A frank conversation with the former Attorney General on Trump's "extortion" of the GOP, Russiagate, the most awkward White House moment, and much more.
Bari, by early 2017 the DOJ/FBI knew the Russia collusion story was false but nobody called it off. Nobody in Congress, nobody at the FBI, nobody at the RNC, and nobody at the FBI/DOJ.
Consider the source Bari. Clearly, Bill Barr was never on-board with Trump, in fact, he remains a political enemy of the former president. Ignoring the fact Donald Trump is considered as an uninvited party crasher who the entire political establishment, of both parties, wanted to go away. Trusting Bill Barr is akin to trusting Robert Mueller. Bill Barr wasn't ever Trump's AG. After all you've seen you still cannot find it in your head or your heart to give Trump an inch of respect.
The left spent every waking moment undermining the Trump presidency from the moment he was elected. This included department workers at DOJ, the DOD and other agencies. They acted with impunity and to date, to my knolwedge, only one has ever been held accountable. When will the left be held accountable and until they are, why should conservatives have any faith in the system?
BW: Is it possible that Jeffrey Epstein didn’t die by suicide?
AG BARR: No.
That's it? Really? Bari I love your work, and I enjoyed this episode. But letting him get away with that answer... that's astonishing. Why even ask the question of a former CIA guy whose father was also a former CIA guy and once employed Epstein at a school he ran, when Epstein is widely believed to have been in Israeli intelliegence, if you are goiung to accept a very quick "No" as the answer and move on. Very, very dissapointing.
Bari - Another excellent piece. I have a couple suggestions for future topics:
1. Can you please do an in-depth look at where the TDS comes from? I confess, I don't really understand it. As Bill Barr stated, Trump's policies were generally well-received by the conservative (and even moderate) constituency. With Trump it seems to be all about "feelings" and media-manufactured crises.
2. Biden, on the other hand, seems more problematic. He seems to stumble from one failure to the next. Can you explore the Biden family and whether there are real corruption issues (not just the fact that the Hunter laptop story was censored during the election, but whether there are actual national security concerns related to Biden family entanglements)? I think a large part of the population (including me sometimes) thinks that liberals to get a "pass" on everything. Why is an examination of the Bidens not front page news, esp. when Russiagate was literally everywhere for years?
3. I enjoyed your examination of the future of the Republican Party. Can you do a similar story on the Demoracts? There is a narrative that the Republican Party is in disarray (and it may be), but I think Republicans generally seem to be fairly united (other than the Trump-obsessed). The real splintering seems to be on the Democrat side. They seem to have their own share of chaos.
It was Bari's essay following the attempted murder of Salman Rushdie that finally moved me to pay for Common Sense. It's pieces like this, on an almost daily basis, that make me realize what a bargain I'm getting.
Barr's thinking that assuming the office of the President would somehow be an epiphany that would cause a change in DT's behavior and become more "presidential" is an idea I believe many bought into.
Bill Barr is what most conservatives were hoping for in Trump, but Trump disappointed any grounded and ethical conservatives. Pedantic and petulant Trump has done a greater disservice to conservative causes than any progressive could; Trump has stained the brand cultivated by Reagan, Bush, McCain, and others who truly believed that smaller government is more democratic and than big government. We have moved on from notions of “Nanny state” progressivism to woke and non-elected, punitive “mother superior” overreaching government regulators demanding DEI oaths. It was a pleasure to hear Bill Barr speak; I enjoy his frank and politely abrasive tone in defense of truly common sense. I hope he stands loudly against Trump brown shirts to allow De Santis room to grow and win influence in the Center right.
Here's what impressed me about Barr (and what drives me insane about some Rs) - he can separate out Trump's accomplishments and strengths but also sees who he is at his core - a bully and a narcissist. I am a Republican and until recently, was not paying a lot of attention to the political machinations in DC (I was raising a family and working a very demanding job). I may go put my head back in the sand until this country has found its way.
I’m so glad Bill Barr did this interview. I was doubtful about his integrity but not completely sold that he interfered with the workings of the executive branch and interfered with the 2020 election. This interview removes all doubt. It’s good to know which “republicans” are part of the uniparty known as Washington DC.
Great interview. But I think something missed was Trumps efforts to declassify all the Russia Russia Russia stuff so we all could see what was done by the DOJ and FBI, and Bill Barrs role in not declassifying those documents. My guess those are the documents Trump took to Mar A Lago, and that’s why DOJ raided Mar A Lago for what appears to be a process issue.
