WATCH: Joe Biden Brags About Rigging The Ukranian Political System
Posted on 11/16/2019 6:07:07 AM PST by EyesOfTX
Attorney General William Barr delivered a hard-hitting speech at the Federalist Society’s National Lawyers Convention on Friday evening. – In the speech, the AG presented a vigorous defense of President Trump and his administration, and a pointed take-down of the Democrat-funded “resistance” and its repugnant, ongoing efforts to destroy the country from within.
It’s more than an hour long, but well worth your time to watch. Below is a video of the speech, followed by key outtakes from the transcript:
Outtakes (full transcript can be read here):
Unfortunately, over the past several decades, we have seen steady encroachment on Presidential authority by the other branches of government. This process I think has substantially weakened the functioning of the Executive Branch, to the detriment of the Nation. This evening, I would like to expand a bit on these themes.
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One of the more amusing aspects of modern progressive polemic is their breathless attacks on the “unitary executive theory.” They portray this as some new-fangled “theory” to justify Executive power of sweeping scope. In reality, the idea of the unitary executive does not go so much to the breadth of Presidential power. Rather, the idea is that, whatever the Executive powers may be, they must be exercised under the President’s supervision. This is not “new,” and it is not a “theory.” It is a description of what the Framers unquestionably did in Article II of the Constitution.
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So let me turn now to how the Executive is presently faring in these interbranch battles. I am concerned that the deck has become stacked against the Executive. Since the mid-60s, there has been a steady grinding down of the Executive branch’s authority, that accelerated after Watergate. More and more, the President’s ability to act in areas in which he has discretion has become smothered by the encroachments of the other branches.
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Immediately after President Trump won election, opponents inaugurated what they called “The Resistance,” and they rallied around an explicit strategy of using every tool and maneuver available to sabotage the functioning of his Administration. Now, “resistance” is the language used to describe insurgency against rule imposed by an occupying military power. It obviously connotes that the government is not legitimate. This is a very dangerous – indeed incendiary – notion to import into the politics of a democratic republic. What it means is that, instead of viewing themselves as the “loyal opposition,” as opposing parties have done in the past, they essentially see themselves as engaged in a war to cripple, by any means necessary, a duly elected government.
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Congress has in recent years also largely abdicated its core function of legislating on the most pressing issues facing the national government. They either decline to legislate on major questions or, if they do, punt the most difficult and critical issues by making broad delegations to a modern administrative state that they increasingly seek to insulate from Presidential control.
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Of course, Congress’s effective withdrawal from the business of legislating leaves it with a lot of time for other pursuits. And the pursuit of choice, particularly for the opposition party, has been to drown the Executive Branch with “oversight” demands for testimony and documents. I do not deny that Congress has some implied authority to conduct oversight as an incident to its Legislative Power. But the sheer volume of what we see today – the pursuit of scores of parallel “investigations” through an avalanche of subpoenas – is plainly designed to incapacitate the Executive Branch, and indeed is touted as such.
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In recent years, we have seen substantial encroachment by Congress in the area of executive privilege. The Executive Branch and the Supreme Court have long recognized that the need for confidentiality in Executive Branch decision-making necessarily means that some communications must remain off limits to Congress and the public. There was a time when Congress respected this important principle as well. But today, Congress is increasingly quick to dismiss good-faith attempts to protect Executive Branch equities, labeling such efforts “obstruction of Congress” and holding Cabinet Secretaries in contempt.
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In recent years, we have seen substantial encroachment by Congress in the area of executive privilege. The Executive Branch and the Supreme Court have long recognized that the need for confidentiality in Executive Branch decision-making necessarily means that some communications must remain off limits to Congress and the public. There was a time when Congress respected this important principle as well. But today, Congress is increasingly quick to dismiss good-faith attempts to protect Executive Branch equities, labeling such efforts “obstruction of Congress” and holding Cabinet Secretaries in contempt.
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One of the ironies of today is that those who oppose this President constantly accuse this Administration of “shredding” constitutional norms and waging a war on the rule of law. When I ask my friends on the other side, what exactly are you referring to? I get vacuous stares, followed by sputtering about the Travel Ban or some such thing. While the President has certainly thrown out the traditional Beltway playbook, he was upfront about that beforehand, and the people voted for him. What I am talking about today are fundamental constitutional precepts. The fact is that this Administration’s policy initiatives and proposed rules, including the Travel Ban, have transgressed neither constitutional, nor traditional, norms, and have been amply supported by the law and patiently litigated through the Court system to vindication.
Indeed, measures undertaken by this Administration seem a bit tame when compared to some of the unprecedented steps taken by the Obama Administration’s aggressive exercises of Executive power – such as, under its DACA program, refusing to enforce broad swathes of immigration law.
