Trump's New Attorney General: The Clintons 'Should Be Investigated'
William Barr says Bill and Hillary shouldn't have had a free pass from Justice Department
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President Trump's pick for US attorney general, William Barr, believes that the Clintons "should be investigated" and there are "things" about Bill and Hillary "that haven’t been investigated.”
Trump announced last week that Barr will take over from acting AG Matthew Whitaker to lead the Department of Justice, describing the incoming attorney general as "my first choice from Day One."
According to Barr, the DoJ would be “abdicating its responsibility” if it fails to investigate Bill and Hillary and the Clinton Foundation.
Despite some favorable comments from Democrats, Barr's ambition to probe the former president and first lady will likely trigger resistance from the left, potentially posing a problem in his coming confirmation fight, according to the Washington Post.
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Speaking to WaPo, William Barr explicitly called for a proper investigation into the Clintons, rather than just talking about it.
“I don’t think all this stuff about throwing [Clinton] in jail or jumping to the conclusion that she should be prosecuted is appropriate," Barr stated, before adding:
“But I do think that there are things that should be investigated that haven’t been investigated.”
In a separate interview with the New York Times, Barr explained that there is more basis to investigate Hillary Clinton for the Uranium One deal than there is to investigate Trump for alleged collusion with Russia.
According to Barr, the Justice Department was wrong to give Hillary Clinton a free pass from prosecution.
“To the extent, it is not pursuing these matters, the department is abdicating its responsibility,” Barr stated.
During both interviews, Barr refused to judge President Trump harshly for calling for specific investigations — even ones affecting him and his political opponents.
Barr is an old-fashioned prosecutor who believes in the Constitution and the rule of law.
Barr also made it clear he believes it is acceptable for a president to call for investigations into his political opponents, so long as there is actual evidence of wrongdoing at hand and the decision was not made for political reasons.
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According to the Washington Post, Barr is adamant these conditions have been met when it comes to the Clintons:
But Barr apparently thinks those conditions have been met on the topic Trump had strongly tried and failed to get then-Attorney General Jeff Sessions to investigate — the Clintons — and that has to be music to Trump’s ears.
Barr also has given Trump a complete pass on one of the central events in the Mueller probe: Trump’s firing of James B. Comey as FBI director.
In a Washington Post op-ed, Barr said Trump not only did nothing wrong but also that he “made the right call”:
It is telling that none of the president’s critics are challenging the decision on the merits.
None argue that Comey’s performance warranted keeping him on as director.
Instead, they are attacking the president’s motives, claiming the president acted to neuter the investigation into Russia’s role in the election.
The notion that the integrity of this investigation depends on Comey’s presence just does not hold water.
Contrary to the critics’ talking points, Comey was not “in charge” of the investigation.
Republicans on Sunday were optimistic about William Barr’s chances of being confirmed as attorney general.
Asked by Fox News about the likelihood that Barr will be confirmed as attorney general, Sen. Lindsey Graham said, “Unless there’s something really strange, 100 percent.”
Tick, tock...
