you read the entire report you'll see that Barrs "interpretation" was beyond reasonable, and borders on complete fiction.
3
Yes, it's quite alright to talk of shooting someone on Fifth, in broad daylight, and getting away with it. Quite another to actually to do it. Now if only Donald The Great had had the patience to wait, General Barr would have had him declared Emperor (King would be so déclassé). And it all would have been perfectly legal.
3
I think Barr came out of comfortable semi-retirement thinking he just had to carry a few bags in exchange for the SCOTUS seat he hoped would open up before Jan 2020.
And carry he did- effectively defusing what should have been the explosive Mueller report (10 counts of obstruction; 14 outside criminal referrals.)
But he wasn't prepared for the mobster-like aspect of the arrangement - Rudy Colludy and the bankrupt real estate mogul from Queen using the US treasury and military arsenal as leverage to feather their nest.
Now, like everything Trump touches, Barr's reputation is forever stained.
Didn't his parents ever warn him - You are the company you keep.
28
Barr seeking to distance himself from Trump?
I don't see it.
Barr did what Trump asked him to do, namely to exonerate him again, by issuing a public statement that there was no campaign finance violation.
That we didn't actually see his mouth form the words, doesn't mean he didn't say them.
Barr is Trump's shadow.
3
Is William Barr working to protect Trump, or is Trump just the perfect enabler for a religious zealot !
I do not think Barr likes or even cares about Trump, he seems to be driven by his deep need to destroy one of our Founding Father's principles;
The Separation of Church and State.
Barr's mission is to eliminate our secular government and return to the days of Church Rule.
He wants the wrath of god to supplant free will and free choice.
Today, William Barr is the largest threat to our Democracy - Trump is merely the Carnival Barker.
Yes, Barr has a long history of wanting to extend Executive Privilege, especially when it allows him to fulfill his lifelong quest.
9
Barr, Pompeo and Pence's end game of religious fanaticism may be coming into fruition. Lots of hints lately from all three of them where they have mentioned religious dogma and victimhood...
Problem they are running into is Trump's malignant narcissism where he is willing to take down everyone and everything with him. When I say everything I mean everything we hold dear.
Normally I'd cheer the downfall of the current republican party, but this will not end well for anyone unless something drastic occurs to preserve our republic.
4
Defending Pres. Trump on impeachment isn't AG Barr's job while defending the office of the President is.
3
Those civil servants currently working in the Justice Department who were also employed there during the Obama Administration must be reeling, what with their AG being so wholly corrupt. The morale in those offices has to be so low as to be a possible health hazard. I hope those federal employees have found a way to take care of themselves during the reign of terror that they witness daily. Imagine having to regard the evil Barr as the boss, and watch in horrified silence as he functions as Trump’s personal attorney and defender. Chilling.
7
I don’t understand why Barr would break with Trump now. He’s already broken the law and ruined his reputation. He can’t get that back.
4
"Mr. Barr has spoken with pride about how much Mr. Trump relies on him and treats him as a confidant".
What kind of low self-esteem and lack of integrity would make a supposedly educated, grown man feel this way?
12
Suppose this: Barr colludes with Pence and other cabinet members to activate the 25th Amendment to oust Trump and install Pence who will then pardon Trump. That will leave the Dems mid-impeachment and in disarray before the election.
3
@Barrie Grenell Plausible, except I would include Trump in the "collusion" and call it a conspiracy to deny the House their constitutional opportunity to impeach.
1
Trump could only be pardoned for federal crimes by Pence. Keep an eye on state criminal charges, particularly out of NY.
1
@Barrie Grenell
Suppose this: acting cabinet members are ineligible to invoke the 25th amendment.
The corrupt lackeys remain, the country gets disgusted, and the Dems wipe the floor with everyone else come 2020.
He is too busy working up his big conspiracy report due out before Thanksgiving that will tie together the grand picture of the Deep State wrongdoings. That way the Rs will have something to talk about again.
He knows he needs to get ahead of this impeachment trial because it implicates Trump, Pence, Pompeo, Perry, Mulvaney - and most importantly himself. Do you really think Trump asked Zelinskyy to call Barr and no one followed up on that??
4
Mr Gidley probably does know what unredacted means. He’s just asserting a lie, like all Trump spokespeople.
And he is probably counting on the rightwing “base” to be sufficiently ill-educated or biased NOT to know what it means, or, if they do, they still don’t give a fig about the truth.
2
Its too late for Barr ... he is forever disgraced for intercepting and smearing the Mueller Report that was rightfully intended for due process in Congress.
With this one act, he has dishonored our Constitution, displayed moral degradation, and forever discredited himself.
There is no salvation ...
7
Too late. The damage has already been done and there's no mistake about which side table Attorney General William H. Barr stands on.
And any deviation he may now take from Donald Trump's side isn't a sign of his growing awareness.
If anything, it's a matter of self-preservation.
Even rats will desert the ship in the end.
10
“Mr. Trump, angry with his coverage, is aggravated with Mr. Barr for urging him to release a reconstructed transcript of the telephone call with Ukraine’s president.”
If it was such a “perfect” call, what is there to be angry about?
3
One csn onky hope thst AG Barr is seeing the immense danger DJT is in, knows he too is imperiled and is chooding a safer path.
He should still be investigated and impeached (as should Pompeo, Pence, Perry, et al) but maybe his legacy won’t be fully tarnished even though he will unquestionably go down as the worse AG in the history of the US.
2
Maybe Barr will see the light and just bury the wild goose chase that is Trump's fixation with denying the Mueller report's findings. Like the voter-fraud wild goose chase. In such endeavors, Trump just looks bad, like he left his tanning machine pointing at his face too long.
2
To the best of my knowledge, I personally have never been in physical proximity to pure evil operating freely to corrupt our shared space and time. Thank goodness for small favors. However, through the miracle of digital media, Trump’s thoroughly rotten instincts, behaviors and persona have been thrust deep into the palpable awareness of all keeping abreast of the abomination reluctantly also referred to as his Presidency. Perhaps that is what causes the profoundly sick feeling accompanying the simple, human act of waking up in the morning. One can only hope that Bill Barr’s apparent capitulation in the Ukraine affair signifies a beginning of the end for the nightmare each of us is forced to endure—Clockwork Orange style—as a result of our coexistence with them in this time. If Trumpian evil exists within reach of our senses and abilities to recognize, then surely there is also hope that an equally palpable end to this travesty does indeed exist for us all to anticipate and savor its eventual and inevitable arrival.
6
If the version of the text of this infamous phone conversation is Trump's version of honesty, then the true version must be truly incriminating and beyond outrageous.
5
To the best of my knowledge, I personally have never been in physical proximity to pure evil operating freely to corrupt our shared space and time. Thank goodness for small favors. However, through the miracle of digital media, Trump’s thoroughly rotten instincts, behaviors and persona have been thrust deep into the palpable awareness of all keeping abreast of the abomination reluctantly also referred to as his Presidency. Perhaps that is what causes the profoundly sick feeling accompanying the simple, human act of waking up in the morning. One can only hope that Bill Barr’s apparent capitulation in the Ukraine affair signifies a beginning of the end for the nightmare each of us are forced to endure—Clockwork Orange style—as a result of our coexistence with them in this time. If Trumpian evil exists within reach of our senses and abilities to recognize, then surely hope springs eternal that an equally palpable end to this travesty does indeed also exist for us all to anticipate and savor its eventual and inevitable arrival.
2
Barr will assure this matter gets to the Supreme Court at his discretion and is merely placating Trump in the meantime. Time is not the essence when on the defensive side. It's an asset. Gives time for healing and increases the forgiveness factor as people cool down because Trump will come up with more havoc of the not so illegal kind. Then back to normal should the court rule in his administrations favor. Barr is the cagey one. Trump is what I call the Triple D. Defile, deny,defuse. That's where Barr comes in.
6
I used to see Mr. Turley as an objective and insightful commentator, those days are gone. To say that Mr. Barr "should be credited for ensuring that as much information be released as possible in both the Russia and Ukraine cases" is a ridiculous statement, to say the least. Barr has been a key agent in the cover up of crimes and consistently refuses to release relevant information to congress. Barr is clearly failing the US, and sees his role as protecting the president, not the rule of law. I'm not sure what happened to Mr. Turley, but its quite sad to see him take the side against the US and rule of law.
12
Trump has always treated William Barr like he is his personal lawyer, not the head of an impartial justice department. Perhaps he is miffed that he has been replaced by Rudolph Giulliani as the president's point man or is tired of being Trump's shill. Barr seems to be a proud man who once had a reputation for honesty, but as this evaporates Barr maybe nostalgic for what he has lost in his association with Trump. In any case Barr has revealed himself unconcerned with the truth or justice, but merely his own reputation.
1
What dirt does Trump have on Barr to get him to act this way?
What backbone does Barr not have to bend the knee to Trump this way?
Trump has no conscience or principles. I thought Barr had some of the latter. No more.
Pompeo "obscured" the fact that he was in on Donald's call with Zelensky? No, he LIED. Later he changed his story. Politicians may use double-talk, but we depend on professional journalists to avoid it.
14
These types of speculative articles are frustrating to read. I'd prefer to wait until we know if Barr resigns, Trump fires Barr, or Trump and Barr are going to spend Thanksgiving together and afterward don their Snuggies and cozy up by the fireplace. Unfortunately it's most likely the latter.
5
We now know that Trump has at least 2 personal lawyers: Rudy Guliani, and Bill Barr. One does not get a government paycheck, but is used by the president to directly affect state affairs. The other does get a government paycheck, and is used by the president as his own personal defense attorney. It's a whacky world.
5
@Steve One took an oath of office and can be impeached for lying to Congress and the other is a private citizen acting as the President's agent to assist with a shakedown of a prime minister, and is under investigation by the FBI for operating as a foreign agent but without proper clearance.
Whenever Times writers mention that the DOJ said there was no campaign finance violation, they should also include that *only the FEC can make that determination*!! It's like a teenager coming home after skipping school and telling their parent "I have determined that their was no attendance violation today."
