AG Barr is Combative, Opaque and Cynical in House Hearing

July 29, 2020

The House Judiciary Committee hearing on questionable actions by the Department of Justice got volatile in a hurry this morning.

AG Barr gave Democrats the runaround during Tuesday's House hearings on the DOJ

The first witness, a former assistant attorney general, called Attorney General Bill Barr “the greatest threat in my lifetime to our rule of law." He then went over his five-minute time limit, prompting loud and repeated complaints from Representative Louie Gohmert. Gohmert is the congressman whose supporters in Tyler, TX roughed up his rival's supporters on Sunday.

Thwarted, Gohmert then tried to drown out the witness by tapping loudly on his desk.

Several witnesses later, it was Barr's turn to answer questions.

It was political theatre at its lowest, with House members interrupting Barr and Barr interrupting them -- and occasionally making sarcastic remarks.

Democrats brought out examples of Barr's seeming to do the President's bidding.

About dropping charges about Michael Flynn, the decision that led four prosecutors to resign? The FBI investigation had been so problematic, Barr said, that he didn't believe the facts supported the charges.

About Roger Stone's short sentence? “I agree the president's friends don’t deserve special breaks," Barr said, but they didn't deserve harsher treatment either. "Sometimes that is a different decision to make.”

At one point, Rep Pramila Jayapal (D-WA) showed a Trump memo threatening to "activate" Barr as if Barr was a tool in Trump's hands. Barr managed not to respond.

Jayapal asked Barr why he sent Federal troops to quell left-leaning protests but did not react against right-wing protesters.

She reminded Barr that protester "swarmed" the Michigan state capitol, carrying guns, displaying swastikas, Confederate flags, and a dark-haired doll, meant to represent the governor, with a noose around its neck, and called for the Governor to be lynched, shot, and beheaded.

Barr said he hadn't heard about the incident.

Barr's repeated interruptions seemed to be attempts to keep Jayapal from speaking. The exchange between the two got so heated that Jayapal at one point said she was starting to lose her temper.

Ultimately, Barr responded to almost every assertion by the House by disputing well-documented facts, saying he didn't remember, giving the incident a different spin, or all three. It was a performance of breathtaking cynicism.

Do you think the hearing will lead to any action on the part of the House? Is it even possible to get a usable response from someone who will not even agree on the facts of a well-documented incident? In what other ways can Democrats try to change Barr’s behavior or to remove Barr from his post? "William Barr - Caricature" by DonkeyHotey is licensed under CC BY 2.0

https://thehill.com/homenews/house/509465-democrats-blister-barr-during-tense-hearing?fbclid=IwAR0w3bClupK2ojo-7qk9QS7UtlGvaUe6GwIalPpS0EwzWxwSRn159RRcKxI
https://www.cnn.com/videos/politics/2020/07/28/pramila-jayapal-bill-barr-lafayette-park-vpx.cnn
https://news.yahoo.com/house-barr-hearing-gohmert-tapping-interrupt-video-181642446.html