William Barr, AG

[Volkonski]

Justice Department hasn’t interviewed key Russia probe witnesses
The DOJ’s investigation into the origins of the Russia probe seems to be focusing on the intelligence community’s links with foreign sources.

https://www.politico.com/news/2019/10/0 ... obe-028545

But in the five months since Attorney General Bill Barr tapped Durham to investigate the origins of the Russia probe, and whether any inappropriate “spying” occurred on members of the Trump campaign, he has not requested interviews with any of the FBI or DOJ employees who were directly involved in, or knew about, the opening of the Russia investigation in 2016, according to people familiar with the matter,

The omission raises questions about what, exactly, Durham—alongside Attorney General Bill Barr—has been investigating.



Combined with reports that Barr has traveled with Durham internationally seeking evidence from the U.S.’s closest intelligence allies, Durham’s apparent lack of interest in the FBI at this point suggests that he and Barr are focusing on examining the intelligence community’s role in the Russia probe—and, in accordance with Trump’s desires, looking at whether the help provided by U.S. allies in the Russia probe, including the U.K., Italy, Australia and Ukraine, may itself have constituted foreign interference.

Former attorney general Michael Mukasey, whose son Marc represents the Trump Organization and is a longtime confidant of Trump attorney Rudy Giuliani, recently speculated in a recent Wall Street Journal op-ed that Durham may be trying to determine whether “Federal Bureau of Investigation tried to get evidence from Ukrainian government officials against Mr. Trump’s campaign manager, Paul Manafort, to pressure him into cooperating against Mr. Trump.” Mukasey also noted that, according to a recent Justice Department statement, “certain Ukrainians who are not members of the government have volunteered information to Mr. Durham, which he is evaluating.”

[Volkonski]

Julia Davis
@JuliaDavisNews
Trump aims to whitewash Russia's election interference, and instead blame our friends & allies (including Ukraine) & "the deep state." Trump is remarkably consistent in his desire to cozy up to Russia, alienate our allies and discredit our intel community.

[Sterngard Friegen]

Unless Trump pretty much grants a blanket amnesty to everyone who's worked in his administration, Barr is going to get indicted after he leaves office. Indeed, there is a long line of officials who will be indicted, including Mike Pence.

[Kendra]

I am wondering if all this intensity in investigating the 2016 campaign alleged hijinks by Ukraine is because maybe Durham's investigation of the investigation is cooling down and maybe not finding much in the way of smoking guns?

[Dan1100]

Unless Trump pretty much grants a blanket amnesty to everyone who's worked in his administration, Barr is going to get indicted after he leaves office. Indeed, there is a long line of officials who will be indicted, including Mike Pence.

I'd be willing to bet that the Democrats will let them off the hook just like Obama let GW's torturers off the hook.

[woodworker]

This is a must - read!

William Barr’s 4-country effort to discredit the Trump-Russia inquiry, explained

The conspiracy theories linking Italy, Australia, the UK, and Ukraine.

By Matthew Yglesias on October 1, 2019 3:30 pm

https://news.google.com/articles/CAIiEE ... id=US%3Aen

direct link is: https://www.vox.com/policy-and-politics ... stralia-uk

The last paragraph

Barr’s discussions about this with foreign heads of state and cabinet ministers is somewhere between silly and a waste of time. But his eagerness to personally involve himself in a politically sensitive investigation in this way represents a bigger breach of norms and principles that — especially in combination with things like Trump’s vocal demands to have his critics in congress arrested — is rather more alarming.

I was wondering if Barr was doing this just to show off to dotus that he is doing something about something or other. Plus enjoying his last international business trip. Plus getting out of Washington D.C. nastiness for a couple of days. As AG he must know that he cannot "investigate" anything outside of the US. He must know that any substantial request for an investigation must be passed thru official channels according to various treaties. I guess he will have a nice reception, and then handed off like a hot potatoe, making the rounds with no one confirming or denying whatever he asks for. He will have contacts in the respective judical departments, but they will not be connecting him to the secret services who may have a deep state story to tell.

I disagree. Barr is doing this because he is a fucking corrupt, all-in trumpanzee who is eager to do anything necessary to boost trump, including fucking the US.

[woodworker]

Unless Trump pretty much grants a blanket amnesty to everyone who's worked in his administration, Barr is going to get indicted after he leaves office. Indeed, there is a long line of officials who will be indicted, including Mike Pence.

I'd be willing to bet that the Democrats will let them off the hook just like Obama let GW's torturers off the hook.

If Biden is elected, yes. If Warren, no getting off the hook. She will have their heads on pikes outside the White House. NADT.

[p0rtia]

This is why I want Warren - Harris. Liz can set Harris on these scoundrels.

[Volkonski]

[fierceredpanda]

I would really like to hear an explanation for why Barr met with Rupert Murdoch yesterday. I can't think of one single legitimate reason for the AG to meet privately with a foreign media mogul.

[pipistrelle]

I would really like to hear an explanation for why Barr met with Rupert Murdoch yesterday. I can't think of one single legitimate reason for the AG to meet privately with a foreign media mogul.

I'd like to know why he let Rudy's buddies be arrested unless it's a distraction.

And, yes, why is he doing all kinds of things unrelated to his purported job?