1
And the Trump administration has taken all the teeth out of the FEC. They can’t do diddly.
Barr is still spending his time spinning up conspiracy theories, including ones against loyal and patriotic lifetime DOJ employees, and trying to subvert important investigations into the Trump gang. He has disgraced himself, and will be remembered as a partisan hack who scorned his oath of office.
2
"Trump angrily denied a report that he wanted Mr. Barr to hold a news conference"
Well since it is documented that Trump lies all the time than we know that he certainly did - and since it is the kind of thing he has done before from medical reports to Mueller's report it is consistent with his character and MO.
Remember, he lied to the combat troops. Why anyone would think he wouldn't lie to anyone else is in utter denial.
1
Barr is already deeply tainted with his obstruction of congress in the Mueller investigation. There is no salvaging of his reputation.
1
Again, republican voters display their inability to read anything more than four words in forming a opinion. The latest case being the trump branded tee shirts that say “read the transcript”. A transcript has not been released, just a heavily redacted summary. If something exceeds four words and has more than two syllable words in it, it goes over the heads over a typical republican voter like a 747 in cruise flight.
As far as political phone calls being withheld from the public, unless state secrets are being discussed the public has every right to know what is being said. Politicians are our representatives, not our rulers.
2
I don’t quite get Barr’s reluctance to go ahead and “defend” Trump. Barr’s reputation is in shreds, anyhow, so why not do what the boss wants?
What keeps Barr in the job? Is it the lure of money or something Trump actually “has” on him?
1
Barr is still protecting Trump. He’s clearly )and improperly) influencing what is supposed to be an independent IG investigation into the Russia investigation AND running around the world doing his OWN investigation into the investigation. Barr is and always will be Trump’s Roy Cohn, although at this point Tom Hagen from The Godfather May be an even more apt metaphor.
Not surprising Mr. Barr realizes he may be implicated should Trump be impeached by offering impartiality while ignoring the law. No wonder Trump is finally disillusioned with Barr whom he assigned strictly for such purpose, i.e. offer undimished loyalty, collaboration and cover up when needed. Suddenly Trump is realizing he may have lost his puppet Barr.
2
It's a long shot to try to get Trump to fire Barr over releasing the transcript of the call.
It was a brilliant move as evident by the efforts to portray it as partial and reconstructed. If it had been a mistake for the president this paper would be fully endorsing it.
How bad is what Durham will find? How much of what's left of journalists principals will be burned in suppssing it? I look forward to learning these things.
1
We all saw Barr trash the Mueller report. He said that he had the right to make the decision on obstruction of justice since Mueller didn't. That decision was not in accordance with the rule of law. The only way we could bring his misconduct to justice would be to include in the articles of impeachment the 10 articles of obstruction that Mueller found. Was Barr also guilty of obstruction of justice? Let's find out.
Let's be clear here. Barr is distancing himself from Trump and Giuliani because he knows he's already toast. It's certainly not because his sense of morality and ethics has somehow returned.
1
This is what I believe is going on:
Barr will assist Trump getting re-elected and as repayment accept a nomination to the Supreme Court.
@Ron Barr pushing seventy is much too old for a SCOTUS nomination. They would much rather have a right wing zealot in his first year as an associate after passing the bar exam on his third attempt.
1
Once Barr finds himself on Trump's bad side, he will soon find himself on the outside. At this point, with impeachment looming, that may be exactly what Barr is hoping for.
1
What we may be learning about Attorney General William P. Barr is that while opportunistic and legally creative, he is not as foolish as many Trump appointees and associates. The current situation reminds me of an often told tale. When told by the Lone Ranger, "We are surrounded by the Indians," Tonto replied, "What do you mean 'We'?"
3
"Mr. Barr was bothered that Mr. Trump on that call lumped him together with Rudolph W. Giuliani, the president’s private lawyer, like interchangeable parts of his personal defense team."
Gotta admit that this gave me a chuckle. I'm not sure what Barr was expecting - it's been pretty obvious for quite a while that Trump treats his cabinets, indeed the entire federal government, as though they're his personal servants.
1
There seems for me, to be some confusion about the word Crime. A crime in a proper (not that we have one now) AG's world of law is that someone has broken a law; therefore, Barr can technically says no Campaign Finance law was broken. What the House is investigating are "high crimes and misdemeanors" as given in the Constitution. These are not clearly outlined in the Constitution but from the origination of the term, we take them to mean abuse of power by an elected official. Asking for help from a foreign country to damage a political rival is an abuse of the power of office. As far as I know, this is against the Constitution, and the presidential oath of office but not necessarily the same kind of action, as say theft or speeding or even tax evasion.
3
",,,hints at a new distance between the two men."
Is this political analysis or relationship advice? I appreciate the reference to Neil Young:
New glass in the window
New leaf on the tree
New distance between us
You and me
But I'm thinking that the writers at Amazon and Netflix will be able to handle the made-for-TV movie in due time.
1
William Barr is a pretty shrewd and sharp guy.
But I think he either never expected or underestimated that Trump would lump "him together with Rudolph W. Giuliani, like interchangeable parts of his personal defense team" on that phone call.
What truly shocks me if that there are still inner circle Trumpers who continue to support the guy, never realizing or assuming he will throw ANYONE and EVERYONE under the bus to save himself.
Perhaps a shift in the wind and the water is finally taking hold after Barr refused to do what Trump requested.
As the ship continues to take on more water, more Republicans are realizing that it's not because of a broken water pipe but that there are gaping holes throughout the ship. It's going down.
The only question remaining is how much longer before it finally sinks.
9
Perhaps AG Barr, who, despite how you might feel about him, has served the country for decades, came to two realizations: loyalty to trump will never be requited, and continuing to support him would forever impact his legacy in a not so positive manner. There may also be a third reason, he has come to believe that the president is indeed guilty and deserving of impeachment. It's a theory, not one I am optimistic about, but a theory none the less.
2
@Andy You call his role in fixing the pardons for all the Iran-Contra traitors as serving the country? Barr is an ideological zealot who values his twisted so-called religious values far more than he does the Constitutional values of the nation.
If Barr is called to account for his public defense of Trump and his questionable conduct behind the scenes, he will contend that everything he did was arguably within the range of legally supportable opinion. I think he has crossed that line more than once but even if he hasn’t, his conduct is far beyond merely inappropriate for a lawyer holding the office of Attorney General of the United States. He may now see the need to dial it back a bit but I doubt that he will abandon Trump entirely.
2
It is obvious to the nation that Barr has sold out and is now acting as Trump's personal lawyer. It is also quite obvious that Barr cannot speak publicly because he may implicate himself further by lying. We are in a crisis mode where our Justice Department is under attack as is the Legislative branch of Government.
9
If Barr is really beginning to “distance” himself from Trump-not convinced-maybe it has to do with his trips to find the origins of the 2016 investigation into the Russia probe. What if he has discovered that our intelligence agencies were right-that the Russians did interfere to help Trump get elected? Maybe that would make him think twice about standing up for Trump during the impeachment inquiry. And I also find it interesting that in the middle of all this hubbub, the FBI (part of the DOJ) released another lengthy report that exonerated Hillary Clinton once again from any wrong-doing with her emails and server. Barr just might be smart enough to recognize that, even though he has an expansive view of executive authority, he might have picked the wrong executive to protect. At least George H W Bush was an honorable man.
4
Though I do not always agree with Bill Barr, he is a man of principle: Every word or action is a contract between self, God and countrymen.
But for donald, he is a person without principle, his word means nothing and everything is balanced on self-interest.
These two could not be more opposite.
The outcome has already been written for Mr. Barr.
As to the trumpster, it’s anyone’s guess what he will do.
Sorry, but Bill Barr is an “interchangeable part of his personal defense team”.
There is an attempt to rehabilitate Barr’s reputation for non-partisanship, probably in advance of his sure to be edited release of the IG/Durham Report.
Not so fast.
The DOJ advised against following the Whistleblower law and releasing the Whistleblower complaint to Congress. Without that complaint, Trump would never have released the edited notes of his conversation. We would not have known that Trump was trading our national security for his own personal political gain.
And the DOJ quickly determined that there was no campaign finance violation, nor any other criminal concern with Trump’s actions.
Instead of Barr doing an embarrassing, servile press conference, he had his assistant do it.
So, no this doesn’t begin to rehabilitate Barr. He remains an “interchangeable” part of Trump’s personal defense team.
8
It's a little too late for Barr to set a boundary with Trump.
There is no hope for recovering a shred of dignity or honor.
Perhaps he's realizing that the likely routes open to everyone who works for Trump are in the conga line on Dancing with the Stars, or dancing behind bars (like Cohen et al).
Lime green ruffles or orange jumpsuits.
Heckavu choice.
4
Perhaps - perhaps - the scales are falling from Mr. Barr’s eyes, as he sees that Trump actually is committing crimes — crimes — right and left. Not that I think Barr has suddenly found his integrity or ethics. Barr does not want to get caught in that net, especially regarding obstruction of justice or perjury, both very sticky traps. Barr will act only in his own self-interest in the end; that should be part of the job description for any of Trump’s minions. And Barr ought to be taking a good hard look at how Trump treated Jeff Sessions. You remember, the previous AG??
6
Considering the fact the first 8 witnesses the Republicans will call will all be denied by Adam Schiff and Nancy Pelosi, the only question is whether the entire GOP caucus opts to simply excuse themselves from these hearings entirely...forcing Schiff and his minions to put on a Broadway show while half the cast has chosen to not play their roles.
1
@Erica Smythe
Yes, I do believe they would be despicable enough to defy the Constitution and rule of law.
Why no comment on what Mr. Barr has been up to in his tour around the globe in search of evidence of some sort? And why no comment on recent reports that Mr. Barr and his team are preparing a report that will be shortly dropped on Congress around Thanksgiving? And that the report will claim to get to the bottom of the impeachment origins in defense of his boss in an attempt to create new charges of impropriety, or worse, about the investigators, and further distractions from the impeachment effort?
