How Democrats Can Beat Barr in Battle Over the Mueller Report

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Attorney General William Barr is playing a political game, and he is losing, according to NBC News national affairs analyst John Heilemann.

As Speaker Nancy Pelosi pointed out yesterday, when Barr testified before Congress, he went “off the rails.” Instead of speaking as an independent law enforcement officer, Barr spoke as if he was a member of Donald Trump’s 2020 reelection committee.

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And according to Heilemann, this is why Democrats can beat the Attorney General in the coming battle over releasing special counsel Robert Mueller’s report. Barr’s excessive partisanship and clear bias in favor of helping Trump cover up possible crimes vis not going over well with American voters.

Appearing on MSNBC’s “The Last Word” with Lawrence O’Donnell,

Heilemann explained what is at stake politically for the president in the coming weeks and months.

“What is coming is a war,” Heilemann said. “This Mueller report — every day the stakes of it actually are rising now, rather than having the air let out of the balloon as people thought for a brief moment when it first was reported out,” he explained. “This is a war we’re going to be in the middle of right now.”

He also said that he believes that Barr’s testimony provided a roadmap for Democrats to win the war both legally and politically.

“I understand it’s dismaying and disheartening, but if I’m fighting that battle on the Democratic side, I now can understand my enemy and the kind of strategy he has, what the play is, and what kind of mistakes he’s likely to make,” he said.

“I think Barr revealed a lot about himself, especially his weaknesses as a political player over the course of the last two days. This is very heartening for Democrats because this is a guy I think who can be had,” Heilemann concluded.

Donald Trump and Bill Barr are Playing a Losing Game

The American people want to know what is in the Mueller report that they paid for. They also want an attorney general who is more than a political hack for a president who is alleged to have committed many crimes, including possibly conspiracy against the United States.

If Bill Barr thinks his “off the rails” testimony has helped Donald Trump’s reelection chances next year, he is mistaken. He has lost all credibility with the majority of voters, and just as importantly, he has not provided a legal basis for him to withhold the Mueller report from the American public.

Eventually the key findings of Bob Mueller’s 22-month investigation will come out, and when it does the reputation of Bill Barr will be destroyed. By serving as a toady for Trump, like so many other former Trump allies, he has done nothing but hurt himself.

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Leo Vidal

I am a lifelong Democrat with a passion for social justice and progressive issues. I have degrees in writing, economics and law from the University of Iowa.