Tag: Trump Attorney General

Why the new case against Bill Barr could be a game-changer

AlterNet logoNo attorney general since John Mitchell has gotten away with assaulting the rule of law more than Bill Barr. But unlike Mitchell, who served 19 months in prison for his role in the Watergate scandal, Barr has yet to be held accountable for his ever-expanding laundry list of outrageous misdeeds and derelictions.

To be sure, there have been several efforts to bring Barr to heel. Last July, for example, the House voted to hold both Barr and Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross in criminal contempt for refusing to turn over documents related to the Trump administration’s attempt to include a citizenship question in the 2020 census. But in an act of defiance that surprised absolutely no one, the DOJ, which Barr heads, refused to pursue charges against either cabinet member, leaving the House with no means of enforcement.

More recently, more than 2,000 former Justice Department lawyers signed open letters demanding Barr’s resignation after he intervened in the cases of Roger Stone and Michael Flynn to overturn the sentencing recommendations of career prosecutors. And in a scathing rebuke published May 9, the editorial board of the New York Times accused Barr of using the DOJ as a “political weapon” to advance and protect the personal interests of the president. And yet despite the denunciations, Barr remains, in effect, the country’s top cop. Continue reading.

Barr Assigns U.S. Attorney in Connecticut to Review Origins of Russia Inquiry

WASHINGTON — Attorney General William P. Barr has assigned the top federal prosecutor in Connecticut to examine the origins of the Russia investigation, according to two people familiar with the matter, a move that President Trump has long called for but that could anger law enforcement officials who insist that scrutiny of the Trump campaign was lawful.

John H. Durham, the United States attorney in Connecticut, has a history of serving as a special prosecutor investigating potential wrongdoing among national security officials, including the F.B.I.’s ties to a crime boss in Boston and accusations of C.I.A. abuses of detainees.

His inquiry is the third known investigation focused on the opening of an F.B.I. counterintelligence investigation during the 2016 presidential campaign into possible ties between Russia’s election interference and Trump associates.

View the complete May 13 article by Adam Goldman, Charlie Savage and Michael S. Schmidt on The New York Times website here.

Trump’s AG Bill Barr has a history of cover-ups — and he just struck again

Back in 1992, the last time Bill Barr was U.S. attorney general, iconic New York Times writer William Safire referred to him as “Coverup-General Barr” because of his role in burying evidence of then-President George H.W. Bush’s involvement in “Iraqgate” and “Iron-Contra.”

General Barr has struck again—this time, in similar fashion, burying Mueller’s report and cherry-picking fragments of sentences from it to justify Trump’s behavior. In his letter, he notes that Robert Mueller “leaves it to the attorney general to decide whether the conduct described in the report constitutes a crime.”

As attorney general, Barr—without showing us even a single complete sentence from the Mueller report—decided there are no crimes here. Just keep moving along.

View the complete March 25 article by Thom Hartmann with the Independent Media Institute on the AlterNet website here.

KEY TAKEAWAYS: Barr Refuses To Commit To Recusing Himself

At today’s confirmation hearing, Trump’s attorney general nominee, William Barr, refused to commit to recusing himself from an investigation, would not give straight answers to important questions about Mueller’s investigation, and raised even more questions about how he would use his powers as attorney general. Here are the key takeaways:

Barr repeatedly refused to commit to recuse himself from an investigation, even if recommended by ethics officials.

    Barr: “At the end of the day I would make a decision.”

    Barr: “I am not going to surrender the responsibilities of the attorney general.” Continue reading “KEY TAKEAWAYS: Barr Refuses To Commit To Recusing Himself”

Trump’s new AG pick thinks Hillary, not Trump, should be investigated

Credit:  Time Warner via AP

William Barr, Trump’s choice for attorney general, has already called for Clinton to be investigated and downplayed any concerns about Trump. That’s probably why he was chosen.

Earlier this morning, President Trump nominated William Barr to be his next attorney general. Barr previously served in that same role under George H.W. Bush.

But don’t be fooled into thinking that Barr’s past experience means he’ll be an adult in the room and provide a check on Trump. Barr has already made outrageous public statements that show he is entirely in line with Trump’s way of thinking.

Although Barr might not have as tawdry or shady a past as acting Attorney General Matt Whitaker, he’s just as committed to baselessly accusing Hillary Clinton of crimes while blithely dismissing any of Trump’s wrongdoings.

