Bill Barr’s testimony was as straightforward and sober as it gets. It is what one would expect from a brilliant attorney (Bill Barr is reprehensible, but he is a brilliant attorney). He knew he had one chance at cementing testimony in what could be a criminal matter and that history was watching:
I had three discussions with the president that I can recall. One was on Nov. 23, one was on Dec. 1 and one on Dec. 14, and I’ve been through sort of the give and take of those discussions and in that context I made it clear I did not agree with the idea of saying the election was stolen and putting out this stuff, which I told the president was bullshit.
“And I didn’t want to be a part of it and that’s one of the reasons that went into me deciding to leave when I did. I observed, I think it was December 1st, you know, he can’t live in a world where the incumbent administration stays in power based on its view, unsupported by specific evidence that there was fraud in the election.
Video of Barr:
1/6 Committee plays Bill Barr testimony saying, “I did not agree with the idea of saying the election was stolen and putting out there stuff which I told the president was bullshit, and, you know, I didn’t want to be a part of it.” pic.twitter.com/D2FqPT07i5
— Sarah Reese Jones (@PoliticusSarah) June 10, 2022
And the response is simply stunning. One expected a typically Trumpian response. But the former president is even more worried than usual, the panic more palpable, and the statement more insane than the delusional fury we’ve long taken as a given. This is a former president of the United States on Truth Social:
Bill Barr was a weak and frightened attorney general who was always being “played” and threatened by the Democrats and was scared stiff of being Impeached. How do you not get impeached? Do nothing or say nothing especially about the obviously STOLEN and RIGGED election. or, to put it another way, THE CRIME OF THE CENTURY! The Democrats hit pay dirt with Barr, he was stupid, ridiculously said there was no problem with the Election, & they left him alone. It worked for him, but not for our country!
The statement really doesn’t need any sort of analysis. But one must point out that Donald Trump faced very serious issues with the Mueller report had Bill Barr not sculpted it to sound almost harmless. Additionally, any other attorney general would have looked closely at some of the deals Jared made in refinancing his building, while also resisting a purely political “investigate the investigator” order. Last, no other attorney general would have allowed such direct pressure from the president. Historical precedent is such that the president is essentially cut off from DOJ, and the president doesn’t comment on any ongoing case or investigation, never mind those that touch on him personally. Barr let it all slide by as if normal.
The fact that Trump is now exploding regarding Bill Barr’s “stupidity” will be noted by Trump’s enablers on Capitol Hill.
Jason Miciak believes a day without learning is a day not lived. He is a political writer, features writer, author, and attorney. He is a Canadian-born dual citizen who spent his teen and college years in the Pacific Northwest and has since lived in seven states. He now enjoys life as a single dad of a young girl, writing from the beaches of the Gulf Coast. He loves crafting his flower pots, cooking, while also studying scientific philosophy, religion, and non-math principles behind quantum mechanics and cosmology. Please feel free to contact for speaking engagements or any concerns.