Bari, by early 2017 the DOJ/FBI knew the Russia collusion story was false but nobody called it off. Nobody in Congress, nobody at the FBI, nobody at the RNC, and nobody at the FBI/DOJ.
Consider the source Bari. Clearly, Bill Barr was never on-board with Trump, in fact, he remains a political enemy of the former president. Ignoring the fact Donald Trump is considered as an uninvited party crasher who the entire political establishment, of both parties, wanted to go away. Trusting Bill Barr is akin to trusting Robert Mueller. Bill Barr wasn't ever Trump's AG. After all you've seen you still cannot find it in your head or your heart to give Trump an inch of respect.
Joe Biden is the most divisive president in my time---not Donald Trump.
Good interview. Thanks.
Great interview. Thanks Bari!
The left spent every waking moment undermining the Trump presidency from the moment he was elected. This included department workers at DOJ, the DOD and other agencies. They acted with impunity and to date, to my knolwedge, only one has ever been held accountable. When will the left be held accountable and until they are, why should conservatives have any faith in the system?
BW: Is it possible that Jeffrey Epstein didn’t die by suicide?
AG BARR: No.
That's it? Really? Bari I love your work, and I enjoyed this episode. But letting him get away with that answer... that's astonishing. Why even ask the question of a former CIA guy whose father was also a former CIA guy and once employed Epstein at a school he ran, when Epstein is widely believed to have been in Israeli intelliegence, if you are goiung to accept a very quick "No" as the answer and move on. Very, very dissapointing.
Man... These comments are depressing. Not even an interview like that will convince the (seemingly many) cultists that their hero is severely flawed.
Great interview...really well done. I look forward to many more.
Bari - Another excellent piece. I have a couple suggestions for future topics:
1. Can you please do an in-depth look at where the TDS comes from? I confess, I don't really understand it. As Bill Barr stated, Trump's policies were generally well-received by the conservative (and even moderate) constituency. With Trump it seems to be all about "feelings" and media-manufactured crises.
2. Biden, on the other hand, seems more problematic. He seems to stumble from one failure to the next. Can you explore the Biden family and whether there are real corruption issues (not just the fact that the Hunter laptop story was censored during the election, but whether there are actual national security concerns related to Biden family entanglements)? I think a large part of the population (including me sometimes) thinks that liberals to get a "pass" on everything. Why is an examination of the Bidens not front page news, esp. when Russiagate was literally everywhere for years?
3. I enjoyed your examination of the future of the Republican Party. Can you do a similar story on the Demoracts? There is a narrative that the Republican Party is in disarray (and it may be), but I think Republicans generally seem to be fairly united (other than the Trump-obsessed). The real splintering seems to be on the Democrat side. They seem to have their own share of chaos.
As always thanks!
It was Bari's essay following the attempted murder of Salman Rushdie that finally moved me to pay for Common Sense. It's pieces like this, on an almost daily basis, that make me realize what a bargain I'm getting.
Barr's thinking that assuming the office of the President would somehow be an epiphany that would cause a change in DT's behavior and become more "presidential" is an idea I believe many bought into.
Bill Barr is what most conservatives were hoping for in Trump, but Trump disappointed any grounded and ethical conservatives. Pedantic and petulant Trump has done a greater disservice to conservative causes than any progressive could; Trump has stained the brand cultivated by Reagan, Bush, McCain, and others who truly believed that smaller government is more democratic and than big government. We have moved on from notions of “Nanny state” progressivism to woke and non-elected, punitive “mother superior” overreaching government regulators demanding DEI oaths. It was a pleasure to hear Bill Barr speak; I enjoy his frank and politely abrasive tone in defense of truly common sense. I hope he stands loudly against Trump brown shirts to allow De Santis room to grow and win influence in the Center right.
Here's what impressed me about Barr (and what drives me insane about some Rs) - he can separate out Trump's accomplishments and strengths but also sees who he is at his core - a bully and a narcissist. I am a Republican and until recently, was not paying a lot of attention to the political machinations in DC (I was raising a family and working a very demanding job). I may go put my head back in the sand until this country has found its way.
I’m so glad Bill Barr did this interview. I was doubtful about his integrity but not completely sold that he interfered with the workings of the executive branch and interfered with the 2020 election. This interview removes all doubt. It’s good to know which “republicans” are part of the uniparty known as Washington DC.
Great interview. But I think something missed was Trumps efforts to declassify all the Russia Russia Russia stuff so we all could see what was done by the DOJ and FBI, and Bill Barrs role in not declassifying those documents. My guess those are the documents Trump took to Mar A Lago, and that’s why DOJ raided Mar A Lago for what appears to be a process issue.