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Sheldon Whitehouse: We Asked William Barr Straight Questions. He Gave Crooked Answers.
https://www.thedailybeast.com/we-asked-attorney-general-william-barr-straight-questions-he-gave-crooked-answers?ref=homeWe Asked William Barr Straight Questions. He Gave Crooked Answers.
Some hoped an Attorney General Barr would serve the American people first. What was left of his credibility crumbled Wednesday. He is now a confirmed spin master for the president.
Sheldon Whitehouse
05.02.19 1:11 PM ET
I have served on the Senate Judiciary Committee for twelve years. I have never witnessed a performance like Attorney General William Barr’s on Wednesday. Here is what I saw.
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Mueller’s team had provided Barr with material for him to release, minimally redacted and ready for the public, to help “assure full public confidence in the outcome of the investigations.”
Barr had a better idea: to let the president’s PR machine run wild for three weeks to set a phony narrative.
During his confirmation process, some held out hope that an Attorney General Barr would serve the American people first. They hoped he would uphold the traditions of the Justice Department and the law above all else. What was left of Attorney General Barr’s credibility as day broke on Wednesday had crumbled by day’s end. He is now a confirmed spin master for the president.
As if to acknowledge that truth, Barr decided late Wednesday against testifying in the House, to avoid questioning from skilled lawyers on the Judiciary Committee. That may have been the most honest thing he did all day.
Now, Congress must hear from the others who know the truth about Justice Department leadership’s handling of the Mueller report, Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein and Special Counsel Mueller himself. I trust they will respect the rule of law and the Department’s tradition of apolitical service to the American people.
Sheldon Whitehouse is a U.S. Senator for Rhode Island, and former U.S. Attorney and state Attorney General.
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