Post-impeachment, House Democrats sharpen focus on Barr

The Associated Press ^ | February 14, 2020 | By MARY CLARE JALONICK

[Oldeconomybuyer]

WASHINGTON -- House Democrats frustrated over the Senate’s acquittal of President Donald Trump are pushing their oversight efforts toward the Justice Department and what they call Attorney General William Barr’s efforts to politicize federal law enforcement.

Democrats have demanded more information about Barr’s intervention in the case of Roger Stone, a longtime confidant of President Donald Trump who was convicted in November. Barr this week overruled prosecutors who had recommended that Stone be sentenced to 7 to 9 years in prison.

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi criticized Barr on Thursday, calling him one of Trump’s “henchmen.”

“The attorney general has stooped to such levels,” Pelosi said. “What a sad disappointment. The American people deserve better.”

The sharpened look at Barr’s activities comes at a time when many Democrats appear wary of prolonging the Ukraine inquiry that led to Trump’s impeachment.

First up will be examining whether Barr inappropriately intervened in the Stone case. Stone was convicted of lying to Congress, witness tampering and obstructing the House investigation into whether the Trump campaign coordinated with Russia to tip the 2016 election.

The turmoil within the Justice Department has given Democrats a new way forward for their investigations after the sting of the Senate’s impeachment acquittal. While there is little interest in pursuing another impeachment case, Democrats want to leverage the power of their majority to conduct oversight as they try to defeat Trump at the polls in November.

“The resignation and defection of these prosecutors is a huge alarm bell going off in our system,” said Rep. Jamie Raskin of Maryland, one of the most vocal Democrats on the House Judiciary Committee who pushed for impeachment. “So, that is the immediate emergency.”

[SkyPilot]

We have an option of taking two perspectives on this matter: 1) it is a question of law; 2) it is a public relations matter. If it is a legal matter, it should be addressed in legal language, in a legal forum by a surrogate of the president but not he himself.

You're eloquent as ever Nathan.

The problem we have is simple: the "justice" system has collapsed.

Trump, his friends, his family, his campaign staff, his business associates, and his administration have been persecuted and put through Hell for years. The courts are completely corrupt. The Dept of Injustice is infested with Obama and Clinton operatives.

There is an expression within the DOJ: "The process is the punishment."

They can arrest you in a midnight raid, charge you, throw you into solitary confinement, threaten to incarcerate your wife and children (and they do), and bankrupt you.

Ordinary people don't stand a chance fighting this behemoth.

If they can destroy a 3-star general American hero, millionaires, and friends of the President, they can destroy the rest of us with a snap of their fingers.

To bring down the Deep State, the Dept of Injustice must have it's back broken.

[Alberta's Child]

No offense, but you lost some of the most irrational crap here.

Do you really think there’s some kind of a pissing match going on between Trump and Barr — and that Barr gives enough of a sh!t about the AG job to “spin for a few months” while something like that goes on?

Absolutely not. If he even had a hint in his mind that Trump wasn’t 100% behind him, he’d resign immediately. Then Trump could spend the rest of his (brief) term in office with a parade of nameless @ssholes filling the AG post on an interim basis while his supporters slowly drift away.

[Alberta's Child]

Sorry ... you POST some of the most irrational crap here.

[wastoute]

2 words. Trust Sessions.

[TheConservativeBanker]

And Barr thinks that Trump’s tweets interfere with his work?

[Alberta's Child]

I have no idea what that’s supposed to mean.

[Alberta's Child]

Barr is simply telling Trump that it’s foolish to take a decision that the AG is making for sound legal reasons and politicize it for no damn good reason at all.

[nathanbedford]

the "justice" system has collapsed.

You are right and that is the key. Soon the rule of law will give way. Add coronavirus and we have a wonderful crisis that the Democrats are not likely to let go to waste.

The way to expose the criminality of the deep state is to start prosecuting for obvious crimes and rolling up the food chain just as Ken did in the Monica Lewinsky affair and Rudolph Giuliani did to the Mafia.

It did not help that Trump backed off from prosecuting Hillary the minute he won the election. We have waited quite a while for indictments of McCabe and his henchmen. Until these foot soldiers are brought to justice, they will not roll over on their superiors. It seems we have waited quite a while without any prosecutorial movement on obvious crimes of lying by numerous deep state operatives, starting with Hillary Clinton.

[wetgundog]

We need to clean House (the House of Representatives) and return it back to Republican control to stop all this insane crap in Trump’s second term so some important things can be accomplished that have NOT been done in this past session due to rabid TDS infecting the ‘Rats.

[Alberta's Child]

They can arrest you in a midnight raid, charge you, throw you into solitary confinement, threaten to incarcerate your wife and children (and they do), and bankrupt you. Ordinary people don't stand a chance fighting this behemoth.

Ironically, ordinary people have a much better chance fighting this behemoth than high-profile public figures. Believe me — the very last thing any of these prosecutors ever want to deal with is a defendant who thinks he has nothing left to lose.

[TTFlyer]

I couldn’t care less. Barr is 100% Deep State and none of the coup plotters will ever face justice. There is no “justice” in the United States.

[Tallguy]

“The attorney general has stooped to such levels,” Pelosi said. “What a sad disappointment. The American people deserve better.”

Look out! Nancy is about to get all "prayerful" on us!

[wastedyears]

What constitutional authority does the attorney general have to interfere in the goings-on of the house?

[Alberta's Child]

I think a bigger problem here that nobody likes to admit is that many of these former Trump associates seem mildly retarded. How did Michael Cohen, for example, ever get out of middle school — let alone pass a bar exam? And Roger Stone’s case was a pathetic comedy of unforced errors — starting with his stupid decision to testify to Congress behind closed doors even though he wasn’t legally obligated to do so.

[Alberta's Child]

I’ve asked that very same question before. Good luck getting a coherent answer.

[alloysteel]

Love him or hate him, Roger Stone was railroaded, because he is regarded as a surrogate for Trump himself, and if you can hit at the sides of Trump, maybe you can score the big coup as a bonus.

This is a deadly game being played out in the Swamp, and they have been snatching at the pawns, hoping to isolate and trap the king. First, they must isolate and remove AG Barr and the other defenses Trump has thrown up.

Trump is challenging the wily chess masters that have dominated the Swamp for decades. And as President, Trump has scored some serious points against the Swamp - they are beginning to hurt a little.

Goading the ruling premier chess master into perhaps foolish and possible fatal error.

I love it when a plan starts to come together.

[Savage Rider]

Don’t tug on Superman‘s cape ... don’t spit into the wind.

[Engedi]

Exactly. You stated this perfectly the situation one tweet has put the AG, who we all have faith and trust in to ensure those who tried to take down our President be accountable.

[Sacajaweau]

Barr oversees the prosecutors. He's their boss. Everyone recognizes the overkill on the recommended jail time. The fact that ALL four prosecutors quit tells a story.

And now, looks like the jury was tainted...unbelievably tainted by the foreman.....aka foreperson in this as****** world....who actually ran for public office as a Dem and posted several anti-Trump statements.

[Sacajaweau]

I like the witness tampering charge....Apparently Roger threatened to kill a friend’s cat. The cat’s fine and the friend said the charge was ridiculous.