Attorney General William Barr has accepted an invitation to testify to the House Judiciary Committee on March 31, ending a year-long standoff that began when the panel first demanded his testimony in the aftermath of special counsel Robert Mueller’s investigation.
The arrangement comes as Democrats have demanded answers about Barr’s apparent intervention in the sentencing of President Donald Trump’s longtime ally Roger Stone, who was convicted last year on charges that he lied to congressional investigators and threatened a witness.
With the Justice Department in turmoil over the decision by higher-ups to downscale a sentencing recommendation for longtime Trump confidant Roger Stone, Trump tweeted:
Congratulations to Attorney General Bill Barr for taking charge of a case that was totally out of control and perhaps should not have even been brought. Evidence now clearly shows that the Mueller Scam was improperly brought & tainted. Even Bob Mueller lied to Congress!
This is a straight-up celebration of the fact that in intervening for Stone — who was convicted of obstructing Congress and witness tampering in connection with investigations into Russian subversion of our election — Barr is doing the president’s political bidding.
Even better, Trump has moved on to judge intimidation.
Is this the Judge that put Paul Manafort in SOLITARY CONFINEMENT, something that not even mobster Al Capone had to endure? How did she treat Crooked Hillary Clinton? Just asking! https://t.co/Fe7XkepJNN
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) February 12, 2020
It has been obvious all along that Trump believes the proper role of an attorney general is to act as a political operative for the administration and use the power of his office to stop whatever the president doesn’t like. The AG is also supposed to enable whatever is in the president’s personal interests.
See also If Trump Is Allowed to Turn the Justice Department Into a Political Weapon, No One Is Safe.
DALLAS, TX – SEPTEMBER 14: Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump speaks during a campaign rally at the American Airlines Center on September 14, 2015 in Dallas, Texas. More than 20,000 tickets have been distributed for the event. (Photo by Tom Pennington/Getty Images)
tRUMP has finally found his Roy Cohn.
A less sleazy, but fatter legal beagle than Cohn – but one just as willing to be listening to his master's voice, UND VOLLOWING ZEE ORDERS!
I watched some news today, and on MSNBC, quite a few hosts and pundits talked about how much of a mainstream Republican they thought Barr was. And how stable and thoughtful he was, and how originally they all thought he might be able to help keep tRUMP in line.
But that's not the Bob Barr I remember from his first tour as AG, when he worked for George H.W. " Papa Doc" Bush.
I remember Barr as a skunk, who, to help stomp-out the fires building from the Iran-Contra investigation, after Bush lost to Clinton, told Bush that on his way out, he should pardon all of the usual (Republican) suspects involved in tha investigation..
This served to stop that investigation, because since everyone involved was pardoned, the Senate and House had no leverage to make those involved give evidence.
THAT'S the Bill Barr I remember! A a fat, hounddog-faced, round bespectacled ratfucker!
And he's only gotten worse in the intervening years.
tRUMP, Moscow Mitch, and Bill (dis)Barr.
The Tyrannical Triad.
I'm eager to learn what sentence the judge will actually impose on Stone. My money is on her sticking to the original guidelines. Or she could throw the book at him. It's entirely up to her.
CUND Gulag:
You were right all along. See you in de gulag.
But…
He'll do his worst, let's do our best
And we, not he, shall pass the test
For we are right, and he's a jerk
No plan of his will ever work
His pundits reek of sleaze and booze
His staff goes bats, his lawyers lose.
When all is said and all is done
We'll get that gangster on the run.
I wish I could believe you. I read a post today by a former 20-year Democrat, who went to a MAGA rally and became an Independent. She was shocked to find that these people were not racists, like she thought. She said it was a very happy occasion, with great music, and an overwhelming sense that "Trump has their back". She repeated this several times in her article.
By contrast, in her view, she's only met people on the left who are full of hate, and the Democratic rallies are somber, fearful, etc.
IMO, most of the people in this country have the political sophistication of a five year old, with commensurate reasoning abilities. Getting better music, and focusing on creating an up mood and before you know it, we could manipulate the public almost as well as the Republicans.
paradoctor,
LOVE IT!
The reply to the Stone cover-up is truth. He was convicted by a jury who saw all the evidence. Stone lied to Congress about his involvement in communicating with Wikileaks and how he conveyed information to the Trump team about upcoming releases which would damage HRC.
Stone did it. The judge didn't do anything improper – nor did any of the jurors. They convicted a man for committing crimes – BECAUSE HE COMMITTED CRIMES. If Trump wants to weigh in, he needs to do so under oath about what Trump knows about Stone and his role.
Moral bankruptcy rules in the USA. We need a new monument in D.C., a Stone Memorial to honor the land we have become. The land of the oppressed and the home of the intimidated. The lie has become our guiding light, and thugs rule from sea to shining sea.
Michelle Goldberg delivered a masterwork even by her stellar standards. Entitled :The Right's Big Lie About Roger Stone it is an absolute must read.
https://www.nytimes.com/2020/02/14/opinion/roger-stone-randy-credico.html?action=click&module=Opinion&pgtype=Homepage