Here’s an interesting line of questioning from Hugh Hewitt’s recent interview with Bill Barr regarding the timing of any indictments from Durham. Make of it what you will.
HH: There are guidelines concerning the announcement of indictments or the closing of the investigations prior to the election. When is that deadline for U.S. Attorney Durham? And do you think he will make it either to disclose indictments or to disclose that the investigation is over?
WB: As far as Im aware, none of the key people that, whose actions are being reviewed at this point by Durham, are running for president.
HH: But would not the announcement of indictments after a time certain have an impact on an election of the sort that the U.S. Attorneys manual recommends against?
WB: Well, what is the sort that the attorney manual recommends against?
HH: As I recall, this came up with Director Comey making his announcement, and the concerns in 2016 that he had acted improvidently during the run up to the election. I dont recall what the exact timing is.
WB: Yeah, well, that was directly as to a candidate.
HH: And so it would not matter, in your view, if there is an investigation, and the day before the election, someone is indicted?
WB: Well, you know, I think in its core, the idea is you dont go after candidates. You dont indict candidates or perhaps someone thats sufficiently close to a candidate, that its essentially the same, you know, within a certain number of days before an election. But you know, as I say, I dont think any of the people whose actions are under review by Durham fall into that category.
ThankQ - good extraction re Barr’s understanding of those policies :)