Bill Barr circles the drain

| 3:01 pm EDT September 17, 2019
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Donald Trump continues to prove he is good at one thing: Surrounding himself with people who protect him even to the point of breaking the law. Possibly the best decision he made for himself was to hire William Barr as his Attorney General. Barr has a history of unscrupulous behavior, but he is exceeding Trump’s expectations.

The Judiciary Committee has voted to begin an impeachment inquiry, which should entitle them to previously unreleased information, including grand jury proceedings from Special Counsel Robert Mueller’s investigation into Russian interference. Remember, the special prosecutor in the Nixon matter released information to Congress without being pressed to do so, yet Barr claims that the investigation into Trump somehow differs. How so, Barr? Please enlighten those of us who pay your salary.

The articles of impeachment in the Nixon case involved obstruction of justice, abuse of power, and contempt of Congress. Those issues are very similar to what’s going on now with Donald Trump. Even though his investigation was abruptly curtailed, Robert Mueller found multiple instances of obstruction by Donald Trump, which continues today as he prevents witnesses from testifying before Congress. The only difference is that the Republicans in Nixon’s era had enough sense to stop supporting him. Today’s Republicans not only support Trump but they enable him at every turn. Something has got to give.

Making matters worse, Kellyanne Conway appeared on Fox News to claim that impeaching Trump is unconstitutional. Conway is married to a constitutional lawyer. Perhaps she should ask him what “unconstitutional” means. I doubt she has read it. She cannot possibly understand what actions may or may not be unconstitutional. Earlier on when Congress tried to get the grand jury testimony, Palmer Report spelled out how Congress can get this information under the Rule 6(e) exception to disclosure. As Attorney General, Barr can dispute the necessity of releasing this information, and that is exactly what he’s doing even though his reasoning is ridiculous. The American public deserves to know once and for all just what kind of criminal is sitting in the Oval Office.