If William Barr won't answer Kamala Harris' questions, maybe the Inspector General will

[babylonsister]

If William Barr won’t answer Kamala Harris’ questions, maybe the Inspector General will
Barr was unable to answer her questions during a hearing Wednesday. Now she's pressing for a response.
Zack Ford
May 5, 2019, 1:09 pm


Sen. Kamala Harris (D-CA) is calling on the Justice Department to investigate whether President Donald Trump has ever asked Attorney General William Barr to open an investigation into his political opponents. Barr this week was unable to answer Harris’ direct questions on the matter, and her request comes as the Trump camp is floating a new attack on presidential candidate Joe Biden (D).

During Barr’s testimony to the Senate Judiciary Committee Wednesday, Harris asked Barr whether Trump or “anyone at the White House ever asked or suggested that you open an investigation of anyone.” Barr couldn’t offer a “yes” or “no.” He acknowledged there have been “discussions,” but he wasn’t sure if he would go so far as to use the word “suggest.” When Harris offered the synonyms “hinted” and “inferred,” he ultimately settled on the answer, “I don’t know.”

In a letter to the Inspector General Friday, Harris called Barr’s inability to answer her question “an alarming response that strikes at the very heart of the rule of law and threatens to undermine the longstanding independence of the Justice Department.” She requested that he investigate whether Barr ever received or acted upon “such improper requests.”

She notes in the letter that such requests are documented throughout the redacted Mueller report. Trump asked then-Attorney General Jeff Sessions to investigate Hillary Clinton on at least three separate occasions, according to the report. “There must be no doubt that the Department of Justice and its leadership stand apart from partisan politics, and resist improper attempts to use the power of federal law enforcement to settle personal scores,” Harris wrote.

more...

https://thinkprogress.org/kamala-harris-letter-barr-trump-investigate-opponents-ff537e7a496f/

[Basic LA]

1. On PBS's Washington Week this Friday ...

... CBS reporter Ed O'Keefe rolled his eyes & wagged his head while making fun of Sen. Harris's question, implying we should ignore her because she's a candidate. I was furious & couldn't believe what I was seeing, especially on Washington Week of all shows. What a dick!

[spooky3]

3. Bloomberg Business News, which is usually good, had some

dopey reporter on last week, who claimed that “both sides” were to blame for Barr’s not showing up for the House hearing. If I wanted false equivalence, a lack of understanding of who makes the rules, and acceptance of RW spin, I would tune in to Fox instead.

[yonder]

4. "...implying we should ignore her because she's a candidate."

With O'keefe's logic we should be ignoring all candidates, including the president. With that thinking, himself, his peers and the rest of the press would find themselves out of work.

[Basic LA]

5. Exactly!

And his mocking facial expression & physical gyration was enough to make you hurl. Hope he catches hell over that disgusting performance.

[spooky3]

2. I can't resist being a pedant, but "inferred" is not

The right word; I think she meant “implied.” When this is quoted again and again in the reports, I get annoyed. That said, Sen. Harris did an amazing job and it’s great that she referred this to the IG. Thanks to all of the Dems for staying on this.