Barr's Confirmation Hearing

PhantomWolf

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PhantomWolf
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Is anyone watching these?

To my mind he seems to be pretty well spoken and makes a good case for himself and his previous writings.

Assuming he is telling the truth, he says that he won't interfere or allow anyone else to interfere with the Muller probe, and that he will release the report publicly as he much as he can based on classified information in it.

He is also again political interference in the DoJ, and noted that even if the President ordered an investigation into someone that the DoJ still had to determine that such an investigation would be appropriate before doing so, or that if the President gives an order which relates to a case he is personally involved in that this would be at least a breach of the Constitution and the President's oath to uphold the law.

From what I have seen, I suspect he will be confirmed bipartisanly and that he might not be as useful to Trump as he was hoping.

ETA: watching it is rather different to seeing what went on in the Kavanaugh confirmations
 
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PhantomWolf said:
Is anyone watching these?

To my mind he seems to be pretty well spoken and makes a good case for himself and his previous writings.

Assuming he is telling the truth, he says that he won't interfere or allow anyone else to interfere with the Muller probe, and that he will release the report publicly as he much as he can based on classified information in it.

He is also again political interference in the DoJ, and noted that even if the President ordered an investigation into someone that the DoJ still had to determine that such an investigation would be appropriate before doing so, or that if the President gives an order which relates to a case he is personally involved in that this would be at least a breach of the Constitution and the President's oath to uphold the law.

From what I have seen, I suspect he will be confirmed bipartisanly and that he might not be as useful to Trump as he was hoping.
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Doesn't it kind of feel like the bottom is going to fall out though? I totally get what you're saying, and I agree with all of it. He was very well spoken, maintained eye contact, and made his points without breaking down into tears or screaming at calendars.

I'm going to rate this a "tentatively holding my breath".
 
He played Trump for a sucker.

It should be noted that he testified that he is friends with Mueller, and he was the AG under Bush. We all know how the Bushes feel about the Orange Menace.
 
Barr said he personally would support “a federal law that prohibits marijuana everywhere,” calling the current patchwork system of state laws “untenable” and “almost like a backdoor nullification of federal law.”

But he also pledged not to “upset settled expectations” based on state laws to legalize marijuana, as businesses and individuals have come to rely on the loosening of restrictions.

Booker pushed Barr to explain why he had continued to argue against bipartisan legislation to reduce sentences for drug crimes as late as 2016. Barr argued that “when you have violent gangs . . . sometimes the most readily provable charge is the drug trafficking” and that by charging individuals with drug offenses, “you can be taking out a lot of violent offenders.”
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He's arguing for stiff drug laws, not based on whether stiff drug laws make sense, but because they can be used to arrest people who may have committed other crimes that are harder to prove.

If that is his view of justice I don't want him anywhere near the AG position.
 
The_Animus said:
He's arguing for stiff drug laws, not based on whether stiff drug laws make sense, but because they can be used to arrest people who may have committed other crimes that are harder to prove.

If that is his view of justice I don't want him anywhere near the AG position.
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I agree. This thinking renders inconsequential those who have never committed a violent crime and are subjected to draconian sentencing guidelines. Alice Marie Johnson was given a life sentence without parole despite the fact that it was a first offense and non-violent.

Hmmm...maybe this should go in the 'Say something positive about Trump' thread as he pardoned her. I finally found something I could post there.
 
The_Animus said:
He's arguing for stiff drug laws, not based on whether stiff drug laws make sense, but because they can be used to arrest people who may have committed other crimes that are harder to prove.

If that is his view of justice I don't want him anywhere near the AG position.
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We're all concerned about the Mueller investigation and here is an example of something getting overlooked.

Of course the GOP loves that drug bust ****.

Given the GOP Senators are going to confirm this guy anyway, I'd rather hear him say he won't interfere with Mueller than not. Hopefully it's not a lie.
 
The_Animus said:
He's arguing for stiff drug laws, not based on whether stiff drug laws make sense, but because they can be used to arrest people who may have committed other crimes that are harder to prove.

If that is his view of justice I don't want him anywhere near the AG position.
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Capone was taken down because of Tax Law violations.

He also stated categorically that he won't be using federal resources to enforce federal law in States that have legalised it. His opinion is that Congress needs to sort out the situation so there aren't two laws at play.
 
I feel like there are a set of questions not being asked. Would Barr tolerate a junior attorney that did not read more than a page? Would he tolerate one that required having his or her name written in one page documents so they would bother to finish it? Then why would Barr be willing to tolerate it in a boss?
 
PhantomWolf said:
Capone was taken down because of Tax Law violations.

He also stated categorically that he won't be using federal resources to enforce federal law in States that have legalised it. His opinion is that Congress needs to sort out the situation so there aren't two laws at play.
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I'm sure that all those "states' rights" Republicans would be perfectly happy to override the states that have legalized.
 
I haven't watched it, but from reading quotes I got the impression that he was reserving the right to bury whatever he wants from the Mueller report. I heavily discount his promises.

