The Justice Department on Friday revealed that it would not charge former acting FBI director Andrew McCabe, a longtime target of President Trump’s wrath, exacerbating the angry divide between Trump, his attorney general and federal law enforcement officials.
The development came just a day after Attorney General William P. Barr made a televised entreaty to Trump to stop tweeting about criminal cases — and just hours after Trump defied that request.
While three White House officials said Barr, one of Trump’s most loyal and effective Cabinet secretaries, was in no immediate danger of being fired, the attorney general’s relationship with the president is facing its gravest threat yet. Inside and outside the Justice Department, officials watched warily — some questioning whether Barr was truly at odds with Trump, others heartened by what seemed to be Barr defending the institution’s historical independence and all wondering what comes next. Continue reading.
NOTE: This is one interpretation of the interaction between President Trump and AG Barr that assumes there is no ongoing collusion between these two people. However, their earlier behavior and comments don’t necessarily support that conclusion.