The attorney general hasn’t said a single thing that wasn’t technically true about the Mueller report. But he was dishonest.
Five weeks ago, when Attorney General Barr released his four-page summary of the Mueller report, I declared, “I’m confident that Mueller and his team did their job and I have no reason to think Barr and his team aren’t doing theirs.” Defending that statement in the comments section, I reasoned, “I think he values his legal reputation more than he covets Trump’s affections” and “it would be a short-lived win in that the full report will get out soon.”
A few days later, when members of Mueller’s team complained that Barr’s summary understated their findings, I doubled down, “Given that something approximating the full report will be not only shared with Congress but made public quite soon, I have operated under the assumption that Barr’s summary was accurate as to the legal findings but shaded in terms of the political implications. I still think this is correct.”
My faith in Barr was misplaced. He did, in fact, place his loyalty to Trump over his duties to the country, the reputation of his Department, and his personal integrity.
I take some comfort in being in good company.
Lawfare’s Ben Wittes:
“I was willing to give Bill Barr a chance. Consider me burned.”
The subhead of his essay declares “The attorney general misled the public in seven key ways.”
Not in my memory has a sitting attorney general more diminished the credibility of his department on any subject.
