Twitter is where all the people who know stuff hang out during a Senate hearing:
.@SenatorLeahy just asked William Barr if Trump can use funds without congressional appropriations to build a wall on our Southern border. Barr dodged and wouldn't offer a clear answer. #SaveJustice pic.twitter.com/j5ioFzHxWA
— The Leadership Conference (@civilrightsorg) January 15, 2019
Barr hearing in a nutshell:
GOP: We would like to talk to you about parking tickets and anything else that has nothing to do with Trump.
Dems: We would like to discuss how you will handle the greatest scandal in the history of the republic.
Barr: I would need to see the statute.— David Rothkopf (@djrothkopf) January 15, 2019
Save this video for when Trump tries to mess with the Mueller probe. It will be golden! From Today's William Barr hearing:pic.twitter.com/O7qe4aTvUt
— Brian Krassenstein (@krassenstein) January 15, 2019
William Barr seems to concede that Trump and the W.H. may try to push him into unethical or at least murky territory and that others might even resign over those actions, but he seems to argue that because he's older and at the end of his career, he can't and won't be influenced.
— Kyle Griffin (@kylegriffin1) January 15, 2019
What is most unprecedented in this William Barr hearing is this next question by @SenatorDurbin: "what would be your breaking point, what would be your Jim Mattis moment?" pic.twitter.com/J1qSDuoCao
— Amee Vanderpool (@girlsreallyrule) January 15, 2019
🧐 Barr says "I don't recall" getting any confidential information about the investigation. Doesn't recall?
— Natasha Bertrand (@NatashaBertrand) January 15, 2019
Barr testimony here makes no sense. He says he wrote memo to tell the lawyers not to focus on obstruction b/c theory wrong. But if so, why give the memo only to Trump lawyers and not to Mueller? If you wanted to prevent prosecutors from using a bad theory,you tell the prosecutors https://t.co/7fppcT1PI5
— Neal Katyal (@neal_katyal) January 15, 2019
What Barr has said:
1) More Clinton probes needed
2) Uranium One more worthy of probe than collusion
3) Comey firing AOK
4) Mueller team's donations too left-leaning
5) OK for presidents to request specific investigations
6) Mueller's obstruction probe "fatally misconceived"— Aaron Blake (@AaronBlake) January 15, 2019
Barr: "I believe the Russians attempted to interfere in the election...and we have to get to the bottom of it." Attempted? Why did he say "attempted"? They did interfere.
— David Corn (@DavidCornDC) January 15, 2019
The facts are pretty clear that Trump has done this repeatedly both publicly and privately. Did Barr just implicitly endorse impeachment? https://t.co/rsZApzyFjA
— Matthew Miller (@matthewamiller) January 15, 2019
Barr not fully committing to publicly releasing Mueller report. He says he will commit to releasing "as much as I can" consistent with the law. Big gray area.
— Manu Raju (@mkraju) January 15, 2019
Hoping one of the journos at the Barr hearing IRL asks former SJC @ChuckGrassley whether he really believes that pay-for-itself Mueller investigation has cost billions.
— emptywheel (@emptywheel) January 15, 2019
Please ask Barr about Iran Contra pardons https://t.co/Qqbt5mTozc and limits to subjecting executive branch to rule of law, @SenKamalaHarris @SenBooker @SenAmyKlobuchar @maziehirono @SenBlumenthal @ChrisCoons @SenWhitehouse @SenatorDurbin
— Dave Guerdette (@DGuerdette) January 15, 2019
Feinstein to William Barr: The next attorney general must be able to tell the president 'no' https://t.co/dXM3zRq6MR
— Alan Fisher (@fishersusa) January 15, 2019
I get that Barr is a former AG, but it strikes me as highly inappropriate for someone outside of DOJ to try & tell prosecutors how they should interpret the law & the facts in a specific case. Particularly one he’s going to end up in charge of.
— Joyce Alene (@JoyceWhiteVance) January 15, 2019
This is one of the rare handful of times in our 200+ year history where federal prosecutors have said a sitting President ordered the commission of felonies
That investigation, by the Southern District of NY, must continue unimpeded. Barr hasn’t promised to do that, only Mueller— Neal Katyal (@neal_katyal) January 15, 2019
Credit to @SenatorLeahy for noting that Barr recommended that GHW Bush pardon Iran-contra criminals convicted by an independent counsel. (And Bush lied to cover up his own role in the scandal.) This should disqualify Barr, period.
— David Corn (@DavidCornDC) January 15, 2019
And what have we learned, boys and girls? Nothing of any practical use, unless Bill Barr is not lying -- and right now, there's no way to know.
