Adam Schiff drops the hammer on Donald Trump nominee William Barr
Now that all of his other antics have failed to stop Robert Mueller from reaching the finish line, we’re seeing Donald Trump try to install William Barr – a guy who has already gotten a head start committing obstruction of justice with his appearances on Fox News – as Attorney General.
Senate Republicans have enough votes to confirm William Barr, so the only thing Senate Democrats can do is use these confirmation hearings to expose Barr so thoroughly, a few Republicans become afraid to take the career risk of voting for him. The odds of that working aren’t great, because in general, there are no depths to which today’s GOP won’t sink. But there is a wildcard in the mix.
Even if William Barr is confirmed, the House committees, all of which are Democrat-controlled, can force Barr to come in and testify on a regular basis. If Barr is attempting to commit obstruction of justice, the Democrats can call him out for it in real time on live national television, thus perhaps spooking Barr into backing off, for fear he’ll end up in prison. So it matters that House leaders are already dropping the hammer on this guy.
After William Barr’s stunningly inept, dishonest, and corrupt answers during his testimony on Tuesday, House Intel Committee Chair Adam Schiff tweeted this: “Call me old fashioned, but America deserves an Attorney General committed to following the advice of ethics lawyers. Call me naive, but there are attorneys qualified to serve as AG who have not expressed hostility to the Mueller probe. Call me what you will, but demand better.” Barr isn’t going to like being routinely hauled before Schiff’s committee.
