Barr- Opinions?

[Hayabusa Rider]

Positives so far-

Mueller is not having a witch hunt.
Supports investigations as they are.
Won't allow a redefining of Mueller's mandate.
Trump would be committing a crime if he did a quid pro quo with a witness in exchange for a pardon.
Won't let Trump pressure the DOJ to get his way in this investigation. Trump may fire people but if it was to stop an investigation then that is criminal obstruction.

Cons: Not MJ friendly at all.


Overall impression from the bits I've seen- acceptable but far from perfect. When pushed for what his reactions from Trump, he in essence said, "eff that. I'm not doing wrong for him, the Press or Congress".

From what was explored in the hearings he is not saying a President cannot obstruct, but if the idea that firing an individual (comey) constitutes obstruction without other evidence to back that contention then obstruction doesn't hold water. That's pretty much where Mueller would be. Firing creates suspicion but in itself not enough to bring charges.

Anyway, opinions?

 

[Moonbeam]

My position is a variation of one I learned from two very conservative business people. Give them one term and hang them. My variation is that if they seek the job, hang them.

 

[cytg111]

Seth didnt have a meltdown over him... coulda been worse... Besides... I think Mueller got this locked down. Obstruct and get obstructed.

 

[HomerJS]

I wish someone had questioned him on Trump's own scenario of shooting someone on the streets of 5th Ave.

Let's say that person dies, would he be arrested and indicted assuming there are witnesses? If they don't do it he could take AF1 flee the country and seek asylum in Russia.

 

[MomentsofSanity]

His testimony just seemed to leave a lot of loop holes and wiggle room in his answers as time went on. More I saw the less comfortable I felt with him. I just don’t really know which way I lean.

 

[GodisanAtheist]

Don't know much about Barr personally, but if the guy was nominated by Trump, then he's about the last person that should be doing the job.

I don't think that's an outlandish position to hold at this juncture...

 

[JEDIYoda]

Cons: Not MJ friendly at all.

I listened to the hearing and on a federal level he has no use for Mj legalization.....
But on a state level he did say and I give him credit -- lets do this right if the states are to make their own decisions concerning Mj legalization!!

 

[dawp]

he could be taking after his future boss and lying through his teeth.

I don't trust anyone trump nominates, almost all trump appointees have shown their true face when push come to shove

 

[Thump553]

I'd like to find a Trump nominee I could support (or at least one I could tolerate) but unfortunately Barr is not the one. I only saw small portions of his testimony but I walked away was the large extent to which he parsed his words. Sure he said the right things in his very broad testimony but pressed on details he tended to qualify and walk it back. Two things that disturbed me the most: (1) he would not commit to not re-editing the Mueller report before releasing it to Congress, much less to the public, (2) he would not even commit to telling Congress what his edits were and (3) his statement of a bright line that Mueller must comply with the practices of DOJ I interpret as an absolute prohibition against bringing criminal charges against The Donald.

Have they even touched on him explaining his 19 page memo castigating the Mueller probe?

Will probably be another 100% GOP for vote so he will get the appointment. Bad for the country-the Attorney General's loyalty will be to Trump, not to the country or justice. We have had a lot of crappy Attorney Generals in the last few decades and a few outstanding ones. At this point we really need an outstanding one-which we won't be getting.

 

[VRAMdemon]

He once warned of a lack of "political supervision" at the Justice Dept. that he said gave too much leeway to career prosecutors and made it "very easy for prosecutors to go hunting for scalps."

https://t.co/0PAB19V4FV

Under Barr’s reading of the law, an obstruction case Mueller may be pursuing is “asinine.” He says results of Mueller’s report should be made public but nothing about its contents. And he has a view of presidential power that renders all of his promises moot.

https://t.co/KegGd3cFSe

Schiff :

Bill Barr wrote a lengthy memo outlining his hostility to an investigation implicating the President, and then discussed it with him prior to his nomination for AG. Absent recusal, this should be utterly disqualifying.