3
This whole Trump thing is a classical case of Americans hiring Small People for Big Jobs. And going through six bankruptcies would provide a Normal-Size person with an answer of "No!", when asking himself "Should I be President?"
3
I think the country needs to see Barr in handcuffs. We need to be reminded that we are a country of laws. We need to be reminded that you cannot just break the law at will. Arrest Barr (and Pompeo) as an example.
5
It is just amazing the level of denial the Republicans have engaged. Facts don't matter, but defending a corrupt President seems to be the only strategy. In a few weeks the narrative seems to change. First it was about process, then about definitions, then about confronting accusers. What is just lacking is honesty.
They should also look at the history of Watergate. A lot of folks did jail time and had reputations ruined, but their own doing.
3
"Mr. Trump, angry with his coverage, is aggravated with Mr. Barr for urging him to release a reconstructed transcript of the telephone call with Ukraine’s president at the center of the impeachment drive."
What would Phil Corbett have to say about this use of "aggravated?"
2
Its also possible, and indeed probable, that the reason Barr
does not comment is that law enforcement usually does not comment on lawful behavior. The Meuller case was special because it was a real criminal by an organization entitled to do those accusation, it just proved false.
This case, orf course, is not a criminal inquiry. Trump has been accused of no crime by responsible parties. This case is a simple case of political theater attacking completely legal actions by a President acting as head of foreign policy.
It is for the members of Congress to stop it. That will, of course, happen in the Senate.
1
Who knows what's going on inside the mind of William Barr? There is one thing that we know for certain, however, and that is that, just like every other Republican in the land, he will act his own self interest; country be damned!
41
@dave -- Does William Barr have a mind?
1
@dave Sir, your reply only calls out Republicans acting in their own self interest. I know it was your mistake and slip of your mind not to also include self serving Democrats.
“While the Ukraine pressure campaign is separate from the Justice Department’s newest investigation into the 2016 elections...”
Uh... no. For one, both aim to cast doubt on the Trump-Russia-2016 investigation.
More importantly, while Barr’s “investigation of the investigators” predates the Ukraine scandal, its overall intent, more recent up-grading to a “criminal inquiry” and ultimate report (likely very carefully-timed) will certainly be relevant to the impeachment proceedings and the 2020 election — and will stand as a definitive marker of where Barr’s loyalties lie (if there are indeed remaining doubts about that).
Obviously, discrediting the Mueller inquiry plays perfectly into one of Trump’s main narratives for both battling impeachment and campaigning in 2020: he’s done nothing wrong, has been a “perfect” president, and all those investigations/inquiries have really been “deep state” conspiracies, “witch hunts” and “hoaxes”.
This article sort of portrays Barr as one of those “adults in the room” struggling to negotiate a compromise between fealty to institutions and law, and support for leader.
I don’t buy it, sorry, and predict that events will quickly confirm that Barr is an all-in enabler of this corrupt president.
360
@h leznoff, my thoughts exactly. Thank you for stating this so well. Wish I could give you 100 Recommends.
21
Agree almost entirely.
13
@h leznoff Could not agree more.
13
This and other columns I have read describe the released document as a "reconstructed transcript" It is not a transcript either in original form or as "reconstructed" Instead it is just a memorandum of events cleaned up to make the best possible case for Trump's innocence. But it did not do a very good job of making him look innocent.
125
Agreed! These are partial notes from the call, not a transcript in any sense of the word.
7
@Robert Hodge Trump isn't innocent. That is the reason. He was a shady New Yorker and a leopard doesn't change his spots. As a New Yorker I warned people but they did not listen. I am amazed that Barr ruined his reputation for someone like Trump who has never put himself out for anyone, not even his kids. And I agree with you.
2
@Robert Hodge So we do need the original leaker, aka whistle blower to testify..yes?
Is that what you're saying?
1
There is NO distance between them. Barr was merely protecting Trump from Trump by avoiding involvement in a moronic charade. It would have been too obvious a gesture so Barr wisely declined and will manipulate the process in his usual sinister, silent, criminally corrupt manner. -- Barr can not afford to lose trump as President. He is COMPLETELY corrupt and would face ENORMOUS legal risk without Trump in office.
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@JFP I agree with your first sentence, and nothing following. But it's a start.
@JFP : Agree. This is essentially cover for his complicity—he’s still running around trying to absolve Russia, blame Ukraine, Democrats and our own intelligence workers.
8
Barr is on a collision course with the USSC.
39
If USSC means the Supreme Court, now firmly in Kavanaugh’s and Gorsuch’s hands, then, with respect, i disagree with the correspondent’s assertion.
The SC will do whatever Trump, MoscowMitch, and the hardliners in the GOP want, so neither Trump nor Barr has anything much to fear on that front (ie., a captured judiciary).
1
This may be wishful thinking. Perhaps Barr is biding his time while planning a more comprehensive assault on behalf of DT.
53
@Emily Corwith
My thoughts exactly. I wouldn't trust Barr with my kid's piggy bank. This whole story has a bit of what my father used to call "reverse psychology:"
Saying no when you really mean yes.
4
Barr has no dignity or honor.
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@Michel History will not treat him well. Nor will it treat Mitch McConnell, Susan Collins, or Lindsey Graham well. They will be remembered as people who tried to sell our democracy out on behalf of a psychopathic would be dictator. And all, for what? To protect a man who would turn on them in a heartbeat? to protect the defunct and disease riddled Republican party? There's no "there" there, and yet they persist.
5
@Michel The fact 56 people agree with you without offering any evidence is evidence of the insanity of the AltLeft.
@Michel Trump reminds me of "Pig-Pen" of Peanuts fame: extremely dirty and attracts a permanent cloud of dust, bugs, and bugs in suits & ties.
3
It’s much too late for William Barr to cut Donald Trump loose. He joined himself to the president’s hip when he authored that infamous 19-page memo outlining his views on executive unaccountability. He knew what he was doing. He wanted the AG post.
Now that career diplomats and top-drawer White House officials are singing behind closed doors to the three House impeachment inquiry committees, Barr’s name has been dragged into the stinking mess. He flew around the world trying to arm-twist his counterparts to investigate the ‘16 election to revise the historical record; that Ukraine—not Mother Russia—interfered with the election. Barr trashed his own Justice Department in service to his president, and now he’s embarrassed?
277
@Red Sox, ‘04, ‘07, ‘13, ‘18 I agree with you completely. The ironic part of the Barr memo soliciting the AG position is that there is zero chance that the stable genius read it since he can't even be bothered to read national security updates much less a 19 page memo.
8
@Red Sox, ‘04, ‘07, ‘13, ‘18
You cannot embarrass these corrupt low life’s, just look at trump, he can neither be embarrassed or ever apologize.
5
@ACH - I was just pondering the same thing! Trump doesn't read anything but Tweets. Probably an aide read it and translated to Trump in Tweet language.
5
What about barr's Oath of Office that he swore to trump, his mob Don?
48
"Late Thursday, Hogan Gidley, a White House spokesman, said, “It was President Trump who decided to release the entire, unredacted phone call showing everyone he’s done nothing wrong."
Mr. Gidley obviously doesn't know what the word unredacted means. How about the several elypsis in the obviously heavily redacted reconstructed text.
It looks as if everyone speaking for the Crook in the White House has to lie on behalf of him.
146
@Sarah You seem to think you know what was in the original call that is not in the transcript and one must ask the obvious question...were you in the room and listening on the call?
Because according to the United States Penal Code..gaining illegal access to confidential communications between world leaders is a felony punishable by up to 10 years in prison.
I for one don't know what was in that transcript but I do know two things.
Trump was right to ask for assistance with his team (both AG and Durham through official investigation; Giuliani in preparing Trump's defense against impeachment charges).
No aid was withheld and no investigation commenced.
So...if you want to throw Trump in prison for asking for help..surely you infer that Biden should already be in prison for asking for help..from the Uke's..or he was going to withhold $1 Billion in aid.
Sounds like a clear cut conviction..if only we had video evidence of him actually admitting this.....
@Erica Smythe
There is a lot to unpack here, but we should really just throw away the entire suitcase.
Aid absolutely was held up. It was not released until the administration caught wind of the whistleblower. Not president (R or D) should use the government's checkbook for his/her re-election. It is wrong and it is illegal. This should be a simple base-line understanding we can all agree to. We can argue all day whether or not this fits our definition of quid pro quo, but we can all agree it was bribery. Bribery with the US government's checkbook. Additionally, the President of Ukraine was scheduled to do an interview announcing an investigation. This was postponed due to Trump finally releasing the money (again, only after the Trump administration heard of the whistleblower).
Attacking Biden and ignoring the nuance that Trump was withholding aid to help himself get re-elected (with OUR tax money) is disingenuous. And wrong. Take off the partisan glasses and view the situation for what it is, not for what you want it to be.
1
@Patrick So you want to convict Trump of Bribery.
What do you want to convict Biden of ?
That’s the trajectory of a Trump, um, “friendship “.
Show up, display obsequious subservience, call yourself his “friend “ and enjoy the next five or six days until he gets bored with you, publicly castigates and humiliates you, and throws you under the bus.
I’d rather pull out my fingernails with red hot pliers.
44
@Doug Wilson, Trump's relationships remind me of Shakespeare's Richard III and Buckingham. You start with promises of the power and influence you will be given, you start to commit crimes for the man, you allow yourself to be dragged in deeper until one day he asks you to do something so heinous that it makes you pause. And then the rage tweets begin.
1
Barr can run but he can't hide, he'll be heading to prison along with the others Trump traitors.
73
@tbs I only wish this were true. There is a different justice system for these folks.
7
What DOJ will prosecute ?
@tbs Someday we'll know the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth on all of this and Brennan, Clapper, Rice, Comey, McCabe, Strozk, Page, Priestap, Clinton, Blumethal, Simpson and the Ohr's....are all going to be wearing orange prison suits.
