Robert Mueller’s letter to William Barr is even uglier than you think
We’re going to hear a lot about William Barr’s testimony today in front of the Senate Judiciary. He crawfished; he represented Donald Trump instead of the American people; he debased himself and the office of Attorney General. But the most significant thing that came out of his testimony, that a lot of people might have missed, is the fact that Mueller wrote Barr a letter.
The act of writing a letter itself is the story here. Mueller was not happy with Barr’s “mischaracterization” to the public of his findings. But it’s significant that Barr himself asked Mueller why he didn’t just pick up the phone. Barr knows full well why Mueller didn’t pick up the phone. Because Mueller wanted his opinion on the record. Permanently.
It’s exceedingly rare that Mueller would resort to a letter – something the rest of us in business would think nothing of. But the Department of Justice does not do its internal business in this way. Mueller must’ve been very suspicious of Barr’s spin for him to memorialize his objections in a letter.
The other thing to note here is Barr’s discomfort with the fact that notes were being taken during his call to Mueller. Barr was clearly balking at the question of notes during the call, and he has no intention of releasing those notes. Another subpoena is imminent. There’s a lot that’s yet to come out. We don’t know if Rod Rosenstein is a good guy or bad guy, but we do know that if he was in room taking notes while Barr spoke to the Special Counsel, those notes will come out eventually.
The most disturbing thing to come out of today’s hearing wasn’t just that our Attorney General is a corrupt liar, but that Robert Mueller recognizes this and has been pushing back against it. A war for the soul of America is beginning in the DOJ. It will be a while before we know if Fox News Trumpster Barr wins the war, of if truth does.
TR Kenneth is the author of the thriller, A ROOM FULL OF NIGHT. You can read all about her at trkenneth.com and on Twitter