Osodecentx said:
HuMcK said:
Osodecentx said:
HuMcK said:
riflebear said:
Barr made that decision before he was nominated for AG, he even wrote an op-ed about it. It's probably why he was nominated.
Link?
I actually conflated two things, but his writings do indicate his mind was made up on Obstruction before becoming AG (for the 2nd time).
Barr wrote this WaPo op-ed in 2017 where he backs the Comey firing.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/former-attorney-general-trump-made-the-right-call-on-comey/2017/05/12/0e858436-372d-11e7-b4ee-434b6d506b37_story.html?utm_term=.ad1e31d003bf
And in June 2018 he sent this unsolicited memo to the DoJ laying out why he believes Mueller is using an incorrect definition of Obstruction and Trump should not he compelled to answer questions.
https://www.scribd.com/document/396090342/June-2018-Barr-Memo-to-DOJ-Muellers-Obstruction-Theory-1
Trump not being compelled to answer questions does not mean Barr "prejudged" the obstruction case. The 1st page of the Barr memo says that a president can be guilty of obstruction if (and then Barr lays out the details).
I believe you are mistaken about Barr prejudging the case. The memo certainly does not support that conclusion, in my opinion.
Could you point out the part of the Barr op-ed that you interpret as "pre-judgement' of the obstruction allegation?
The thing is, Barr seems to have laid out a narrower path to Obstruction in his memo than what is typically thought of, saying in essence that you have to prove the underlying crime to prove obstruction. Barr says that the "corrupt intent" element cannot be satisfied if you can't prove the underlying crime being investigated. That would come as news to Bill Clinton, who was impeached in part for obstructing an investigation into non-criminal acts.
As for the Comey op-ed, the main obstructive act would have been firing Comey after he wouldn't "let go" of the Flynn matter. Since Barr wrote an op-ed backing that firing back in 2017, it stands to reason that he views that act as kosher and not obstructive...in other words he had judged that issue before he was nominated.
Barr is also remembered for supporting the Iran/Contra pardons by H W Bush during his first stint as AG, which effectively killed off a previous Special Counsel investigation right before one of the main participants was to go on trial for lying to Congress. That episode, and his two written signals that he wouldn't let Trump be confronted with Obstruction charges, were probably his strongest resume items for the job in Trump's terms. Why else would he go with a re-tread from the 90s as an AG nomination?