One can only hope that they have enough suits for Clinton and Obama as well.
After all...I have to believe that ordering your CIA to wiretap the phone of the German Chancellor is not only an impeachable offense, but a crime against humanity that should be levied by the World Criminal Court in the Hague.
Anyone here want to excuse Trump if he orders his CIA to listen into the actual phone calls of Pierre Trudeau or Macron? Just call it a big old nothingburger?
A little intellectual honesty would go a long way to helping the Democrat Party regain it's moral compass..which right now is spinning wildly out of control.
I can see Barr being called as one of the Democrats last surprise witnesses in the Senate trial. They have some incriminating stuff on him and will work out a back door deal. You either cooperate with us and flip on Trump or you’re going down too buddy. He waddles out sits down, and nails Trump to the cross. Wouldn’t that be fun.
60
Won’t happen. Barr has found a peaceful acceptance of Trump which allows for Trump to be Trump and for Barr to run around enabling his unPresidential behaviors. Barr will not go to jail for Trump, but he won’t reveal anything which he is not compelled to disclose.
2
@tiredofwaiting Barr deserves his own cross. He needs to be held accountable, too. Even If he does give up Trump .
1
@tiredofwaiting: In which case, the popcorn is on me.
2
What's the world coming to, when the US Attorney General behaving as he's supposed to is remarkable, worth headlines in the newspaper of record?
41
The Attorney General works for the American people and the office of the Presidency. Not for the personal interests of Donald Trump.
2
The AG “behaving as he’s supposed to”? The AG is supposed to represent the country. This AG has shown time and again that he serves as the personal attorney of the individual currently occupying the Oval Office. His oath of office to protect and defend the Constitution has meant nothing.
1
Bill Barr isn't Trump's Roy Cohn. He's not even a Roy Cohn-in- training. He's just Trump's mouthpiece who will go down on the Trumptanic with him starting here, starting now.
39
@Nan Socolow "Captain! Iceberg ahead!"
"Oh, pshaw!"
1
Raise your hand if you're waiting for Barr to suddenly decide he's got an actual conscious or might suddenly grow a spine. I'm still waiting to grow a hand to raise in this case.
27
Too little too late Mr. Barr. Your fate is sealed. You will be remembered as one of the toddler king's pathetic sycophants. Stop digging a deeper hole for your reputation and resign.
89
Perhaps it's finally dawned on Barr that acting like Trump's "Roy Cohn" was not a good career move.
33
Do you have direct knowledge of this "rift" or are you just speculating? I have always said Bill Barr is his own man. The NY Times and all other liberal publications and some more conservative leaning ones went after Bill Barr once the Mueller investigation ended. Now that you "think" he is not doing Trump's bidding he is a "good guy?"
3
@Rozie Too late for him to be a "good guy". That time has come and gone. He has now entered the event horizon of that particular black hole.
5
Definitely not a good guy .
2
@Rozie No one "thinks" Barr is a good guy, nor does this article come even close to making that conclusion. Barr is a corrupt as they come and he has shown fealty to his Don by lying to We the People about the actual contents of the Mueller Report. Barr is evil, but he's no dummy. As this article sets forth, the question is whether he is smart enough to save himself or whether, he too, will meet the certain fate of others who have been sacrificed at the altar of tRumpism (whose ONLY tenant is "save trump from himself at all costs", even if it means your own self-destruction)).
2
I think this is a stint to make Barr appear more independent before he releases his report into the 2016 election and FBI investigation.
Barr is completely behind Trump. Barr is very dangerous.
169
The whistleblower’s submitted document fingers Barr as well as Giuliani as in cahoots with Trump in extorting Ukraine to manufacture a corruption charge agains Biden.
Unlike Giuliani however, Barr knows that he needs a bit of distance from the press — whether he is planning his exit strategy or preparing for an offensive, only he knows.
16
@Opinioned! Barr is keeping his powder dry as he plans his next move whether to defend Trump or toss him into the pit.
Barr works on the basic idea that 'the best defense is a good offense'. Very much the GOP approach to almost anything simply because they are a defensive (possibly guilt-ridden but not sure they have the moral dna for regret much less guilt) group of miscreants, equaling the malice of the worse we have ever had in government.
And Barr is a Cheney-esque enabler who finds glee in harming others.
He will eat his own if necessary.
1
Barr is smart he knows the law is coming. It is ludicrous to think that patriot career government workers are not going to report criminal activity. What is so amazing to me is the brazenness with which the Trump administration flaunts the rule of law. It really appears the Republicans don’t care about the Republic.
66
@Kingsley Arthur Rowe I wish they did. Usually they simply flout it.
2
@Kingsley Arthur Rowe you see Barr Kavanaugh played a role and succeeding in propagating lies by Bush junior administration, full blown lies to promote Iraq war. They are probably emboldened by the fact they got away with those lies, pretending Iraq war was lawful even though we all know it was based on sheer lies. So now barr and Kavanaugh feel bold enough to commit more lies, for them no one really is watching, everyone is telling lies and getting away. Wait till their own children lie to them..that would be the universe’s curse on them.
5
With Trump consistently claiming "no collusion" during the Mueller investigation, Barr had a fig leave to cover his sycophantic defense of Trump.
But Trump has admitted breaking the law this time. So, there is no defense Barr can mount without be totally exposed
22
Well, the Attorney General shall uphold the laws of the land, even after, he realizes his boss is a 2-bit grifter.
10
@rford Would suggest that he's known Trump is a 2-bit grifter from the git-go. It takes one to know one on the kindred, foul, level these two and most the GOP work from.
1
It is difficult not to draw parallels between the Trump administration and a crime family. Oh, maybe there is no distinction at all. Who are the targets of this corrupt enterprise? We, the American people who dutifully pay taxes to fund this scamming enterprise.
30
So even Trump's tame attorney general won't go so far as to defend his "perfect" extortion of Ukraine's new leader. Sorry but it doesn't redeem him in my eyes. He has been a disgrace from the gitgo, Not My Attorney General.
46
@Christy
Barr is just laying low until he unloads his report about the (conspiracy theory) origins of the Russia investigation and how Ukraine actually hacked the DNC server.
1
If we are perfectly honest, Bill Barr is doing exactly what he was hired to do...protect Trump.
Trump made it publicly clear he was looking for a yes man/attorney general, this is exactly what he got.
Trump wanted someone who would protect him and even go as far as bending the laws to benefit him, this is Bill Barr.
Barr mis-characterized the Mueller report, he said exactly what Trump wanted him to say, Barr even threw in the line 'Trump was illegally spied on".
If anyone believes Barr is going to go against Trump they are sadly mistaken.
71
I think you have it backwards: Barr has been waiting in the wings for years (albeit in a cushy corporate law job) to find a dupe well-primed to be groomed and massaged into becoming a king, so that he, Mr. Barr, Esq., can rule as regent from behind a brocade curtain. Barr found such a chump in President Trump and his rock-ribbed loyalist base and moved in for the kill. He is Machiavelli, he is Torquemada, he is Bormann. Barr elevates Trump above the law, puts him on a throne, and makes him a puppet with a crazy coiffure for a crown. If push comes to shove, it will be Barr, the 21st Century answer to Benedict Arnold, who cancels or nullifies the next election and who comes up with 19 well-phrases pages to set Trump up as president for life. Point out even one example that shows AG Barr is working for us, the American people, and not to use Trump to satisfy his own objectives.
2
We essentially have two reads.
1) Barr is silent because he can't publicly exonerate the President when he knows the President committed a crime.
2) Barr is silent because the investigation is ongoing. Public comment would be inappropriate at this time.
I'm going to lean towards the first explanation.
First, Barr can publicly state he can't comment on an ongoing investigation. He hasn't done so.
Second, Barr can comment on a House investigation. DOJ policy has nothing to do with House impeachment inquiries. This isn't a criminal investigation. Appropriate or not, Barr chooses not to comment.
Third, Barr is considering his own legal exposure in this mess. Barr is likely silent because he, personally, is caught up in the House investigation. Congress is eventually going to want to know if Barr had any conversations with the President about Ukraine. I imagine any smart lawyer would take the opportunity to ask Barr whether he thought a crime had been committed. That's a very awkward position to find yourself under oath. Silence is a better option than going on record publicly and having to recount in Congress.
If you can't say the same thing in testimony as you did on television, you probably should't say it on television.
273
@Andy
Fourth, he just prefers not to comment. Avoids a lot of questions/analysis.
@Andy Well said. Will add that most of the GOP will happily say anything on TV knowing that they can completely change it later on claiming they were positive that black was white. Remember, Barr said things on TV about the Mueller report that were complete falsehoods.
11
@Andy
3) Barr, like most people, knows what Trump did was illegal, and a public statement that it wasn’t is not the best way to defend the president. Barr has something trickier up his sleeve. When you are taking care of a toddler, you can’t always give him exactly what he wants, but you always look out for his best interests. Especially if he is The Toddler King. Barr put all his eggs in the Trump basket - there is no future for him outside of Trump’s administration. You can be sure what he is doing is calculated to protect Trump and himself, not the constitution, not democracy, and not American citizens.
31
This article fails to note that what Hogan Gidley said is NOT TRUE: "Hogan Gidley, a White House spokesman, said, “It was President Trump who decided to release the entire, unredacted phone call showing everyone he’s done nothing wrong..." Trump released an EDITED PARTIAL transcript, which was incriminating even though not complete. If I had to make a bet, I'd bet on the complete transcript being even more incriminating.
57
That’s why the transcript now lives in that super secure server.
2
@Sheila but will we ever see it? I sure hope so!
1
Correct. As much concern there us about what we know, it is the proverbial tip of the iceberg. This administration and majority of the Republicans are thoroughly corrupt and treasonous across all three branches of government. Watergate was a speed bump compared to this band of traitors to the constitution, rule of law, our values and their legal obligation to the American people
2
First of all, it was NOT the complete and unredacted transcript of the phone call that Trump released. It was a carefully edited version which purported to show Trump in the best possible light.