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Conservatives, on the other hand, do not seek an earthly paradise. We are interested in preserving over the long run the proper balance of freedom and order necessary for healthy development of natural civil society and individual human flourishing. This means that we naturally test the propriety and wisdom of action under a “rule of law” standard. The essence of this standard is to ask what the overall impact on society over the long run if the action we are taking, or principle we are applying, in a given circumstance was universalized – that is, would it be good for society over the long haul if this was done in all like circumstances?
For these reasons, conservatives tend to have more scruple over their political tactics and rarely feel that the ends justify the means. And this is as it should be, but there is no getting around the fact that this puts conservatives at a disadvantage when facing progressive holy far, especially when doing so under the weight of a hyper-partisan media.
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In essence, the Court has taken the rules that govern our domestic criminal justice process and carried them over and superimposed them on the Nation’s activities when it is engaged in armed conflict with foreign enemies. This rides roughshod over a fundamental distinction that is integral to the Constitution and integral to the role played by the President in our system.
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This is a very dangerous and indeed incendiary notion to import into the politics of a Democratic republic. The fact is, that, yes, while the president has certainly thrown out the traditional beltway playbook and punctilio, he was upfront about what he was going to do and the people decided that he was going to serve as president.
[End of Outtakes]
There is much, much more, but these outtakes highlight the essence of the speech, which is powerful, incredibly well-thought and well-drafted, and shows without doubt that Barr has a clear-eyed understanding of the war the disloyal, seditious left is waging on the foundations of the American Republic.
But at the end of the day, this is just a speech and these words, while great, are just words. They only will ultimately have real meaning if they are intended to serve as the prelude for the long-delayed Horowitz Report to be finally issued and for the investigation of U.S. Attorney John Durham to start bearing fruit in terms of public perp walks, indictments and most importantly of all, convictions involving the high Obama officials who created and led this ongoing coup d’etat.
How about it, Mr. Barr?
That is all.
I am wanting to believe that Barr designed this speech as a true learning tool, AND to make it perfectly clear where he is coming from when the SHTF.
Exactly. I remember two years of Sessions “quietly prepping” for the big day of enforcement against the coup. “Trust the plan...” Tick tock, Boom, etc etc...
Nothing.
I love this clip from “A man for All Seasons” on the importance of the law:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WMqReTJkjjg
It’s as plain as day. They are stalling.
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Exactly.
I don’t want a report, I want to see prosecution.
And that says it all. Rosenstein is still invited to parties that DC throws and which Barr speaks at. And Sunday, Barr’s wife will be at bible study with Mueller’s wife.
That backwards inbred incestuous Sodom on the Potomac. Half of them can donate a kidney to each other. It’s all Kabuki theater.
Nothing is being done. Except we might get a redacted report critical of a few people. But forst they are letting all those people assist in the editing and their rebuttals.
Utterly insane. Would any of US be treated with such deferrence? Ever?
A good question for Manafort and Stone.
I fully expect the SDNY to indict Rudy as another distraction before Barr, IG, etc. release anything.
Sure will. And as part of the resistance, they are prosecuting and raiding every attorney and accountant Trump has. When have you ever seen a man;s lawyer equally targeted?
Excellent Speech.
Katie Barr the door.
Step by step we inch closer and closer.
Justice will be served when all the pieces are in place.
Hillary said it, if that such N such wins we’ll all hang.
He did and they will and they all know
it’s coming and nothing can stop it now.
Pay no attention to all the naysayers
they are on the wrong side of history
7
Thanks for posting that little detail. It's just good to know these things.
The story of Rosendirtbag not standing is apparently not true. Erick Erickson tweeted a photo of him standing and applauding. Rush issued a correction. Maybe he was late to stand or something. Who knows.
Wishful thinking. There’s nothing stopping the GOP Senate from using their Constitutional powers to gather facts and stop the coupists right now. That they are not doing that now shows they won’t do it later either. Sorry.
I agree totally. Something is wrong with this, I feel now he is beginning to look like an idiot. He has let this go on too long and why? He delays due to the constant feed of new stuff from the communists Democrats. This delay could go on for many years.
THANKS!! I’d have repeated that at lease twice just today. We have plenty of clean ammo, after all.
Does anybody think people will care about the Russian Collusion story anymore? Its such old news.
They are stalling, hoping we will forget about it and move on.
Thank you. Would have been a bit brazen even for that scheming little weasel.
The interesting thing is that Rosenstein is still on the DC guest list for such gatherings.
Tells you all you need to know. They gonna prosecute him? Hell, they can’t even manage to cross him off the party list.
This is what the Justice Department is actually spending its time on....amazing....
Truth is that almost always when your on ‘attack’ there is noise and dust.
I don’t see any noise or dust from Barr. I hope I am totally wrong, but it sure seem tomb like quiet on his end.
Same with the IG report. No earth tremors... no noise or dust at all.
I think we might be waiting for what turns out to be basic nothing burgers.
Like I wrote....hope I’m wrong.
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