Attorney General Bill Barr’s criticism of Monday’s inspector general report was unexpected, Justice Department watchdog Michael Horowitz told Senators on Wednesday.
How do we know that politics is not driving the Barr-Durham investigation?
Well, it sure isn’t a desire to enforce the law. Barr doesn’t need to lie to do that.
I’d like to see some comments and ideas on how this political dishonest strategy by Barr can be countered and who could be capable of doing it. It looks like they want to confuse the electorate as the 2020 election comes closer.
Atypical hardly captures the rarity or outlier nature of Barr’s comments, which are less common than the interaction of dark matter with a xenon nucleus.
“The Justice Department was given an opportunity to provide a response to the report’s conclusions, Horowitz said, but did not reply.”
Such a normal-process reply would require providing additional facts and/or reasoned analysis, and the participation of DOJ staff … something Barr was not willing to do, and something that was not even possible given the extent and detail of the IG report. There simply are no contrary facts or reasonable conclusions that could be drawn.
Instead, we get Barr’s lying bullshit with Durham obediently adding on.
I’d like comments from Horowitz, Barr, and Durham about how the FBI Russia/election probe was kept secret. It just didn’t come out before the election. That alone supports the diligence of the FBI, no? Can they imagine what would have happened if it had come out before the election?
The announcement of a probe is damaging, isn’t it, Barr should be asked in this context, and then relate it over to Trump and Ukraine.
So, the AG was offered an opportunity to comment on the report, but instead only chose to do so publicly on the day that the IG report was released?
Nothing nakedly political about that.
Impeach that motherfucker as well.
“How do we know that politics is not driving the Barr Durham investigation?” Leahy asked.
Sounds likes time for the DoJ IG to look at political bias in the Barr/Durham investigation!
It’s countered most effectively by being simple and direct. “There’s one man who was given a direct, politically-neutral mandate to learn if Trump had been the target of politically motivated investigations – like if the Russia inquiry had been created to damage him. Despite all the pressure put on him by Trump to reach that conclusion, that man nonetheless found zero evidence that this was the case. Everything else is just noise from people appointed by Trump himself, in order to clear himself”. Or a variation thereof. Over and over.
Sure, the pure Fox watchers and other Trump die-hards won’t even hear it. But there are some voters who just tune out the noise – simplicity, clarity and repetition are how they’re reached. No big secret.
Some folks in Washington are pretty good about framing things simply. Most of them talk like they’re at a lawyer’s convention though O_o
They aren’t looking to confuse the electorate as much keep the base in line via Fox-ready talking points and sham investigations. This is all about content for the propaganda machine.
Chuck Rosenberg, DOJ institutionalist to the Max, trashed Barr last night .
I am more interested in why Barr is being interviewed and listened to in the manner he has…with ZERO pushback.
I used to sell Third World artifacts and curios. I didn’t do too well.
I wish I had some of Barr’s juju.
As if by a Scotty Mass Phaser stun, people (1) hear Barr, (2) lay down and pass out (3) and then, apparently (according to our Gloom Gang Police), become life-long believers in every syllable.
Yeah, the fact that BARR is trying to find political influence in the original investigation into Trump -BARR! - shows that we need a new word for hypocrisy 'cos the original is insufficient.
He has completely subverted his role in service of his overlord – even Sessions had no intention of doing that. When you make Sessions look like a paragon of justice and democracy, that’s how you know your behaviour is wayyyy out there.
Barr’s bland, grandfatherly exterior belies the role he’s playing. If this was a movie he’d basically look like Wormtongue from the Lord of the Rings films…
thanks, and the response as you framed it ought to be said loudly and often.
The enervating pessimism stuns me. There has NEVER been a country more capable of resisting a Dictatorship/takeover than the U.S. in 2019.
Too many people simply cannot see it. And what enrages me is that I have spent most of my adult life interacting with people who never HAD a damn chance.
uh, this is Horowitz saying “if you ask for an investigation into Barr and Durham, I;ll do one – but I’m not volunteering”
Did leahy follow-up with a request?
Just when I thought I couldn’t get more angry, this incompetent, coward makes himself known? Why are these cowards with zero courage given jobs way above their level of character and ethics. Could a woman get by with such blatant incompetence or cowardice? A Back man?
These guys do it repeatedly with impunity! Enough!
The big joke is when the additional information that Barr and Durham are “uncovering” comes from the same former Ukraine officials that earned the country its reputation for corruption. On the one hand, President Turnip will be arguing that his leveraging aid for corruption probes was valid due to Ukraine’s history of corruption, while on the other hand he will be asking us to believe the “intel” that came from same corrupt former officials that have an ax to grind against the mechanisms of the US government that preceded, or seeks to unseat Turnip.
Piling it on thicker than Bill Barr with five-minutes till closing time at Golden Corral.
I’d launch an impeachment investigation of Barr, and subpoena Durham to provide all documents and communications from Barr, his immediate subordinates, and anyone in the white house having anything to do with the Russia investigation, Ukraine, or Hillary Clinton – and to show up and give testimony pursuant to barr’s impeachment.
And if he refuses to comply, file an immediate complaint with every jurisdiction in which Durham is permitted to practice, demanding that his license be suspended immediately pending a full review of his conduct.