We have Col. Vindman testifying that he wanted the parts he had heard included.
And it looks like AG Barr did try to stop the whistle blower complaint from going public albeit it was not a concerted effort.
Most likely, Trump lumping Barr with Giuliani as cohorts in purpose did not sit well with Barr. They probably were feeding off each other with information learned but the publicity would ruin Barr's 'investigation' into the investigators.
IMO Barr wants to deliver his devastating blow to the Democrats with as little taint on it as possible. He needs to keep Giuliani far away from his efforts. Mitch McConnell and his GOP cabal are hoping that Barr will deliver the goods. Talk about witch hunts.
Everyone from Trump on down want some Democrat to be blamed for the whole 'Rusher nonsense' and to unmask the evil leftie 'deep state' before the election.
Meanwhile, Mr. or Ms. Anonymous has reappeared. Just who or what now defines the 'deep state' Trump is so paranoid about?
Some one in the Oval Office has different ideas. Where are the calls for outing Anonymous?
15
Barr is slippery enough to know that he can’t do another “nothing to see here” press conference. Rest assured, he’s working behind the scenes to throw a wrench into the impeachment proceedings or at least create a distraction. As we are already aware, his efforts will not be constrained by facts or ethical considerations.
42
Barr is learning. With Trump there are no guardrails. If you have any integrity at all you'll get to the point where you have to leave. He will keep pushing until he gets you to that point. For some, like Comey, it take about 5 minutes. For others, like Sessions, it takes a couple years. But sooner or later.....the only ones left are the flunkies and and the newbies, who come in thinking it's a path to exerting influence. Then with them the process starts all over again.
21
Normally I would disagree with Trump but I have to admit I am confused about Barr's actions. Barr initially reviewed the whistle blowers complaint and apparently determined that no crime was committed but did not want the complaint released to Congress. Now apparently Barr will not publicly exonerate Trump on this matter of wrong doing? Was Barr setting up Trump all along by urging him to release the transcripted letter? What am I missing here?
4
@kevin cummins It might well be that Machiavellian but it might also be Trump's twitter impulse, albeit not a twitter, wherein no one could contain the child from writing and posting the letter.
Barr and other DT staff might get off with mild scoldings unless Barr and gang are prosecuted and found guilty during the impeachment.
@kevin cummins I have had the same thought, but the narrative slams us around so well that I fear we are all going to have brain damage.
When Barr expresses pride "about how much Mr. Trump relies on him and treats him as a confidant," he expresses better than I possibly could why he is unfit to be Attorney General.
42
It is difficult to believe that a competent attorney, familiar with the impact innuendo and wink-wink comments can have on a jury, would recommend that Trump release the "reconstructed" phone log of 25 July. Several possible scenarios develop from that observation:
First, Barr did not read it himself, only told someone to check to see if there were any obvious smoking guns in it, perhaps to maintain a hint of "plausible deniability". This option, however, opens him up to an incompetence of counsel claim.
Second, Barr has forgotten what it is like to represent a single individual rather than an institution. See above.
Third, Barr did read a version of the record, but not the one that was ultimately released, the difference being in the "Do me a favor" language. If Barr kept a copy of that which he read, he should be OK, but, if not, he will have to make known either that he was duped, or that his "OK" comment only went to the question of campaign funding violations as the DOJ opined.
Finally, Barr himself read what was finally released, and believed that it exonerated Trump without a doubt. Now we are back to "what competent attorney could do that?" land.
8
I haven't agreed with all of his decision making, but AG Bill Barr is a good man and will try to do the right thing.
@Michael That's one of the advantages of living in parallel universes, the facts and outcomes can be so incredibly different. I wish our universe had an AG Barr that is a good man and will do the right thing.
16
@Michael
He has already proven his willingness to do the wrong thing.
2
@Chuck I don't think we live in such different universes, I just don't believe in using dehumanizing language to describe people I disagree with, or gaslighting them as you appear inclined to do.
The only purpose of this article is to drive a wedge between the two of them. Just like when yesterday the press ran with a story about how Mike Pence would have sign off on a 25th amendment thing to remove Trump. The press is attacking his most loyal henchmen in hopes that they can sow the seeds of mistrust within the administration.
Journalism-ing today is less about reporting the news to you and more about trying to influence a preferred political outcome.
2
@Kev
I have no idea if Pence "would have sign off on a 25th amendment thing to remove Trump", but I'm pretty sure he is salivating about the possibility of becoming President.
@Kev Journalism can be more than reporting on a shortage of garbage trucks to deal with demands. It can, with integrity, raise questions that may in fact, as in this situation, drive a wedge between aprties, e.g. T&B. Do you disagree with the questions raised or just what you perceive as the intent?
@Kev — you talk of “loyal henchmen” being attacked, as if this is a bad thing. Obviously you have never consulted a dictionary on the meaning of “henchman”: “A faithful follower or political supporter, especially one prepared to engage in crime or violence by way of service.” God bless Barr, the loyal henchman?
So Barr negotiated what he was permitted to release from the Mueller report with trump ? So trump had input into what was redacted ? And this is not impeachment material for both of them?
13
Just in case anyone missed it, there is a revolution taking place in America. The republicans have endorsed a man that is devoid of ethics and morals in their desire to purge the nation of non-whites and return the nation to a time when immigrants were all white and largely from Eastern Europe. Black immigrants came to America in the cargo holds of ships as slaves. Those that are reaching out to Trump and his henchmen are those that are largely poor, not well educated, don’t read well, get their news from conspiracy propagators like Fox News and are at their hearts, very fearful of things they don’t understand.
Americans are being led by Vladimir Putin’s delegate in the White House. Trump is the right guy for Putin to cultivate. Trump is not particularly smart but most importantly his narcissism leads him to do things that benefit him personally as opposed to the nation that he is president of. Go figure.
And now we see that Jeff Sessions wants his old Senate seat back. Sessions TV ad was a message to Trump ‘please, please, please don’t criticize me Mr. President’ ions has, of course, revealed himself, agin, as a man with few moral values. His sense of personal pride is missing as his grovelling message to Trump attempts to let him make a return to the Senate. America does not need men like him. America needs men and women of substance, with a strong sense of right and wrong and a desire to serve America, not themselves. History will not treat him well.
37
@Lew Not a religious sort and I do pray you are right re history not treating Sessions, Trump or any of the GOP sleaze well. And I hope those historic notes will be evident to the greater public this year and through the decades to come.
2
@Lew Well-put. Meanwhile, Mitch McConnell is steering through 150 appointments of federal judges across the land, some of whom have little actual trial experience and are politicized rather than being noted for independence, impartiality and integrity, the three key tenets of the national model rules of ethical conduct for judges.
3
@Lew
Only truth Trump has ever spoke was when he called Jeff Sessions "beleaguered".
Mr. Sessions is a joke.
But Alabama will probably vote for Sessions along with Roy Moore.
1
Barr's rationalizations:
It's OK to pronounce Trump innocent of collusion and obstruction, in the name of my pet theory of executive privilege.
It's OK to then turn around and dupe Trump into believing the transcript's release would show he had done nothing wrong, in the name of bringing down this particular resident of the Oval Office whom I actually detest.
It's OK for me, the Attorney General, to go myself to foreign countries, rather than to my own country's investigative agencies who report to me, to examine possible dirt on the Democratic Party whom I also detest, in the name of .... hmm .... in the name of "because I can."
8
Not buying it. Barr is working overtime to discredit our intelligence agencies’ findings on Russian interference in the 2016 election.
45
Hope trump has found his Roy Cohn.
In 1986, a five-judge panel of the Appellate Division of the New York State Supreme Court disbarred Cohn for unethical and unprofessional conduct.
Fate unfolds itself you just never know how long something will take.
Hopefully trump will get his just punishment, too, and soon...as well as Barr.
I still can't comprehend anyone working for a crook and madman. Serious consequences arise eventually, it's time.
30
Trump is his own Roy Cohn.
Everyone else are simply sycophants and bobble heads… Just as the president desires.
The rats are making for the life boats. The route they are taking is being kept a secret for the moment, until they get off the ship.
14
Behind Barr's sober facade is a right-wing Roman Catholic zealot allied with the shadowy, militantly conservative church-within-the-church known as Opus Dei. His recent incendiary speech at the Notre Dame Law School, in which he blamed secularists and progressives for all the ills of modern society, showed him to be an enemy of our constitutional separation of church and state, as well as a conspiracy-minded advocate of authoritarianism. In other words, a good match with Donald
83
@Charles Michener
Didn’t know that about him but it definitely makes sense.
By aligning himself with Trump, he’s giving right-wing Roman Catholic zealots a bad name.
4
@Charles Michener
Well put!
2
Anything is possible. I hope you’re not holding your breath while you wait.
1
That last paragraph says it all. "But for every cabinet officer in Mr. Trump's ……….., a countdown clock begins ticking ………
For Mr. Barr, it is still ticking, at least for now.
Everyone who works for The Donald ends up being casted aside and discarded. No matter how supine or spineless a cabinet official is, he/she will be forced at some point to disagree with The Donald (aka The Very Stable Genius). That is the beginning of the end.
It has probably occurred to Barr that he won't be Attorney General forever. What if in 2020 or 2024 the democrats win the White House and investigate some of these matters which took place during The Donald's administration. If Barr commits a crime he could be prosecuted in the future.
All of these people -- Barr, Pompeo, Lindsay Graham, etc. -- think that they are different from everyone else. Each one thinks that he can manage/work with/save The Donald. What they don't realize is that no one manages The Donald and no one tells him what to do for very long. The day that The Donald thinks he doesn't need them, out they go. Check back on how he treated his great friend and mentor, Roy Cohn. After Roy got AIDS and was of no more help to The Donald, The Very Stable Genius dropped him.
