Sometimes it's hard not to become a conspiracy theorist. For example,

[pnwmom]

I just read this tweet about Kirkland Ellis, the law firm William Barr cited in explaining why he had to recuse himself from the Epstein investigation.

Guess who else is connected with Kirkland Ellis? William Barr's Deputy AG, Jeffrey Rosen.

Guess who else is connected with Kirkland Ellis? Alex Acosta, the Federal prosecutor who gave Epstein an inexplicably sweet plea deal.

Guess who else is connected with Kirkland Ellis? Jay Lefkowitz, the attorney who represented Epstein in the plea deal.

Link to tweet

Rob Gunther
✔
@1RobGunther

That big law firm is Kirkland Ellis based in DC. Deputy AG Jeffrey Rosen is also from Kirkland. Also Labor Secretary Alexander Acosta, who gave Epstein his lenient plea deal while US attorney. Also Jay Lefkowitz, a Kirkland partner who represented Epstein in that same plea deal.

Link to tweet

…

Charlie Gile
@CharlieGileNBC

AG Barr also said that he's not getting involved in the Epstein matter. "I'm recused from that matter because one of the law firms that represented Epstein long ago was a firm that I joined for a period of time," he said.

[RockRaven]

1. Yup, his recusal statement is BS. Not honest/honorable at all. If it were, Rosen's recusal would be

announced for the same reason. Barr saw a thing he didn't want to deal with, saw an excuse to recuse, and jumped on it. Barr just wants to pass this shit sandwich off to someone else. It has nothing to do with any principles...

I'm not saying Barr was *wrong* to recuse, just that he did not do so for any *ethical* reason -- it was personal comfort/convenience to do so. A benefit apparently not extended to his immediate subordinate.

[The Velveteen Ocelot]

2. Kirkland Ellis is a very large, high-profile law firm with 2,500 lawyers

and fifteen offices all over the world, so it's not that strange that some of its former employees ended up with government jobs. But for Barr to say the reason he recused himself from any involvement in the Epstein matter was that a Kirkland lawyer represented Epstein before Barr joined the firm is just ludicrous. A huge firm like that always has potential conflicts just because it's so large and represents so many clients, so it will have a "Chinese wall" procedure to be sure actual conflicts don't come up. It's more likely that he just doesn't want to be associated even peripherally with Epstein. Pretty soon everyone who was ever associated in any way with Epstein, even people who never had anything to do with either Epstein's child molesting or his dodgy financial deals (like maybe his barber) will claim they never knew him.

[pnwmom]

3. Thank you for this, TVO! So if someone asks Jeffrey Rosen why he's not recusing as well,

what do you think he'll say?

[The Velveteen Ocelot]

4. He's in a bit of a tough spot, isn't he?

[pnwmom]

5. That's how it seems to me.

He can't really defend his choice to stay on without seeming to disparage Barr's choice to recuse.