The Bill Barr train wreck continues
The federal legal community continues to speak out about William Barr’s unscrupulous behavior of sticking his nose where it doesn’t belong in federal criminal matters. The ink on the statement posted by the DOJ Alumni is barely dry, and now, a group of federal judges are calling an emergency meeting. According to USA Today, the Federal Judges Association is up in arms about these latest developments. Apparently the FJA called for the meeting immediately after “president” Donald Trump attacked federal prosecutors for their sentencing recommendation respecting Roger Stone. As is Trump’s inherent classless nature, he also attacked Judge Amy Berman Jackson, which isn’t exactly a smart move to make prior to her sentencing of his pal.
Judge Cynthia Rufe said that “there are plenty of issues that we are concerned about.” She went on to say that the issues were so serious that they “could not wait” for the upcoming April conference. Typically, anytime a judge rules against Trump or simply tries to carry out the law, Trump insists that he or she is an “Obama” judge. Rufe was appointed by George W. Bush. So much for that theory. Unlike Trump, federal judges apply the rule of law. Just like the DOJ (Bill Barr notwithstanding), these federal judges adhere to the Constitution and do what is right according to that document. As we know, Trump decimates the Constitution at every turn. In fact, Trump told reporters today: “I’m actually, I guess, the chief law enforcement officer of the country.” Wrong. And people thought George W. Bush was dumb. Trump makes him look like a Rhodes scholar. Meanwhile, Trump’s Attorney General not only fails to correct Trump’s false statements, but he continues to do everything to help Trump destroy Constitutional norms.
According to HuffPost, Barr is now busying himself with “reviewing” the case against Michael Flynn. Is he seriously going to review every case of every Trump crony? Who’s next, Paul Manafort? We all see what’s wrong in Barr’s actions, and so do others. Donald Ayer, a former deputy attorney general under George H.W. Bush, penned an essay for the Atlantic: “Bill Barr Must Resign.” HuffPost reports that Ayer “predicts a grim outcome for America if Barr continues to serve Trump.” Ayer lays out a compelling case of Barr’s conduct and behavior that make him wholly unfit for the office of attorney general. He refers to Barr as Trump’s “personal advocate,” which is very close to the truth. The only thing closer is calling him Trump’s personal fixer, as that is clearly his job.
William Barr will never resign on his own. He is as drunk on his power as Trump is on his. In that respect, they’re a perfect match. Unfortunately, that match is not good for us. Hopefully, Barr will keep his promise to testify before the House Judiciary Committee, for fear he’ll be impeached if he doesn’t. How this will all end is anyone’s guess, but it is important that others are speaking out about it. They need to keep speaking, and it might just do some good.
Shirley is a former entertainment writer and has worked in the legal field for over 25 years