Justice Department Doesn't Disavow Claim That Barr Is Working With Giuliani to Destroy Biden
February 11th 2020
Candlelight Vigil 2019-185 (Office of Public Affairs)
By Laura Clawson
Sen. Lindsey Graham laid out the next step on the march to authoritarian rule on Sunday, advertising that Rudy Giuliani, Donald Trump’s personal lawyer, is now officially feeding dirt on Trump’s political opponents to the Justice Department with the blessing of Attorney General William Barr. Barr, Graham said on Face the Nation, has "created a process that Rudy could give information and they would see if it’s verified.”
Is this true, or is Graham just running his mouth? Well, The New York Times reports, “A spokeswoman for the Justice Department declined to comment on Mr. Graham’s assertion,” which is not what you want to see here. The only appropriate response would be to strenuously distance the Justice Department from such a brazenly corrupt scheme, one that would overtly politicize the agency.
As Daily Kos’ Hunter summed up Graham’s claims on Sunday, “the president's self-identified ‘personal lawyer,’ acting on behalf of known-corrupt pro-Russian Ukrainian oligarchs and ex-officials and in concert with two now-indicted launderers of Russian cash, is now directly channeling conspiracy claims against Trump's election opponent to the U.S. Attorney General's office. There is no longer any pretense of Giuliani's efforts not being state policy.”
As a reminder, the Justice Department’s mission statement is “To enforce the law and defend the interests of the United States according to the law; to ensure public safety against threats foreign and domestic; to provide federal leadership in preventing and controlling crime; to seek just punishment for those guilty of unlawful behavior; and to ensure fair and impartial administration of justice for all Americans.” Graham is claiming that the department is engaging in behavior that would violate basically all of that. And the department’s response is “No comment.”
If Barr’s Justice Department doesn’t come out and disavow this strongly, it’s a warning sign that Barr is signing on to Trump’s plan to cheat in the 2020 elections, and equally a sign that Barr doesn’t care about the judgment of history—that he, as much as Trump, is unleashed to try to dismantle American democracy and replace it with perpetual Republican rule.
Posted with permission