14
So, Barr is getting cold feet after he realizes that sticking too close to Trump is dangerous. Perhaps he will soon realize that it is too late for him. He did not heed Michael Cohen's words "if you stay loyal to Trump you will end up like me". Barr has already taken too many actions to support Trump's lawless acts. It started with the attempted whitewash of the Mueller report then he started the investigation of the bizarre conspiracy theories around the start of the Mueller investigation. Now he has not clearly stated that Trump's staff must comply with Congressional subpoenas. Just dodging a press conferee to declare Trump's innocence is not enough. Barr has destroyed his reputation and will always be remembered and as a Trump enabler like the rest of Trump's cabinet. What he and the rest of them do not seem to realize is that in the end they may literally end up like Michael Cohen for obstructing justice.
19
I believe that what Mr. Barr is *not* saying and *not* doing is obstructing justice in support of Mr. Trump. How many Congressional subpoenas has the Executive Branch ignored so far? and what action has the Justice Department taken?
32
Maybe it’s just me, but I’ve always found the truth is strong enough to stand on its own merits without any artificial propping up such as asking the Attorney General to state “no laws were broken in Trump’s call with Ukraine’s president” although for Barr to "urge" Trump to "release a reconstructed transcript of that call" makes me think that Barr is shrewd enough to avoid perjury when asked to do so, even by the president.
It's becoming more crystal clear each day how desperate Trump is becoming. One by one, people are no longer standing beside him, blindly, doing his dirty work.
His attempts at discrediting witnesses are proving unsuccessful, and even his blatant request for the AG to perjure himself are signs of the veneer not only cracking but slowly pealing off.
Hopefully more and more key individuals will continue to come forward to tell the truth while the rest of the country AND Republicans begin to see and believe Trump’s guilt as well as witness him becoming unglued and unhinged.
13
It makes no difference both are going down, one for criminal activities and the other for complicity and cover up the crimes of the former.
10
@Nelson And Jim Jordan and his ilk will be right behind them...metaphorically gurgling as they drop under water.
2
He sees the bus headed directly towards him, and he will do anything to avoid landing underneath it. No morals or ethics here, folks.
19
If the president really wants us to "Read the transcript" then why not give the public the full transcript that was immediately locked away in the White House's top secret server? I think the answer should be clear, even to his republican enablers.
33
A rare attack of conscience on the part of Mr. Barr, or just self-preservation? Barr is hoping not to tank his reputation and career as so many before him have done when they've agreed to be Trump yes-men (and women). Just how many ex-White House lackeys can Fox News hire? Barr has to be careful, or like Sean Spicer, he could find himself dancing with the stars to earn a living.
15
"Mr. Barr has spoken with pride about how much Mr. Trump relies on him and treats him as a confidant."
Barr foolishly thinks he's special, and that Trump will never turn on him. His time will come, like it did for the many others.
25
This is all a waste of time. Bill Barr is busy running an investigation into the origins of the Russia counter intelligence investigation. There isn’t anything bill Barr can say or do that can save president trump from impeachment because it is a political event. Where are the high crimes and misdemeanors? So far all of the witnesses have whines about policy differences and processes. Where are the crimes? This is a serious question. Where are the witnesses providing proof that the president actually committed a crime? Again this has been a waste of time
2
May I suggest you pay attention.
12
@D.E.R. May I suggest you point me to which laws were broken. All I have read was people's opinions about foreign policy direction and how it was implemented. No one has suggested laws were broken. Asking a foreign nation to look into the biden situation is not a crime. Asking a foreign nation to make a public announcement about investigations is not a crime even if the president used aid as bait. You would have to prove the president wanted it for personal political purposes, and so far none of the witnesses have done that. Where is their proof? Is there a letter, email, phone call, video or, witnesses corroborating each other's testimonies, that they heard the president say he wanted to end biden's campaign? Nothing!
@E Robichaux,
8: No Title of Nobility shall be granted by the United States: And no Person holding any Office of Profit or Trust under them, shall, without the Consent of the Congress, accept of any present, Emolument, Office, or Title, of any kind whatever, from any King, Prince, or foreign State.
That’s because federal elections law prohibits any person from soliciting, accepting, or receiving anything of value from a foreign national in connection with a US election. The law doesn’t just apply to money — investigations or political dirt that benefit a particular campaign counts as “things of value” too. And in case Trump is unclear about this, the current chair of the Federal Election Commission (FEC) has gone out of her way to try to explain it to him.
4
There is only one concern for Donald Trump and that is Donald Trump.
Anyone who associates with a narcissist does so at great peril to themselves.
I learned that lesson when I was around twelve years old. But no one in that GOP cabal appears to have matured past that age.
20
The good news in this appears to be that Trump realized that he could not simply pick up the phone and ask Barr to violate law endorsing Trump's lawbreaking. So Trump floated the message as opposed to a request.
That seems to reflect a heightened new level of sensitivity on Trump's part. But for as long as Barr has family members working in the office of the White House Legal Counsel, it is probably too early to assume that Trump has realized that neither the White House Counsel nor the AG are his personal lawyers.
Giuliani's hands and feet appear to be caught in major beartraps for having tried to blur roles in the same manner, so the odds that Trump will start bashing Barr into compliance seem slim.
54
@Sequel Whenever I hear the phrase "Trump's personal lawyer Giuliani," I think the more accurate noun would ge polyp.
3
@Sequel
This article completely mischaracterized what happened. Which is that Barr released a transcript that left out incriminating evidence of Trump's crimes and the NY Times treats that as if Barr was doing something honorable.
This is like the NY Times fawning over Richard Nixon for releasing the White house tapes with all those minutes of conversations erased! Can you imagine if the NY Times kept praising Nixon for releasing the tapes even after testimony under oath that the tapes were not complete??!
That's what the NY Times does here. We know the tapes are not complete and we know there is testimony under oath that incriminating evidence was left out, and yet the NY Times fawns over Barr for releasing it!
4
@RJ I have to check, but I don't think it was Barr that released the "transcript". That was the White House, I believe.
1
AG Barr proved himself to be the biggest puppet of Trump . He is just shameless . He wants to be a Roy Cohn. He is acting like a personal lawyer for Trump.
32
It will take a lot more than some "distance" to convince me that Barr is actually capable of doing the right thing. Maybe he will emerge as a principled man of integrity, but I suspect that would occur at the moment that best benefits him and his brand. I.e. let's wait and see if those rats will abandon ship.
82
Remember, D. Trump is the proverbial mob boss here. He has something on all his “lieutenants” if it should ever come to that.
36
@Oliver, remember what happened when the real Mafia lieutenants were arrested in the day and offered deals. The bosses fell like dominoes, as it turned out, and the structure of the underworld shuddered. Even "loyal" minions were endangered simply for knowing too much. The fear roiled all, and the Feds offered a way out. The kingpins were perp-walked while the "snitches" were sent to Arizona or Utah to begin new lives in real estate or what have you. And Trump? He's the sort that makes those near him need to have an exit plan. Cronies already in jail, others abandoned by the man going down talking. His own belief that lawyers can always get him off--as they have all his coddled life--is crumbling, as is his mental and emotional state. It's a sinking ship, and no mistake. His lieutenants? Just watch them swim.
9
@Oliver
Except for those, like Barr, who have a bizarre ideology supporting an Imperial Presidency (only Republican, of course), and are still livid about Nixon.
5
Barr, Pompeo, Mulvaney and Pence are all neck deep in this dollars for dirt caper. It's too late to pretend they weren't in the loop or distance themselves from this - the stink won't wash off.
203
Is it possible Barr might really think there is a crime and will flip on the so-called president, I do. Think positive.
12
Barr knows how this will play out.
And once Trump understands that there is a limit (finally) to what Barr will say &/or do for him.....Trump will sever those ties. And it won’t be pretty.
Barr should have Jeff Sessions on speed dial to compare notes.
37
Bill Barr is a bundle of contradictions and maybe even falling off the Trump stump-broke fan club. Billy-boy also went to Europe and embarrassed himself trying to have intelligent conversations about hoaxes with foreign officials and was summarily dismissed as a kook. This embarrassment made him feel stupid and he began to wonder how far behind did he leave his empiric mind for fantastic, invented wonderment. Further, in this gambit and when mentioned unique to Ukraine he was jolted into an obvious treasonous conspiracy and decided that he was far too settled to go to jail for Trump. He goes home every night and writes and rewrites his resignation letter trembling in his slippers worried about the Russian and US mobs.
34
Trump asked Barr to exonerate him and Barr refused.
Well, at least we know now why Barr has been racing all over the world with this goofy mission to hunt down the “origins” of the Russia probe.
Anything to stay out of the office as much as possible for awhile!
34
After Barr misrepresented the findings of the Mueller report (and delayed the report’s release while his lies got traction), I find it hard to believe he has a “line.”
Perhaps he’s distancing himself from the parts of this sordid story that could slop back on him personally, but I’ve seen nothing to make me believe he’s forsworn his ultimate defense of this president. My guess is that he’s working furiously on his own ”investigation” into the supposed conspiracy behind Russia investigation, looking to release his findings just in time for the impeachment vote.
I simply cannot believe we have seen the last of Bill Barr’s Roy Cohn-ization of the Justice Department. The worst may be yet to come.
97
@Steel Magnolia
That's exactly what I see happening.
Barr is still firmly attached to Trump. This article is just wishful thinking.
4
I can hear the bus warming up and can see Barr slowly stepping away from the grille.
The next episode of The Celebrity President will feature the slaughter of the underlings as Trump throws staff, lawyers and other appointees under the bus.
This is of course the penultimate episode in the lead up to the defeat and disgrace of this con man carnival barker’s reign of stupidity and arrogance.
33
When Trump was extorting Ukraine,
he did mention Bill Barr by name,
Now Trump wants his minion
to give an opinion
That Trump is not guilty, again.
88
@rich
Nice, rich. It scans perfectly, which gives the humor in the final line its punch. Long Live Limericks.
4
@ritaina
LLL
When Trump set up the Quo
There was something that he
didn't know
True patriots knew
that the Quid wouldn't do
And indeed the whistle did blow.
