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Up until recently, Bill Barr appeared to be Trump's fixer and chief enabler. Yet this past week, Barr broke with Trump & confirmed there was no evidence of election fraud.
This #SundayMorning we're asking what to expect from Barr in the final days of Trump's presidency.
(THREAD)
This #SundayMorning we're asking what to expect from Barr in the final days of Trump's presidency.
(THREAD)
(2) Initially, Barr had seemed on board with weaponizing the DOJ to legitimize Trump's claims of voter fraud.
His memo authorizing the investigation of Trump's claims caused the head of the DOJ's election crime branch, Pilger, to step down in protest. https://www.npr.org/sections/live-updates-2020-election-results/2020/11/09/933254127/gop-tip-toes-around-acknowledging-biden-win-timidly-backs-trump-election-conspir
His memo authorizing the investigation of Trump's claims caused the head of the DOJ's election crime branch, Pilger, to step down in protest. https://www.npr.org/sections/live-updates-2020-election-results/2020/11/09/933254127/gop-tip-toes-around-acknowledging-biden-win-timidly-backs-trump-election-conspir
(3) Then earlier this week, after nearly a month of contention from the Trump campaign, Barr suddenly and inexplicably stuck his neck out and confirmed the DOJ had found no evidence of widespread fraud that would or could overturn election results. https://apnews.com/article/barr-no-widespread-election-fraud-b1f1488796c9a98c4b1a9061a6c7f49d
(4) For a guy who had run the DOJ as Trump's personal legal team, this seemed truly bizarre. We'd come to expect the worst of Billy Barr.
The outrage on the right was immediate, with Lou Dobbs laughingly trying to frame Barr as part of the "deep state." https://www.newyorker.com/news/daily-comment/william-barrs-break-with-donald-trump
The outrage on the right was immediate, with Lou Dobbs laughingly trying to frame Barr as part of the "deep state." https://www.newyorker.com/news/daily-comment/william-barrs-break-with-donald-trump
(5) The White House made it clear they were not pleased Barr hadn't come through in the clutch for authoritarianism. Trump reportedly erupted in a contentious meeting with Barr.
It was a storm that did not blow over. https://www.cnn.com/2020/12/03/politics/trump-william-barr-attorney-general/index.html
It was a storm that did not blow over. https://www.cnn.com/2020/12/03/politics/trump-william-barr-attorney-general/index.html
(6) Trump plugged Judge Jeanine's show at a rally so his supporters could hear her call Bill Barr colorful names on air.
Pirro may have been a bit salty since rumor has it she'd wanted the AG spot for herself. https://www.thedailybeast.com/judge-jeanine-calls-attorney-general-bill-barr-a-reptile
Pirro may have been a bit salty since rumor has it she'd wanted the AG spot for herself. https://www.thedailybeast.com/judge-jeanine-calls-attorney-general-bill-barr-a-reptile
(7) The retaliation against Barr is far from over. The right has been concocting easily debunked claims that he's connected to Dominion voting systems, but that hasn't stopped the "deep state" conspiracy theories from spreading. https://factcheck.thedispatch.com/p/does-bill-barr-have-connections-to
(8) The White House has refused to say they have faith in Barr and when specifically pressed on the issue, McEnany responded “If we have any personnel announcements, I’ll let you know."
We've seen enough Twitter "resignations" to know what that means. https://www.cnbc.com/2020/12/02/white-house-refuses-to-say-trump-has-faith-in-william-barr.html
We've seen enough Twitter "resignations" to know what that means. https://www.cnbc.com/2020/12/02/white-house-refuses-to-say-trump-has-faith-in-william-barr.html
(9) Trump firing Barr a month before his administration ends would be a fitting final act of vengeance for this petty administration, who seems to have focused almost entirely on personal grievances and scoring political points while Americans died. https://www.vanityfair.com/news/2020/12/trump-is-reportedly-on-the-verge-of-firing-bill-barr
(10) What will Bill Barr do next? He's unlikely to do much of anything. He's installed Durham to act as a spoiler for the Biden administration, but Barr's been hampered by a DOJ in revolt & his own limitations.
His story ends here.
And thank god for that. https://www.lawfareblog.com/how-do-you-solve-problem-john-durham
His story ends here.
And thank god for that. https://www.lawfareblog.com/how-do-you-solve-problem-john-durham
(END) Thanks to @JohnT41845158 for the #SundayMorning thread suggestion. Come back next week and we'll do this again.
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Like threads like this and want to keep them coming? You can support my work here:
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