Attorney General William Barr Has Been Pissed for Weeks: Report
by Matt Naham
Many have noted that there are plenty of possible ulterior motives behind William Barr’s news interview rebuke of President Donald Trump’s tweets, but another report is painting the picture of an attorney general who really is fed up.
ABC News, the news outlet that got the exclusive Barr sit-down interview on Thursday, reported on Friday that Barr has been privately complaining to President Trump about his tweets for weeks now. Per ABC:
Before breaking his silence Thursday in an interview with ABC News, Attorney General William Barr complained privately “for weeks” to President Donald Trump about his tweets and public statements related to Justice Department investigations, a person familiar with the matter said Friday.
A person familiar with the matter (hmm, who on earth might that be?) said that Barr “just needed to [speak out] in light of what was happening.” The controversy in the Roger Stone case appears to have been the last straw, but it was suggested that this was far from the only issue for Barr in recent days and weeks.
A couple of Trump tweets were highlighted in the story.
And Barr was one of many in Republicans in the room when Trump delivered his post-impeachment acquittal victory lap speech.
Trump railed against “evil” people, “dirty cops,” “leakers,” “witch hunts,” and “corrupt” actors.
“We were treated unbelievably unfairly. You have to understand, we first went through ‘Russia, Russia, Russia’. It was all bullshit,” Trump said.
“Had I not fired James Comey, who was a disaster by the way, it’s possible I wouldn’t even be standing here right now. We caught him in the act. Dirty cops, bad people,” he said, while Barr looked on from the front row. “This should never ever happen to another President, ever.”
The White House was given a heads up that Barr was going to do the interview but what Barr was going to say was not revealed, the ABC anonymous source claimed.
On Friday morning, Trump responded on Twitter to Barr’s interview, in particular Barr’s statement that the president has never asked him to do anything in a criminal case.
Trump asserted that, nonetheless, it is his absolute right to do so.
“‘The President has never asked me to do anything in a criminal case.’ A.G. Barr This doesn’t mean that I do not have, as President, the legal right to do so, I do, but I have so far chosen not to!” Trump tweeted.
[Image via Drew Angerer/Getty Images]