2
but Barr IS an interchangeable part of his personal defense team.
Also, please do not describe the "reconstructed transcript" as such: it was a blatant fraudulent editing job.
28
As Michael Cohen and Rudolph Giuliani before him, when the history is written Barr will go down as just another disgraced power-hungry attorney who made the fatal mistake of getting too close to Donald Trump.
33
@Dan Herman Moths to the flame as they say,
4
Please NYT do not focus on gossip, there is nothing here but speculation and innuendo that just reinforces Trump's story: that the press is fake and out to get him. When you have something real and verifiable then print it with the accompanying background and context, but until then it is fodder for Trumps' cannon.
5
@Harry
Please NYT, do not focus on gossip. Anonymous sources should not be trusted. People who refuse to identify themselves are suspect.
Signed (courageously) : Harry.
8
@Harry
So, please inform everybody which part is “innuendo”?
Speculation is one of the rational thought processes that would naturally occur following each new revelation in the Ukraine story.
“It could be this...or it could be that....we’ll wait and see” is not a dishonorable thing to publish, unless one wants to hide one’s head in the sand.
1
No, I am not talking about honor or anything like that, the gist of the article is talking heads of whatever the source making broad assumptions because Barr hasn't said anything therefore he must be against Trump. My point is that this is bridge too far and only helps trump with his narrative of the free press.
He understands one thing: Propaganda (making the 5% of story the whole story true, and taking 5% of the true story that maybe questioned into the whole story).
1
After Bill Barr misrepresented the findings of the Mueller report—and then delayed the report’s release while his lies to the American public got traction—I find it hard to believe he has a “line”
Perhpas he’s distancing himself from the parts of this sordid story that could slop back over on him personally, but I’ve see nothing to make me think he’s forsworn his defense of Donald Trump. My guess is that he’s furiously pushing his own “investigation” into the supposed conspiracy underlying the Russia investigation, with a view toward releasing his findings just in time for the impeachment vote.
Even if that’s not the case, I seriously doubt we’ve seen the last of Barr’s Roy-Cohn-ization of the Justice Department. The worst may be yet to come.
8
When Trump was extorting Ukraine,
he did mention Bill Barr by name.
Now Trump wants his minion
to give an opinion.
That Trump is not guilty, again.
12
When Barr caves and tells the truth, he will be fired but will seal the impeachment deal.
9
While intentionally sowing chaos may not be an impeachable offense it may finally result in Trump's exit. Ultimately evidence is evidence and crime is crime and even Donald finally gets his due. Removed so he can be indicted.
22
What are you talking about? There is no light between Barr and Trump on this.
Barr’s DOJ didn’t follow accepted DOJ procedures when investigating the whistleblower’s complaint.
Barr’s DOJ didn’t forward the complaint to the FEC - breaking the law - so they could determine whether any election laws were broken.
Barr’s Office of Legal Counsel retroactively classified documents related to the call as Top Secret after it came out that Barr was mentioned.
Barr had a DOJ spokesperson come out and publicly say that after the DOJ’s shoddy investigation “no further action was warranted.”
Bill Barr is in this up to his eyeballs. To claim that he’s distancing himself from Trump during the impeachment investigation, for any reason let alone that Barr may be having doubts about the legality or suitability of Trump’s actions, is simply ignoring the facts.
467
Apparently, William Barr isn't totally caught up in the "Cult of Trump." Just an opinion, but for me it is inconceivable to believe Donald Trump would impune and call into question the New York Times and Washington Post, two of the finest journalistic endeavors on this Earth. Such is Trump's modus operandi. This man is a threat to Democracy and must be removed from office either by impeachment or by the ballot in November 2020. Even a criminal mind like Richard Nixon never assaulted the Freedom of the Press in public like Trump does.
15
If the glove don’t fit you must acquit.
Barr went to the Johnny Cochran school of law. And Barr knows that the accusations of illegal activity against Trump fit like a glove.
11
Barr has shown himself willing to compromise his integrity so as to serve the corrupt interests of President Trump, beginning with his lies during the confirmation hearing, to his false conclusions of the Mueller report, to a second false "nothing to see here" conclusion of the memo of Trump's Ukraine phone call, and now his active leadership into a bogus investigation that wants to exonerate Russia for its 2016 hacking campaign to interfere with US sections.
Barr is corrupting the Justice Department and the Office of the US Attorney General. He deserves condemnation, not manufactured hope for a change in behavior.
64
@DonD absolutely and despite what this silly article says, he will continue to do so. ( there is NO distance between Trump and Barr. They are partners in crime).
9
Does Trump ever do any actual work? Or does he spend all day every day on Twitter, watching Fox, and fighting with everyone in sight?
(Rhetorical question)
67
@old goat -- Every once in a while he hosts a reluctant championship sports team to get another XXXL jersey.
13
It may be that even Barr cannot abide shaking down American allies for personal political gain.
Rebublican defenders will somehow try for justification but the "Justice" Department ?
3
Mr. Barr is still publicly defending POTUS, albeit through the underling he sent out to publicly defend the Ukraine call; who avowed on behalf of the DOJ nothing further needed to be done. In Barr’s opinion the President has free reign to act and Is immune from prosecution.
13
Two questions:
This article states that the President wanted an investigation of Vice President Biden and “and other Democrats”. Who are the other democrats that were being investigated? I have only read in any paper about investigations into 1) the supposed Ukraine interference in the 2016 election and 2) Burisma, Hunter and Joe Biden. You don’t mention who these “other democrats” are here. Probably Hunter Biden is registered as a Democrat, but that is not really relevant to the way you state it - makes it sound like there are multiple, politically involved Democrats that the President pushed for investigation of.
Second, this article does not state any source or basis for the debate between the President and AG Barr. It states it happened (without source) and states that an administration source denied it happened. Curious if/who there is a source that stated it happened. Perhaps this is also intended to be Professor Turley from GW, but that’s not clear in the writing.
7
@Kelly L. The other Democrats are the Clintons.
5
@Kelly L. there is NO distance between Trump and Barr. They are partners in crime. Barr merely declined to take part in the pathetic charade that Trump dreamed up. - Barr is criminally complicit with Trump and would NEVER do anything to undermine his position.
6
@Kelly L. : The “other Democrats”, let me guess: Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama, plus DNC officials at the time of the 2016 election...
2
Why do so many people stand in line to get a job in Trump's cabinet? Why would anyone seek employment in this toxic environment that has you leave your soul at the door? Are they unemployable elsewhere? Would a stint in the White House look good on their resume? Or would the stint leave a blemish on your resume?
8
@Roger
There are incredable numbers of important openings that are unfilled because that line you refer to doesn't really exist. Another issue is why so many of the ones who work there are only "acting" and have not been confirmed by the Senate. It is my opinion that Congress should put a time limit on how long a person can work in a sensitive and powerful position in government without being confirmed. These people have only been chosen by Trump and not properly vetted by Congress. This is one of the Senate's Constitutional responsibilities. We again see the equality of the three branches of the government being subverted.
3
Notice with Trump everything is a quid pro quo, it’s his real estate DNA. Barr wants to release Mueller Report, Barr has to publicly state Trump did nothing wrong. Nonetheless, these guys are all worthless, ego-maniacal, self-interested traitors. Basically the entire senior State Department staff for that region has testified to the absolute disgrace of the call and the process, and Pompeo claims that he was concerned the release of the transcript would undermine the diplomats ability to do their job. Classic! I guess Giuliani was there to help out. What Patriots. Oh wait, they all where lapel flag pins, so they must be patriots.
23
William Barr is the emperor's best friend.
He urged Trump "to release a reconstructed transcript" which turned out to be the equivalent of a heavily photo-shopped photo of Trump weighing 100 pounds less than he really weighs.
The "reconstructed transcript" was equivalent to Nixon's doctored Watergate transcripts that edited out all the actual crimes committed.
And then Barr’s Justice Department advised the acting director of national intelligence, Joseph Maguire, to keep the whistle-blower complaint from Congress !!
Barr's Justice Department tried to sweep the entire impeachable offense under the rug and make it disappear !
'Thank God' for Adam Schiff, the whistleblower and other patriotic Americans who still have a sense of right and wrong and refuse to go along the nation's leading lawbreaker and sycophants.
William Barr proved that he supports Presidential law-breaking when he advised Bush Sr. in 1992 to pardon all of the Iran-Contra criminals.
After the Barr-Bush 1992 Iran-Contra pardons, Independent Counsel Lawrence Walsh, who headed the investigation of Reagan Administration officials' criminal conduct in the Iran–Contra scandal, stated that "the Iran–Contra cover-up, which has continued for more than six years, has now been completed."
William Barr has always supported Presidential law-breaking.
573
@Socrates after the next election if Trump is gone will the next president do something about this lawlessness?
3
But unless he slavishly obeys Trump's every order, to the letter, he's toast.
2
Barr has not changed, he would just prefer Trump go to jail rather then himself. He has not earned our trust, nor does he deserve it. We don’t have to be Charley brown trying to kick the football while Barr holds the ball.
26
It's good to know that SOMETHING has stopped Barr from his ongoing disgraceful behavior thus far (though we do not know what the future will hold). P.S. I have lost all respect for Jonathan Turley, Barr's friend.
10
"... Rather than publicly join the fight against House Democrats pursuing the president, Mr. Barr has remained out of the fray, resisting requests by intermediaries from Mr. Trump to go before the cameras to say no crime had been committed. …"
Barr is old enough to remember where AG Mitchell landed.
Barr's 4 page trump 'exoneration' memo completely and totally wrecked his reputation, his honor has been trashed. He lied to every citizen in the land. I feel as if he lied to my face.
Again, now, today, his lack of courage honor and integrity is on full display. His silence is deafening. This man is much more than a pathological liar, he is a coward. He needs to be impeached, then put on trial. Move over AG Mitchell (yes, I know Mitchell has passed on).
