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DonViejo

(60,536 posts)
Sun Jun 30, 2019, 03:38 PM Jun 2019

In 'Brutal Assessment' of Barr, Ex-Colleague Says AG Backs Trump to Boost Executive Power


by Alberto Luperon | 2:46 pm, June 30th, 2019

A former colleague of Attorney General William Barr is arguing that the AG misled the public about the results of the Mueller investigation in order to better establish a presidency exercising “unchecked” executive power. He also pointed forward an “unsolicited” anti-Mueller memo that Barr wrote before becoming AG.

From a new op-ed in The Atlantic by Donald Ayer, who preceded Barr as Deputy Attorney General when George H.W. Bush was president:

There can be no doubt that the primary effect of Barr’s conduct to date has indeed been to befuddle and mislead, and create a public misimpression, for those who have not read Mueller’s report, that the president may not have interfered with the investigation. But Barr never said that the president did not in fact interfere, only that there is no basis in fact and law to support a finding of criminal obstruction. Indeed, a careful review of Barr’s conduct suggests that his mission is far more grandiose that just misleading people about the facts.


Ayer described Barr as long being a “fierce advocate of unchecked presidential power.” (Georgetown Law Professor Jonathan Turley, a friend of Barr’s, previously told The New York Times the AG’s “default” is Article II of the Constitution.) But Ayer now looks at the extent that Barr went to expand executive power.

Ayer found that in the AG’s opinion, there shouldn’t even have been a special counsel: “in Barr’s view, the only check on gross misconduct by the president is impeachment, and the very idea of an independent or special counsel investigating the president is a constitutional anathema.”

more
https://lawandcrime.com/politics/in-brutal-assessment-of-barr-ex-colleague-says-ag-backs-trump-to-boost-executive-power/
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In 'Brutal Assessment' of Barr, Ex-Colleague Says AG Backs Trump to Boost Executive Power (Original Post) DonViejo Jun 2019 OP
The ideal enabler for a dictator. dalton99a Jun 2019 #1
Now is not the time to have an Attorney General who is into political hackery Sneederbunk Jun 2019 #2
Along with an enabling Senate leftieNanner Jun 2019 #9
boost executive power? Is that what we are calling ambitions to be a fascist dictator now? Thomas Hurt Jun 2019 #3
Is that the goal of the Federalist Society? BigmanPigman Jun 2019 #4
Yes see below: it's all about damaging government function sharedvalues Jun 2019 #6
Thanks. BigmanPigman Jun 2019 #7
Well, we knew this was putin's intent 3 years ago... pangaia Jun 2019 #8
It was Republican intent 30 years ago sharedvalues Jul 2019 #11
And "executive power" means "destroy govt to cut taxes on the rich" sharedvalues Jun 2019 #5
No surprise actually Yo_Mama_Been_Loggin Jun 2019 #10

sharedvalues

(6,916 posts)
11. It was Republican intent 30 years ago
Mon Jul 1, 2019, 12:25 AM
Jul 2019

The Reagan administration came up with the BS “unitary executive” theory as a way to hamstring future Democratic administrations.

sharedvalues

(6,916 posts)
5. And "executive power" means "destroy govt to cut taxes on the rich"
Sun Jun 30, 2019, 04:52 PM
Jun 2019

The reason why rightwingers back “executive power” is because it prevents effective regulation.
It means that every time a GOP President is elected, they can completely undo everything past Democratic Presidents have done.

For example, Obama did work at the EPA to use regulation to keep air and water clean. By rights, that work at the EPA should continue.
But “unitary executive” theory means Trump can completely undo everything and make EPA do whatever HE wants.

“Strong executive” means “destroy government to cut taxes on the rich”.

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