Attorney General Bill Barr’s tenure at the Justice Department was further stained on Tuesday when officials announced in a court filing that the U.S. government will be defending President Donald Trump in a defamation case.
Trump is being sued by columnist E. Jean Carroll, who accused the president of raping her in the ’90s. In his denial of the charge, Trump cast aspersions on Carroll and essentially branded her a liar, despite the fact that confidants of the columnist have come forward to say they were told of the assault contemporaneously. Carroll has taken legal action against Trump to hold him to account for his alleged defamation, and she seeks to have him deposed — a risky proposition for the president known for lying constantly.
But on Tuesday, Americans learned that their government’s Justice Department is intervening in the case, claiming that the allegations implicate Trump in his official capacity as president. According to the filing, Barr delegated the authority to determine whether a federal employee’s actions fall with the scope of their official duties to James G. Touhey, Jr., director of the torts branch. (Though it’s hard to believe this kind of action doesn’t happen in Barr’s Justice Department without his at least implicit approval and support.) Continue reading.