William Barr, don’t let the door hit you
It seems that a day of reckoning is upon us. As it turns out, William Barr did not downplay the Mueller report with his four page summary; he flat out lied about it. Robert Mueller is very professional in his description that Barr “did not fully capture the context, nature and substance of this Office’s work.” That’s a very nice, politically correct way of saying that Barr, like the Trump henchman he is, lied. He was, in fact, lying so cavalierly in his testimony that MSNBC was fact-checking him as he spoke.
On March 25, 2019, Mueller sent a letter to Barr, pointing him to the Special Counsel’s introduction and executive summary of each volume of his report. Mueller wrote to Barr again on March 27, 2019, and requested that the release-ready materials be shared with Congress and the public. Instead, Barr gave a self-serving “press conference,” following up his patently false “summary,” misrepresenting Mueller’s work. No wonder Mueller is pissed. What a disservice this man, Barr, has done to his position and to the American public.
One of the most egregious comments made by Barr during his testimony was his downplaying Mueller’s opinion of how Barr handled the report. “It was my baby,” he said. Really? Barr wasn’t even in office when the investigation began. Now, we have confirmation that Barr’s unsolicited memo was his job interview, and he has served his master well. Now he needs to go.
Several Democrats are rightfully calling for Barr’s resignation, including Ted Lieu during his CNN interview with Don Lemon. Adam Schiff has also been vocal about Barr resigning. As you all know, Schiff is a former federal prosecutor. I dare say he knows the law more than Barr ever will. In addition to Lieu and Schiff, Chris Van Hollen, Maxine Waters, Julian Castro and presidential candidates Kamala Harris, Kirsten Gillibrand, Corey Booker, Beto O’Rourke, and Elizabeth Warren have all stated their support for Barr’s resignation, with some mentioning Trump’s impeachment.
Senator Mazie Hirono was particularly vocal during today’e hearing. Senator Dick Durbin makes a very valid point: “I’m gravely concerned that the fourteen criminal referrals from Special Counsel Mueller related to the investigation are under the supervision and control of AG Barr. He’s virtually disqualified himself to be the kind of person we can expect to stand back and make sure justice is served.” That is fact, and it is clear that Barr will not uphold the law, especially as the law relates to Trump. What’s to keep Barr from doing the same with any of the other members of Trump’s criminal enterprise?
William Barr has done the job Donald Trump hired him to do. He should now tuck his miserable tail between his legs and slink back to wherever it is he came from. Similar to Trump, he brings shame to the office he holds. The Department of Justice’s site lists the duties of the attorney general, and Barr has failed the very first one: “represent[ing] the United States in legal matters.” Barr has not represented us with respect to the investigation of “President” Donald Trump; he chose instead to represent Trump. As a result, he needs to step down immediately. If he chooses not to do so, I suspect Robert Mueller’s public testimony will bring the real day of reckoning.
Shirley is a former entertainment writer and has worked in the legal field for over 25 years