William Barr, the nominee for Attorney General, will be questioned this week in Senate confirmation hearings. Most likely, he will face a very hostile reception from the Democrats on the committee, but Barr should have no problem coming through without problems. He's previously been Attorney General (under George H.W.Bush) and he has an impeccable reputation in the legal community. Of course, that doesn't count for much among the Democrats. Who knows; we may see them bring forward a clone of Dr. Blaisey Ford to accuse Barr of sexually harassing her in kindergarten. Given the bigger GOP senate majority, even a phony smear like the one faced by Justice Kavanaugh won't work. Nevertheless, the left is going into overdrive seeking to lay the groundwork for an all out assault on Barr.
A good example of the hysteria on the left is an article that appears today in The New Republic. Author Matt Ford sets out five questions to which Barr must answer "yes" or else be rejected. It's pretty funny that this guy thinks there's any way to block Barr on the basis of far left Democrat talking points. Nevertheless, the questions themselves are interesting to consider.
Here's the first question:
The key here is "all the independence he needs". Remember, as Attorney General, Barr is the person to provide oversight for the Mueller inquiry. Mueller will not be able to indict anyone or expand his investigation without the approval of Barr. In other words, Mueller is not supposed to have independence. He is supposed to able to proceed under the supervision and control of the Attorney General. Any candidate for AG who answered the question with a simple yes would be removing himself or herself from one of the duties of that office.
Here's the second question:
If the president directs you to open a criminal investigation into his political opponents, will you refuse?
This is another bogus question. Think about it. There's no way to answer this question right now. Suppose for example that the CIA learns that Nancy Pelosi and her husband are involved with a Mexican drug cartel in a money laundering scheme that funnels money through the Cayman Islands. Sure, it doesn't seem very likely, but if it were to happen and if President Trump called Barr and told him to open a criminal investigation into Pelosi, why would Barr refuse? The President is his boss. The president has historically often directed investigations be carried out by the Justice Department. It would be wrong for Barr to answer this question with a yes without knowing the specific facts.
The other three questions go on like this. The article is nothing more than a manifestation of the anti-factual basis for so much of what the left says these days.
A good example of the hysteria on the left is an article that appears today in The New Republic. Author Matt Ford sets out five questions to which Barr must answer "yes" or else be rejected. It's pretty funny that this guy thinks there's any way to block Barr on the basis of far left Democrat talking points. Nevertheless, the questions themselves are interesting to consider.
Here's the first question:
Will you give Mueller all the independence he needs to complete his investigation, and protect the inquiry from interference by the White House?
The key here is "all the independence he needs". Remember, as Attorney General, Barr is the person to provide oversight for the Mueller inquiry. Mueller will not be able to indict anyone or expand his investigation without the approval of Barr. In other words, Mueller is not supposed to have independence. He is supposed to able to proceed under the supervision and control of the Attorney General. Any candidate for AG who answered the question with a simple yes would be removing himself or herself from one of the duties of that office.
Here's the second question:
If the president directs you to open a criminal investigation into his political opponents, will you refuse?
This is another bogus question. Think about it. There's no way to answer this question right now. Suppose for example that the CIA learns that Nancy Pelosi and her husband are involved with a Mexican drug cartel in a money laundering scheme that funnels money through the Cayman Islands. Sure, it doesn't seem very likely, but if it were to happen and if President Trump called Barr and told him to open a criminal investigation into Pelosi, why would Barr refuse? The President is his boss. The president has historically often directed investigations be carried out by the Justice Department. It would be wrong for Barr to answer this question with a yes without knowing the specific facts.
The other three questions go on like this. The article is nothing more than a manifestation of the anti-factual basis for so much of what the left says these days.
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