It's time to get serious about impeaching Attorney General Bill Barr

Attorney General William Barr has shown that he has no respect for the law.

During his time as AG, Barr has acted more like President Trump's personal defense lawyer than America's top law enforcement official.

If Trump isn't voted out of office, Democrats should be prepared to impeach Barr.

Michael Gordon is a longtime Democratic strategist, a former spokesman for the Justice Department, and the principal for the strategic-communications firm Group Gordon.

This is an opinion column. The thoughts expressed are those of the author.

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It's time to do something far-reaching about Attorney General Bill Barr.

#ImpeachBarr and #DisBarr climbed the social media charts this week after Barr's Justice Department moved to intervene on President Trump's behalf in a defamation lawsuit. In a stunning move, Barr stepped in to take over the defense of the case against the commander-in-chief from the president's personal lawyers. The suit stems from Trump's response to a sexual assault claim.

That's right: At taxpayer expense, the AG is marshaling the resources of the Justice Department to defend Trump on a personal matter — not a governance matter.

It's just the latest in a long list of actions by Barr to protect the president's politics at the expense of the rule of law that nourishes our democracy.

Barr has made a new art form of politicizing the Department of Justice and imposing his will through interference, obstruction, and subversion. He has made it clear that he works for the president — not the American people.

Given this reality, it's time for Congress — especially Democrats — to prepare to impeach Barr.

At every turn, AG Barr increasingly reveals that he's Trump's crony.

He has asked foreign governments to discredit the Mueller report.

He has fought tooth and nail to block the release of Trump's tax returns.

He tried to throw out charges against ex-Trump advisor Michael Flynn after he pled guilty.

He shamefully defended Trump ally Roger Stone.

He punishes or fires DOJ officials who don't fall in line behind Trump.

Barr is Trump's Fixer General, and he's not even trying to hide it.

When he was nominated, many thought that, due to his previous run as AG, Barr was an institutionalist who respected the laws and values of the DOJ. But then came his manipulation of the Mueller Report. Mueller himself objected to Barr's interpretation, which left out key points of the Trump-Russia love affair that were recently confirmed by a Republican-led Senate report.

While such open departures from reality are daily breakfast for this administration, Barr selectively interprets facts to fit Trump's narrative.

He has no qualms about cherry-picking from reports, espousing unsubstantiated claims, and playing dumb to protect himself and the President.

Just a few of his greatest hit jobs include misrepresenting a DOJ Inspector General report on the FBI's Russia probe, pleading ignorance about Trump's Roger Stone tweets, and firing the US Attorney for the Southern District of New York for investigating Trump's allies.

The role of an AG is to protect the rights of the American people. Barr has done the opposite. He has abused his power to endanger the lives of Americans who are exercising their rights.

He ordered and oversaw the use of tear gas on peaceful protesters to help create a photo-op for President Trump. In Portland, protesters are met with violence and plucked from streets in unmarked vehicles.

Under the guise of "law and order," Barr has broken the law to create disorder.

The proof is the reaction of longtime career attorneys at the DOJ who have bristled at the AG's naked politicization of justice. After the DOJ overruled prosecutors on the Roger Stone sentencing, all four prosecutors quit the case. One of the lead prosecutors in the case against Michael Flynn stepped down once Barr stepped in. Several career lawyers objected when Barr intervened to speed up the DOJ's Google antitrust case.

And right now current and former DOJ lawyers are quietly voicing concerns about the defamation case.

With rare exception, the attorneys who make up the DOJ have tremendous integrity and are focused squarely on right and wrong, not right and left. The level of friction inside the DOJ today is unprecedented, and when numerous respected career lawyers begin sounding the alarm, we need to put out the fire to shield our system of justice.

In normal times, Barr would be impeached at a minimum, but the daily scandal machine has left everyone's head spinning in Washington, not knowing which outrage to chase first. That's the President's strategy.

Many Democrats have reservations about going after Barr. Their rationale is obvious: it will be virtually impossible to remove him from office thanks to the Republican-controlled Senate.

But some Democrats, like House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jerrold Nadler and Intelligence Chairman Adam Schiff have recently warmed to the idea of coming after him more aggressively. They also have found creative ways to put pressure on him, such as by introducing legislation in the House to cut his budget.

As frightening as President Trump is for our democracy, Barr's abuse of the Justice Department adds a new layer of danger. We cannot be a nation whose top attorney is the fixer for a President who openly flouts the law. We cannot allow distractions to obstruct justice. And we cannot have our top law enforcement officer violate the rights that he is sworn to protect.

Democrats have two options. The first is to win the election with Barr's perversion of justice as a lever. Barr is further evidence of how even our most fundamental American values are on the ballot in November.

If they lose, then the only option is to impeach him. Impeaching Barr would be the underscore for Americans who believe in the bright line between artifice and law. And it would tattoo his life story with impeachment in the same way that he has inked the Justice Department with his brand of politics.