He also has said there was more reason to investigate Clinton than "so called 'collusion'":

Later Tuesday evening, Baker posted a screen shot of his email exchange with Barr, making it clear Barr "believed that the predicate for investigating the uranium deal, as well as the foundation, is far stronger than any basis for investigating so called, 'collusion'" -- suggesting that the Clinton matter had stronger predication for investigation than Mueller's probe into whether Trump's presidential campaign conspired with Russia to interfere in the 2016 election.
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Linky.

Added to the memo, he sounds like another hyper-partisan and wannabe Trump sycophant.

On other issues, he sounds like another Sessions:

In a pluralistic society like ours, there has be to a live-and-let-live attitude, and mutual tolerance, which has to be a two-way street,” Barr said. “My concern, and the rest of the article addresses this, is I am perfectly fine with the law as it is, for example, with gay marriage, perfectly fine, but I want accommodation for religion.”

When the New Jersey Democrat interjected LGBT youth are disproportionately bullied at schools, Barr interrupted to recognize anti-LGBT hate crimes. Booker acknowledged that before adding many LGBT youth report they are missing school because of fear of being bullied and are disproportionately homeless.

Booker asked Barr whether he thinks laws “designed to protect LGBT individuals from discrimination contribute to what you describe as a breakdown for traditional morality.”

Barr replied “no,” but added, “I also believe there has to be accommodation to religious communities.”
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Linky.

He also was a big fan of mass incarceration, and still defends it as being appropriate, but maybe now we can rethink it a bit:

“He literally wrote a book on the case for more incarceration,” Johnson added, referencing a 1992 Justice Department memorandum, “The Case for More Incarceration.”

Barr’s record in the early 1990s has sparked concerns among groups such as the NAACP.

As deputy attorney general and attorney general, Barr helped oversee the implementation of a 1990 crime law that critics say escalated the war on drugs and had a disproportionate impact on communities of color. He’s also supported harsher sentencing laws, co-chaired a commission for Virginia’s governor in 1994 that suggested abolishing parole and downplayed racial disparities in the criminal justice system.

...

However, he defended his positions form the 1990s, saying they appropriately addressed the issues of the time.

“I don’t think comparing the policies that were in effect in 1992 to the situation now is really fair,” Barr said. “I think the time was right to take stock and make changes to our penal system based on our current experience.”
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Linky.
 
PhantomWolf said:
Is anyone watching these?

To my mind he seems to be pretty well spoken and makes a good case for himself and his previous writings.

Assuming he is telling the truth, he says that he won't interfere or allow anyone else to interfere with the Muller probe, and that he will release the report publicly as he much as he can based on classified information in it.

He is also again political interference in the DoJ, and noted that even if the President ordered an investigation into someone that the DoJ still had to determine that such an investigation would be appropriate before doing so, or that if the President gives an order which relates to a case he is personally involved in that this would be at least a breach of the Constitution and the President's oath to uphold the law.

From what I have seen, I suspect he will be confirmed bipartisanly and that he might not be as useful to Trump as he was hoping.

ETA: watching it is rather different to seeing what went on in the Kavanaugh confirmations
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Assuming he is telling the truth, I can't figure out why Trump would appoint him.
 
fishbob said:
Assuming he is telling the truth, I can't figure out why Trump would appoint him.
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That's what I was pretty much saying. He knows the right things to say, but I just feel like the bottom is going to fall out of it after he gets confirmed.
 
Has anyone else pointed out that he refused to rule out arresting journalists just for reporting?

He had a proper demeanor, but if you actually critically examined what he said, it was pretty terrible. That speaking in a professional manner and saying they won't actively obstruct justice is seen as 'doing well' should be a sobering illustration of how far our standards have fallen.
 
tyr_13 said:
Has anyone else pointed out that he refused to rule out arresting journalists just for reporting?

He had a proper demeanor, but if you actually critically examined what he said, it was pretty terrible. That speaking in a professional manner and saying they won't actively obstruct justice is seen as 'doing well' should be a sobering illustration of how far our standards have fallen.
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Depressing, isn't it?
 
I assume that, once Barr sees the evidence from Mueller, he is going to turn pale, cross himself and re-examine every word he ever said to Trump.

Then he'll have a long talk with Rosenstein.

And then he'll start looking for a replacement for himself.
 
The Great Zaganza said:
I assume that, once Barr sees the evidence from Mueller, he is going to turn pale, cross himself and re-examine every word he ever said to Trump.

Then he'll have a long talk with Rosenstein.

And then he'll start looking for a replacement for himself.
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Doubtful. Surely, unless he's been living under a rock, he has a good idea of what the report is going to turn up. And he probably doesn't care, like the rest of the GOP scum. They like that all the regulating bodies are being gutted, and the rich are getting huge tax breaks, makes them richer.

And I have no doubt he has at least teased Trump with the plan that Barr can quash the bad parts of the report if Trump just trusts him. And he likely meant it.
 
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