Attorney General Barr: Mueller's Legal Analysis Did Not Reflect the View of the DOJ

[DonViejo]

Source: Mediaite


By Ken Meyer May 31st, 2019, 7:28 am

Attorney General Bill Barr disputed Robert Mueller’s legal assessments this week in response to the special counsel’s comments regarding President Donald Trump’s possible obstruction of justice.

In an interview with CBS News chief legal correspondent Jan Crawford, Barr was asked about why he chose to clear Trump on obstruction based on the evidence from Mueller’s report, even though the special counsel did not. Barr argued that his analysis determined that Mueller’s findings “would not amount to obstruction” as a matter of law.

“In other words,” Barr said, “we didn’t agree with the legal analysis — a lot of the legal analysis in the report. It did not reflect the views of the Department. It was the views of a particular lawyer or lawyers, and so we applied what we thought was the right law.” Barr also faced questions about critics who say he was too soft on the president and in contradiction of the assessments from Mueller’s report.

“The bottom line was Bob Mueller identified some episodes,” Barr replied. “He did not reach a conclusion. He provided both sides of the issue, and his conclusion was he wasn’t exonerating the president, but he wasn’t finding a crime either.”

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Read more: https://www.mediaite.com/tv/attorney-general-barr-muellers-legal-analysis-did-not-reflect-the-view-of-the-doj/

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Video @ the link, above

[Thomas Hurt]

1. what is the point of having a SP at all then?

[pnwmom]

16. To collect the evidence and put the case together for CONGRESS.

Which is why Congress needs now the full report and all its documentation.

[JudyM]

2. Evil grin imagining Mueller stepping back in the ring to clear his name now.

[C_U_L8R]

3. More reason for Mueller to testify

C'mon Bob... the report does not speak for itself when Barr and the Trumps are trying to obstruct and bury it. Stand up for your work if not for the country.

[empedocles]

4. Again, it seems that trump put his own words and needs, in barr's mouth

[democratisphere]

5. Impeach or indict drumpf, pence and barr immediately.

Others will follow.

[ColesCountyDem]

11. Indict Barr for what, exactly? n/t

[bluestarone]

17. Oh i don't know maybe

OBSTRUCTION though!!!!!

[ColesCountyDem]

18. I don't think there's evidence of that

18 USCA Section 1505 sets forth the various actions or lack of actions that constitute obstruction of justice, and 18USCA Section 1515(b) defines 'corruptly', as that word is used in Section 1505. As much as I despise Barr, I don't think anything he's done rises to the level of acting corruptly. Using a scatter gun approach toward the Trump regime only serves to divide the time and resources available to the task of removing Trump from office. Every failed indictment would only serve to discredit indictments or investigations that actually have a chance of succeeding.

[bluestarone]

19. Gotta fully disagree

If he refuses to turn over evidence,in my mind it OBSTRUCTION! pretty plain and simple!

[ColesCountyDem]

20. At this time...

At this time, all he's done is assert privilege, something he has every legal right to do, because lawyers are given great latitude when asserting some manner of privilege. If, however, he defies a final court order, THAT will fall within the statutory definition of obstruction. General Barr has the same rights against double jeopardy that we all have, so it's the better legal course to wait until there is evidence of obstruction beyond a reasonable doubt, and to a moral certainty, than it is to take a shot at him and miss.

[ElementaryPenguin]

22. Lying under oath to Congress

...for starters.

[ColesCountyDem]

23. How so? n/t

[lagomorph777]

12. Heard Swalwell today saying Barr and Munchkin should be impeached.

https://swalwell.house.gov/media-center/press-releases/swalwell-calls-impeachment-barr

[ColesCountyDem]

24. I'd love for them both to be gone. n/t

[EleanorR]

6. As David Corn said, This Is Propaganda

[Princetonian]

7. Of course not. The DoJ now reflects only the views of Faux News.

Barr is the same tool he was under Tom DeLay.

[blugbox]

8. Mueller should have to testify now.

He said the report speaks for itself, but even his own boss apparently couldn't interpret it correctly...

I know Barr is full of shit and this is all to cover Motherfucker, but I really think now would be a good time for Mueller to step up and answer some questions to clarify.

RW will use whatever they can to hide the truth. We can't give them that inch.

[lagomorph777]

9. Billbarr's Buggered.

He is in such deep shit now.

[dalton99a]

10. .

[in2herbs]

13. If Mueller was prohibited from reaching a conclusion based on the OLC, what gives Barr the right

to reach a conclusion that doesn't violate the terms of the OLC?

[angrychair]

14. Wow

The bottom line was Bob Mueller identified some episodes

is a hell of a word parsing to say crimes and then say you, personally, decided to ignore the recommendations of a group of seasoned and experienced legal experts with no written reasons as to why.

[BruceWane]

15. Barr's agenda is obvious

Per the reporter who interviewed Barr, he says he was "surprised" when Mueller told him ahead of time that the special counsel would not be returning a decision on indictment per DOJ policy, and Barr says he "didn't press him on the issue".

So Barr admits
1)he doesn't agree with standing DOJ policy that a current president cannot be indicted through the criminal justice system, and
2)he had the opportunity to inform the special counsel of this, and declined, thus ensuring that Barr would have the opportunity to make the final call.

William Barr must be impeached. He freely admits that he intentionally deceived an investigator, directly affecting the official legal conclusion returned by the DOJ. He should be removed from his position, and charged with obstruction of justice.

[machoneman]

21. I finally 'got' Barr's motivation: he's literally out of fucks, no kidding!

The Homer mention in the CBS interview made it clear as day. He won't live forever and his dying screed will be I stuck it to the Libs, Nancy, Chuck, Mueller, Cohen, the Supreme Court, Sessions and more. He doesn't give a shit (Homeric death versus eternal life) about any judge's rulings, I AM THE LAW and I'll do whatever to support Trump, spew any RW meme including the craziest of conspiracy theories and even enlist (if I can) all of our intelligence agencies to cast doubt about Russkie election interference, illegal meetings, money laundering and more.

I could not figure out why a formerly respected lawyer (at least in winger areas) could cast his lot in with such a fool as Trump. Heck, he even has just ordered DOJ prosecutors to withhold judge-ordered docs since he's the law, not the judge, on what can be disclosed.

He's trolling us and everyone not on Trump's payroll: stop me if you can! I may be dead before you win the argument but until then, I'm the judge, the jury and the executioner.

[trev]

25. Y'know, I really don't care what this DOJ thinks.

About anything, actually. They are currently part of the problem.

[Freethinker65]

26. Who is fucking "we"?