When Barr initiated a second, largely redundant investigation of the FBI Russia probe in May, denominated it criminal, and made clear that he is personally involved in carrying it out, many eyebrows were raised.
But worst of all have been the events of the past week.
More generally, it appears that Barr has recently identified a group of lawyers whom he trusts and put them in place to oversee and second-guess the work of the department’s career attorneys on a broader range of cases.
And there is no comfort from any of this in Barr’s recent protests about the president’s tweeting.
Bad as they are, these examples are more symptoms than causes of Barr’s unfitness for office.
Indeed, given our national faith and trust in a rule of law no one can subvert, it is not too strong to say that Bill Barr is un-American.
As Richard Nixon later told David Frost, he believed that “when the President does it, that means it is not illegal.” »