[Hurtzi]

I would really like to hear an explanation for why Barr met with Rupert Murdoch yesterday. I can't think of one single legitimate reason for the AG to meet privately with a foreign media mogul.

Do Trump's men (and women) need legitimate reasons? He was there to complain about FOX on behalf of his master.

[p0rtia]

Nice that he said it aloud anyway. So anybody still in denial can get a glimpse at how the American Taliban thinks about, y'know, the First Amendment, education, the lessons of history, and oh, modern civilization.

Attorney General Bill Barr: "This is not decay. This is organized destruction. Secularists and their allies have marshaled all the forces of mass communication, popular culture, the entertainment industry, and academia in an unremitting assault on religion & traditional values."

[pipistrelle]

I would really like to hear an explanation for why Barr met with Rupert Murdoch yesterday. I can't think of one single legitimate reason for the AG to meet privately with a foreign media mogul.

Legitimate reason, LOL. Given recent developments, probably telling Rupert to get his boy in line and clean house at Faux News.

[Somerset]

I would really like to hear an explanation for why Barr met with Rupert Murdoch yesterday. I can't think of one single legitimate reason for the AG to meet privately with a foreign media mogul.

Legitimate reason, LOL. Given recent developments, probably telling Rupert to get his boy in line and clean house at Faux News.

With Shep Smith's departure, that appears to be exactly what's happening.

Ultimately, I think this is a good thing. The OSG is clearly on the wrong side of history, and I hope that Fox News doesn't escape paying the price for their crimes against humanity. Tieing themselves more strongly to the OSG means they're more likely to sink with him.

[Slim Cognito]

I would really like to hear an explanation for why Barr met with Rupert Murdoch yesterday. I can't think of one single legitimate reason for the AG to meet privately with a foreign media mogul.

Legitimate reason, LOL. Given recent developments, probably telling Rupert to get his boy in line and clean house at Faux News.

With Shep Smith's departure, that appears to be exactly what's happening.

Ultimately, I think this is a good thing. The OSG is clearly on the wrong side of history, and I hope that Fox News doesn't escape paying the price for their crimes against humanity. Tieing themselves more strongly to the OSG means they're more likely to sink with him.

We read earlier that Paul Ryan (now on their board) was trying to get Fox to break with trump before it's too late. If Ryan leaves, we'll have our answer.

[Addie]

Law & Crime

Calls for AG Barr’s Impeachment Intensify After ‘Lunatic Authoritarian’ Federalist Society Speech

Attorney General Bill Barr launched into an emotional tirade against “the left” at an annual meeting of the conservative Federalist Society on Friday evening. Now, lawyers and legal commentators are intensifying calls for Barr’s impeachment.

Barr’s eyebrow-raising speech was widely-panned after a video of the following portion made the rounds on social media:

Unfortunately through the past few years we have seen these conflicts take on an entirely new character. Immediately after President Trump won election, opponents inaugurated what they called ‘The Resistance’ and they rallied around an explicit strategy of using every tool and maneuver to sabotage the functioning of the executive branch and his administration. The fact of the matter is: that in waging a scorched earth, no holds-barred war of resistance against this administration, it is the left that is engaged in the systemic shredding of norms and undermining the rule of law.

The Federalist Society is a judicial activism group which pushes for an “originalist” understanding of the U.S. Constitution and a return to pre-New Deal interpretations of law. The organization has been heavily involved in staffing President Donald Trump‘s judicial picks–essentially serving as a pipeline for conservative federal judges.

[pipistrelle]

Who knew free speech was so dangerous?

[NMgirl]

Marcy Wheeler has a piece on Barr. Although Ms. Wheeler is a consummate researcher and analyst, for which I hold her in high esteem, often her writing style gets in the way of her usually spot-on observations and conclusions. The Barr article, though, is an easy read.

BILL BARR’S SCREED: BLINDNESS ABOUT CURRENT THREATS

https://www.emptywheel.net/2019/11/16/b ... t-threats/

[Orlylicious]

Wanted to save this tweet, should be fun.

Bradford Barr.JPG

[TexasFilly]

Impeachment,by definition,overturns elections (if convicted). Is that too complex for Trumpeteers?

[tek]

History wasn't going to be kind to Barr before he signed up with Team Trump ..

[Notorial Dissent]

Over the years we've had some thoroughly incompetent AG's, some incredibly mediocre ones, some who were downright dishonest outside of their offices, and now we've had one who was not only incompetent beyond expectations but thoroughly dishonest while in office, and now one who has violated every oath he ever took, is solidly partisan, and is incredibly venial in general, and doing everything he can to help undermine representative gov't and rule of law, he one of the worst of the lot since he does know the difference between right and wrong and should know what he is doing is wrong. No, I do not think history will treat Billy Barr nicely, and I am just hoping that kharma comes calling much sooner rather than later.

[fierceredpanda]

I've gone back and reread Barr's remarks to the Federalist Society, an organization I more and more believe to be borderline-seditious and a clear and present danger to constitutional democracy. I really can't overstate how appalling Barr's speech is. The man is a menace.

[Addie]

I've gone back and reread Barr's remarks to the Federalist Society, an organization I more and more believe to be borderline-seditious and a clear and present danger to constitutional democracy. I really can't overstate how appalling Barr's speech is. The man is a menace.