BARR WINS A DAY. You can’t nail jello to the wall and nobody can nail AG William “Jellybelly” Barr down on anything that can hurt Trump. He dodges, obfuscates, delays, and ponders. He was clearly representing Trump and not the USA….but, news flash, he’s not the first AG to do the same. If you were anti-Trump it was painful to watch. Committee Chair Lindsey Graham opened the hearing with an effective, for Trump, statement. Graham is a slick operator who is tough in a knife fight. (He saved the Kavanaugh Nomination with a semi-hysterical yet purposeful rant that riled the base and saved the day for Mr. Justice Kavanaugh). After his opening, Graham got to question Barr first. He asked about twenty questions and got the one word answer (yes or no) he wanted, making a record protecting Trump. The first Democrat to question Barr was 85 year old non lawyer, Diane Feinstein. Suffice it to say she didn’t lay a glove on Barr. To make a long story shorter it was an hour and a half into the hearing before a Democrat under age 79 got to speak word one. After all was said and done the only Democrat to “win” the few minutes of questions she had against Barr was Kamala Harris…she didn’t try to hit a home run but she succeeded in demonstrating that Barr, if not a stone cold liar, was tricky, slippery and not consistently believable. Not by a long shot.
HOUSE LOSES A DAY. Barr has turned down an appearance before The House Judiciary Committee because Chairman Nadler planned to assign the questioning of Barr to staff lawyers. Congressional Committees have long delegated to staff the questioning of witnesses. Bobby Kennedy cut his teeth as a lawyer on a Senate Committee questioning Teamster boss Jimmy Hoffa and Mob boss Sam Giancana. Trump’s favorite lawyer, Roy Cohn, was once used by Senator Joe McCarthy to question witnesses in the late fifties. Barr’s “in control” demeanor might go south if he had to face cross examination by a top flight lawyer who had put in a couple hundred hours of preparation. That could get weird quick. Barr is far more comfortable playing word games with a Congressman who might spend an hour trying to think up a question and has no real power to survive a give and take. There’s no question of principle here, Barr is afraid of going toe to toe with a competent and fully prepared lawyer…what would Trump say if he didn’t do so good?
MUELLER’S DAY. Right this moment Bob Mueller is still an employee of the US Department of Justice. While an employee his boss, AG William Barr, has the authority to determine when and to whom he may speak. He could quit at any moment effective immediately and accept an invitation to speak to anybody anywhere at any length. The Trump Administration could try and stop him claiming some sort of violation of the Regs establishing his Special Counsel status. Let them have at it…the public would turn on Trump and Barr. I love the match up: Mueller representing more public information; Trump-Barr representing less public information. Mueller, the guy that went to the doctor to get in the Marines against Trump the guy who went to the doctor to stay out of the service.
MUELLER’S MIND. That’s the big imponderable. He doesn’t self promote at all. People who know him don’t talk except to praise his work habits, dedication, patriotism…all the good stuff. What I’d love to know is this…IS BOB MUELLER PISSED…LIKE WANTING TO KICK SOME ASS PISSED? He’s seen his country trashed by low lifes…it must do something to a guy who has always done the right thing.
CONCLUSION
I’m really hoping Mueller’s pissed and ready to rock and roll. It’s Joe DiMaggio time…”our nation turns its lonely eyes to you.”
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