View the complete December 7 article by Lisa Needham on the ShareBlue.com website here.

The red flags on Trump’s new attorney general pick, William Barr

President George H.W. Bush listens as Deputy Attorney General William P. Barr speaks in the early 1990s. Credit: Dirck Halstea, /Getty Images

President Trump insisted when he made Matthew G. Whitaker his acting attorney general that he wasn’t familiar with Whitaker’s past commentary critical of special counsel Robert S. Mueller III’s probe.

But his new pick to be the attorney general has a record of making similar comments, and despite some favorable comments from Democrats, those could pose a problem in his coming confirmation fight.

President Trump confirmed Friday that former attorney general William P. Barr will be his nominee to head the Justice Department. Picking George H.W. Bush’s attorney general would seem a pretty safe and confirmable pick, on its surface.

View the complete December 7 article by Aaron Blake on The Washington Post website here.

DNC on William Barr’s Nomination To Be Attorney General

DNC Chair Tom Perez released the following statement in response to President Trump nominating William Barr as his next attorney general:

“Our next attorney general must be able to stand up to the president and act as an independent law enforcement official. Trump has consistently shown a corrupt disregard for the rule of law and used his office to undermine civil rights, workers’ rights, women’s rights, LGBTQ rights, and voting rights.

“William Barr must assure the American people that he will resist any attempt by the president to interfere in law enforcement matters, and he must unequivocally commit to protecting the special counsel’s investigation and defending our constitutional rights.”

Why Trump’s Call for ‘Overwhelming Bipartisan’ Vote for Barr Seems Unlikely

Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Ore., and Patrick Leahy, D-Vt., flanked by other Senate Democrats, at a news conference in March. The two senators have voiced concerns about President Trump’s pick, William Barr, to make his second run as attorney general. Credit: Tom Williams, CQ Roll Call

Donald Trump and acting Attorney General Matthew Whitaker on Friday gave a full-throated endorsement to the president’s pick to fill the post, former Attorney General William Barr,  but Democratic senators and civil rights advocates are sounding alarms.

William Barr “deserves” from the Senate “overwhelming bipartisan support,” Trump said while addressing a law enforcement conference in Kansas City. “There’s no one more capable or qualified for this position,” he claimed.

Whitaker called the George H.W. Bush-era AG a “highly qualified” nominee-in-waiting to possibly return to the post for a second time. He said Barr’s confirmation would mark a “continuation of this law-and-order presidency.”

View the complete December 7 article by John T. Bennett on The Roll Call website here.

Trump picks William Barr as next attorney general

President Trump on Friday said he would nominate former Attorney General William Barr to once again helm the Justice Department.

The selection of Barr, who served as the nation’s top law enforcement official under President George H.W. Bush, could have implications for special counsel Robert Mueller‘s Russia investigation. Barr has recently criticized parts of the probe and defended Trump’s decision to fire James Comey as FBI director.

Speaking to reporters at the White House before leaving to speak to a police officers’ convention in Kansas City, Trump lauded Barr as a “highly respected lawyer” and a “brilliant man.”

View the complete December 7 article by Jordan Fabian and Morgan Chalfant on The Hill website here.

Trump’s acting attorney general once referred to the president’s behavior as ‘a little dangerous’ and ‘a little outlandish’

In past interviews, acting attorney general Matthew G. Whitaker has criticized President Trump for not releasing his tax returns and for playing with the truth. (JM Rieger/The Washington Post)

A review of hundreds of public comments by acting attorney general Matthew G. Whitaker shows that while he has primarily functioned as a defender of President Trump, he has also criticized the president on numerous occasions, sometimes harshly, while working as a commentator on radio and television.

Whitaker has repeatedly suggested that Trump plays with the truth. He has said Trump should release his tax returns and was “self-serving” in the way he fired FBI Director James B. Comey. Whitaker said during the run-up to the 2016 election that neither Trump nor Hillary Clinton was a very good option for the presidency. “I mean, both these candidates are unlikable,” he said.

The critique of the president by Whitaker, a former U.S. attorney who rose to prominence over the past four years as the head of a conservative nonprofit group, has often come in unguarded moments, and sometimes late into on-air discussions. “Sometimes I wonder if anybody has the president’s ear or if he just kind of watches news accounts and responds to, which is a little dangerous,” Whitaker said in June 2017 on a radio show.

View the complete November 30 article by Aaron C. Dvis and Ilana Marcus on The Washington Post website here.