There's some reason he picked him, no matter who, the rule of law will be tested

https://twitter.com/AdamSchiff/statu...457292800?s=19

 

[vi edit]

I'll openly admit that I'm probably incapable at this point of being able to objectively judge any nominee that Trump puts forth. Sooooooooo many of them are ethically dubious or just flat out grifters or yes men to him. Even trying to be objective and watching what bits I did yesterday he got far too cagey and mush mouthed on real questions.

 

[Stokely]

I don't like his policies or what I've read about his history. He's all about locking people up and throwing away the key, and we by far have the most incarcerated population in the 1st/2nd world. At what point do we stop banging our head against a wall that shows no signs of falling down? That goes doubly for the miserable failure called the "war on drugs."

I am a bit relieved at what he answered about Mueller, that could have been worse for sure.

 

[Hayabusa Rider]

I'll openly admit that I'm probably incapable at this point of being able to objectively judge any nominee that Trump puts forth. Sooooooooo many of them are ethically dubious or just flat out grifters or yes men to him. Even trying to be objective and watching what bits I did yesterday he got far too cagey and mush mouthed on real questions.

Which ones? Anyone who goes before the Senate needs to be guarded because the knives are out. What he wasn't is a Sessions who smiled like a bobblehead.

I think this is a fair opinion piece and Trump may have picked the wrong guy.

Is he my first choice in NormalWorld? No, but this isn't there anymore. Imagine Trump realizing this guy is more Mueller than Whittaker when it comes to the rule of law but gets to make a "better" choice?

I'll go with "reasonable" over someone like Nunes.

 

[vi edit]

Towards the very beginning on his conversations with Trump, his talking with others about the investigation and if he had any information that wasn't public.

It went from "No, no, no, absolutely not" to "Well, umm, I don't recall" or "Ummm, nothing that wasn't confidential".

There were just several distinct moments that he just waffled on his answers.

 

[Hayabusa Rider]

Towards the very beginning on his conversations with Trump, his talking with others about the investigation and if he had any information that wasn't public.

It went from "No, no, no, absolutely not" to "Well, umm, I don't recall" or "Ummm, nothing that wasn't confidential".

There were just several distinct moments that he just waffled on his answers.

That's true but I wonder if that wasn't him buying time to read the room. The Reps supporting Trump would come to not like him and virtually no Dem would support him no matter what because he's associated with Trump even peripherally. That does not mean I fully endorse him because there are things in his past I find questionable, but lying under oath isn't something I found.

 

[UNCjigga]

I didn’t like his exchange with Hirono yesterday...it seems he’s not committed to a public Mueller report that details all the evidence, both against those indicted and evidence against those Justice decides not to indict (I.e a sitting President.) He also didn’t commit to provide Congress with details on any edits he or other senior officials will make to Mueller’s report before sharing it with them.

 

[HomerJS]

My concern this guy is pulling a giant con. Once he gets in what's stopping him from just not releasing the report or redacting the shit out of it?

Only recourse the House can subpoena him, he either refuses to show up or asserts the 5th. It ultimately goes to the SC and we all know that result.

 

[soundforbjt]

Anyone willing to work for Trump should not be trusted. I'm afraid he'd start to look at the Hannity/Nunes conspiracy theories wrt the FBI FISA warrants, etc. His answers on Mueller's report also bothered me.

 

[Hayabusa Rider]

I didn’t like his exchange with Hirono yesterday...it seems he’s not committed to a public Mueller report that details all the evidence, both against those indicted and evidence against those Justice decides not to indict (I.e a sitting President.) He also didn’t commit to provide Congress with details on any edits he or other senior officials will make to Mueller’s report before sharing it with them.

I agree with Barrs reasons for the report. We have our curiosity satisfied and perps have their entire defense before them along with methods and witnesses listed, the history of Mueller's efforts laid bare.