34
Ari hasn't an email hook up, so I hipped Rachel to this Fall Back Friday story. But why would I expect either MSNBC mentee to rat on a Universally wise guy like Lew Wasserman?
In the early 1980s, Lew Wasserman, head of Universal, was having trouble explaining why a Mob connected guy was leading MCA, his recording division. Reagan saved his hide by riding in with a declaration from the Justice Department advising Lew was NOT under investigation, thus removing Lew from the list of witnesses the FBI could talk to. The FBI guy in charge of that massive con was still miffed last time I checked.
Trump undoubtedly knows this open secret about NBC/Universal history, in fact he can likely go way back to when Jules Stein was the wisest guy in Hollywood. Confidentially, Trump is the worst mentee of that company in human history, and I'm including Matt.
Now, why fall back? My husband was one among hundreds of victims of that skim monster at MCA. Honey was shamelessly underpaid on a session so he took it to the Hit Man!
EARL PALMER was not only the LA Musician Union's president in the early 1980s, he's Rolling Stone's #25 in the hit list of drummers. From New Orleans Royalty to LA's Wrecking Crew! Earl socked MCA right in the pocket. Back pay was restored in the next paycheck.
So, Trump just wants what Reagan gave Lew, a ticket to ride out of this nightmare. Barr is not so stupid. That is Barr's ticket to obstructing justice.
2
If Barr shows an ounce of integrity I will be amazed.
21
TICK TOCK, TICK TOCK 😝
Can anyone imagine how it feels to be related to William Barr?
12
Why are so many grown men willing to prostrate themselves in front of Trump? He treats people around him like dirt. If they would all simply be loyal to the truth they, and our country, would be far better off.
27
"In for a penny, in for a pound" - William Barr
12
I'm surprised that it has taken Mr. Barr this long to realize just how dangerous associating with Trump is; a competent attorney would have been aware of the ample evidence long before joining the Trump Administration.
129
Barr was forewarned.
I assume he thought he was smart and special and that he could handle the moral and legal challenges that AG of the US would confront.
Of course he missed the point. With Trump it is all about the moral and legal dissembling that a sycophant AG must confront.
Time to prepare to pay the piper.
100
History will not treat Mr Barr kindly.
4
The face that trump was naive enough to release the call - thinking it would BENEFIT him - tells us that he does not believe he can do anything wrong. This is clearly a man who only did it because he believed it would be of assistance to him. Just like a true narcissist who only does things and has people surrounding him who can be of assistance to him....until they aren't. And I was disgusted to learn about the millions he raised claiming it was "for veterans": and then spent on his own campaign......how do the active military and veterans of our country feel about him now? This man has no soul, no moral compass, no loyalty or love for country other than how useful anything might be to advance his wealth and power. He will try to take down everyone who is no longer useful to him.....I'm guessing Barr knows he could be next on the chopping block and is treading lightly.
80
@JG
Remember, he released a phony call, a call that Pence, Graham, Jordan and others continue to refer to and depend upon as if it were the Gospel. These people never mention the Colonel's input.
I think Trump knows he was wrong, just as he knows that the Trump tower meeting was wrong, and he personally established the cover story for that. And, just like the tower story, the phone call story he made up is being shredded.
6
Barr would do well to stay out of the impeachment inquiry as he appears to have been a political participant on the periphery. Enough so, that in more sane times he would have already publicly recused himself.
But what of his political investigation into the initiatives that led to the Russian involvement in the 2016 election and the subsequent Mueller investigation.
It appears Barr has enmeshed himself into several unseemly situations in political defense of Donald Trump.
When will our duly confirmed attorney general paid by taxpayer dollars begin looking out for the interests of the American people and following the. rule of law?
48
Impeachment is a double edged sword. Yes, if followed through, it will be a stain on President Trump forever.
On the other side, unless something so dramatic comes up that even Lindsey Graham calls for Trumps ouster, the Republicans will vote against it. If Trump manages to win in 2020, American will become a “Banana Republic” and Trump will Never leave office!
11
Barr and Trump are joined at the hip and Barr will do everything in his power to obstruct justice and at the same time use the power of his office to intimidate witnesses.
29
AG Barr may be trying now to distance himself from Trump, but it’s too late. When the whole sordid story of this presidency is written, Barr will always be identified as Trump’s attorney general. Barr was willing to carry Trump’s water during the Mueller probe and on other occasions; it’s too late now for him to claim his independence.
106
"...Mr. Trump’s turnover-heavy administration, a countdown clock begins ticking from the moment they are appointed..."
The Oval Office must sound like a clock shop of old. To most America, the loudest tick comes from the time bomb we hope to stop in 2020.
29
Barr will back Trump to a point--show him in the best light, use him as a test case for executive privilege--but won't go to jail for him and won't have his own reputation ruined beyond repair. Barr is undoubtedly aware that he is portrayed as Trump's Roy Cohn, and I assume Barr doesn't want that to be his legacy. Donald Sr. and Jr. will pressure Barr more and more to defend Trump. Barr will do a balancing act until, inevitably, he either falls or is pushed off the tightwire.
12
Was Barr offended at being publicly lumped together with Rudy as part of Trump's political defense team or was the offense taken because Trump himself viewed him as just another henchman? I wish the article had expanded on this. Barr made a deal, in support of his own political fortunes, with Trump, to hold a press conference announcing Trump's false spin, sacrificing the honor of the truth-tellers. Which is what Rudy was dirty trickstering about, what Bannon is all about, what Roger Stone is all about, what the National Weather Service, for heaven's sake, was forced to do.... Now Barr's side is leaking his self-protective spin. How could Trump, or the public, view Barr otherwise?
17
“When the Justice Department said it would release a statement rather than hold a news conference saying that it found no campaign finance violation, the White House did not push back, according to an administration official.”
An opinion of observation that seems to have little to do with the impeachment inquiry. Sort of like saying, I found no spelling errors so it was a perfect call. Substantial improper use of office, but no spelling errors. Perfect.
6
This is not credible:
“Mr. Barr said that he could not recall whether Mr. Trump asked him to hold a news conference, according to an administration official.”
That’s not something an AG would forget. Someone’s lying.
199
Trump may, unfortunately, be president longer than most people would like. But he won't be president forever, and I'm pretty sure Barr is thinking about his own future and career first. If he is smart, he will not continue to protect a corrupt leader indefinitely.
15
Jonathan Turley, Barr’s pal, says the reason Barr hasn’t come out to defend Trump’s handling of the July 25th call is because of ongoing litigation. That’s just a convenient excuse. Maybe Barr refuses to defend behavior that is indefensible? Who knows how many times Trump has asked Barr to do things that are improper for an AG to do? Trump still doesn’t understand that Barr is not his personal lawyer.
Maybe Barr didn’t anticipate the furious reaction to his show and tell when the Mueller report was released. Barr may be thinking, “I have my reputation as a lawyer to think of, never again.”
Ask Turley what he thought of the phone call. It’s a jaw dropper. Only someone bought and paid for by Trump could defend that call.
24
The MSM seems desperate to present that Barr has a moral line he won't cross for Trump. He's distanced himself from Trump at present because Barr is off in Europe strong-arming our allies into manufacturing dirt to discredit our own intelligence agencies and the Russian investigation - and replay his unconscionable deception about the Mueller report - all in craven and immoral service to Trump.
Barr's not remaining "out of the fray" - he's deep in, and will soon surface, I venture, from the dark cesspool that is this present administration to go on attack again against truth and decency, when he presents his "report" on the investigation into Russian interference in 2016 - all in service to Trump's criminal aims.
82
@Undoubtful Guest
I suspect that you are correct. And if he does eventually come out with a "report", the MSM will cover it with balance and will be complicit in muddying the waters even further.
9
Our top corrupt cop has a conscience . He knows the witnesses are telling the truth and if he were to defend Trump like Miss Conway is he can and must be investigated also. I hope the above people never end up in leadership positions once Trump goes to jail for felony treason.
9
@D.j.j.k. - He doesn't have a conscience. He's just looking out for his own hide.
1
This piece is hiding the big story. Barr is privately engaged in a quest to fabricate phony evidence saying the DOJ and FBI somehow did something wrong in starting its investigation of the many ties between the 2016 Trump campaign and the Russians.
Barr isn’t making any public statements absolving Trump of his many illegal actions with Ukraine while he focuses on his phony international quest to destroy the FBI and DOJ to undermine the Russia (and, by implication, Ukraine) investigations. He is saving himself for this big Trump wish.
Don’t ever believe Barr has limits on how far he will go to disgrace himself and the office of Attorney General. He has none.
119
@Demosthenes Yes, I thought that this was what he was doing. Well , not fabricating, I thought he was just mooning around, doing whatever you do when you ask people to investigate things which don’t exist.
6
Would you please call the Congressional House Impeachment Investigation something other than Democratic inquiry ??
1073
@Joseph Corcoran
CHII, sounds really powerful to me. So much energy.
Teacher says when we move together, we magnify chi a hundred times over.
19
@Joseph Corcoran Why? That's what it is. The President should be gone. He's clearly unfit to serve. The Constitutional process is not impeachment its the 25th amendment. His cabinet, including the AG is protecting him for their own love of power over country.
22
@HL Don't get me wrong; I agree with your opinion about Pres T.
However your response to @Joseph Corcoran seems incoherent to me. He is only criticizing the NYT for its headline on the House Impeachment process and I suspect that he is on our side about the president's behavior.
39
Recently Gail Collins had a column about Trump’s cabinet, etc. Readers commented and Barr’s name came up a lot.
My comment was actually that maybe a bigger question is who is going to replace Barr? I wasn’t actually presuming to be this soon, but looks like we certainly are on the path.
Ah, Trump is so predictable!
98
@MIMA
Trump isn't unpredictable at all. When it comes to deciding between the right choice and the worst choice he will ineviably choose the worst choice.
21
@MIMA
Trump should force his sister into service since he has no trouble breaking down the best who cannot refuse his request.
7