It’s time to go on offense. Long past time. And no, I’m not talking sports.
As we know, all indications are that corrupt and treasonous U.S. Attorney General Bill Barr is likely to an issue an “October Surprise” or two in the weeks before the election with the unveiling of the results of at least one feverishly invented investigation of the investigators of Russian interference in the 2016 presidential election and its ties to the Trump campaign. Never mind that by long-standing Department of Justice precedent, norms and policy, the Department has traditionally refrained from taking such politically damaging actions in the run-up to elections in order to avoid influencing said elections in any way. But trashing precedent, norms, policy, the notion of impartiality, and just common sense doesn’t trouble Mr. Barr in the slightest. Hell, that’s what he seems to live for.
And as the media is now noting, members of the Democratic party are said to be worried about this possible development. Worried. And fretting. And concerned. And troubled. And perturbed. One might even say there is a Susan Collins-esque quality to these reactions. My point, however, is not to argue this is not worth worrying about. For anyone who cares at all about evicting the human blight on humanity that is Donald Trump out of the White House in November, of course it is. But I don't think this reaction is sufficient at all.
Rabid partisan Bill Barr — the corrupt stain on the Department of Justice who is making a mockery of the idea of impartial administration of justice — is going to do what he is going to do. The results of the bogus investigations will be revealed. That’s a given. Why should Democrats do nothing except worry and fret about something they can’t control? Why not supplement that worry with actions that they absolutely can control? Actions such as launching impeachment proceedings against this corrupt soul who is deeply damaging the institution he professes to lead.
G-d knows, there are plenty of grounds for that impeachment, including but certainly not limited to:
- The grotesque distortion of the Mueller report, and related lies
- The intervention in the prosecution of Roger Stone.
- The assault on the prosecution of Michael Flynn
- The pressure applied to, and removal of, the US Attorneys in Washington, D.C., as well as the Southern and Eastern Districts of New York, the districts conveniently most relevant to cases involving Donald Trump.
- The barbaric assaults on peaceful protesters in Washington, D.C, and Portland, Oregon
That’s just for starters, and doesn't even touch on the Breitbart-esque partisanship he has displayed in public speeches, or the contempt he clearly has for the radical notions of checks and balances and congressional oversight most recently on display at the July 28 Judiciary Committee hearing.
The fact that the impeachment will, of course, go nowhere in the craven and treasonous Republican-controlled Senate is irrelevant. Democrats can and should draw attention to his many, many acts which spit on the rule of law. And then impeach him, which he richly deserves. This would most decidedly NOT be simply a partisan attack launched without cause. There's a reason why — actually, many many good reasons why — more than 2,000 former DOJ and FBI officials of both parties, and 80% of the faculty of his old law school (among others) have called for Barr to resign. Suffice it to say that none of those reasons are because Mr. Barr is a bastion of legal integrity. Apart from leaving a permanent stain on Barr’s reputation and record to add to history’s judgement and condemnation, an impeachment — and the hearings proceeding it — would have the added benefit of ensuring that any DOJ surprises which do emerge in October are tainted with that stench of corruption.
I'm a passionate Democrat, and I’m tired of Democrats seemingly always playing defense in these made up scandal-mongering wars. Worrying. Fretting. But not proactively doing. Chairman Nadler, Speaker Pelosi, and House Democrats can do something about that. And they really should.
Would love to hear thoughts of other Kossacks.
Wednesday, Sep 9, 2020 · 2:08:08 AM +00:00
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JunglelandDan
Really, Democrats need to launch impeachment proceedings against Bill Barr. NOW.
DOJ’s highly, highly unusual intervention in Jean Carroll’s defamation case against Trump, which would move a private legal matter from New York state to federal court — and not coincidentally, transfer the legal costs from Trump to the rest of us, American taxpayers. Last I checked, the Department of Justice is not supposed to serve as a reservoir of attorneys to defend Donald Trump.
Again, the fact that the Senate would not convict is irrelevant. Apart from being the right and just thing to do — Bill Barr has clearly abused his office, massively and repeatedly — it would serve to politically damage Barr and his enablers before any bogus “October surprise” that Barr might be plotting, and would highlight a variety of issues and abuses, including this one related to Jean Carroll’s lawsuit, which haven’t received the amount of sunlight that they richly deserve.
In the event of a hoped-for Trump loss in November, we know that #MoscowMitch would nonetheless ram a Supreme Court nomination through the Senate on January 19 if given the opportunity, political niceties, norms, and respect for the election outcome be damned. It’s long past time for elected Democrats to fight just as hard for our priorities.