Democrats should immediately move to have Barr disbarred.
Barr is at the center of the cover-up of Trump’s impeachable acts. Speculation is that Barr will not even recuse himself, which he must do given that he is a witness at the very least.
In yesterday’s NYT Michelle Goldberg sums up Barr’s refusal thusly: www.nytimes.com/...
But Barr’s refusal to recuse creates a sort of legal cul-de-sac. It’s only the Justice Department, ultimately, that can prosecute potential federal crimes arising from this scandal. Barr’s ethical nihilism, his utter indifference to ordinary norms of professional behavior, means that he’s retaining the authority to stop investigations into crimes he may have participated in.
That we would have an Attorney General that would ever be in a circumstance or position where this thought crossed anybody’s mind is a testament to how absolutely low the Republican Party has sunk.
An Attorney General concealing wrongdoing by members of their Party, and preventing investigation of members of their Party, and having the members of their Party in Congress condoning, and deceiving the public about such actions. We are no longer in the realm of a Hollywood fictional plot, we are living it.
Barr’s flaunting of the law to protect Trump has been nakedly obvious almost since his arrival. But now Barr has been exposed as having knowledge of a cover-up, at a minimum, and potentially involved in the direction of it.
Barr’s refusal to at a minimum immediately and fully recuse in this circumstance is an absolute violation of ethics. It goes far beyond presenting an appearance of a conflict, it is the flagrant disregard of a conflict at the very highest level of concern within our entire legal system.
Disbarment needs to be initiated today. There is no need to wait for some hearing with Barr. There is no need for stern words, disapproval, and dismay. It does not matter that he denies having knowledge about the whole thing as Trump’s own words imply that he is indeed involved. Case closed. We also know that Barr has lied to deliberately mislead the public and to protect Trump in his characterization of the Mueller Report, so Barr has no credibility.
Those who would argue in support of Barr’s position, and by extension Goldberg’s characterizations, would seem prepared to accept that there is nothing to be done to prevent a rogue Attorney General, in this case Barr, from continuing in his position are surrendering to a banana republic legal system where those in power can do what they want. It would represent the end of our democratic system of laws and justice. Barr deserves to be impeached, and could be impeached, but the Republicans in the Senate will never do that, because they are fine with a banana republic legal system which is also protecting them. It is but one more previously unfathomable instance of the Republican Party putting their Party above our country.
Disbarment, and stripping Barr of his qualification for the position, should be pursued immediately. It must be expedited. It is the least that can be done. Demands for Barr’s recusal should be loud, adamant, and never stop, like what Republicans would do if it was a Democrat in this position.