General Discussion
Related: Editorials & Other Articles, Issue Forums, Alliance Forums, Region ForumsIf Barr leaves office before the end of trump's term, will he be replaced with someone
equally corrupt and sycophantic? I find it hard to believe that there are two people so low.
Horizens
(637 posts)equally corrupt and sycophantic?
PS: I'd be stunned if Barr left office. This "thing" about him and trump is BS.
captain queeg
(10,084 posts)Hes not leaving. If he did Trump would probably just take over running DOJ himself.
monmouth4
(9,685 posts)matt819
(10,749 posts)The dispute is theater, distraction. Barr has been trumpian for longer than trump has been trumpian.
Raven
(13,877 posts)stillcool
(32,626 posts)who wouldn't do the same sh*t. And Barr can always be a mentor, to keep things running.
Caliman73
(11,722 posts)Barr is not necessarily a sycophant either. Barr truly believes in the power of the unitary executive and in the enforcement of hierarchy. He was one of the major proponents of mass incarceration of people of color. He supported GHW Bush in covering for Reagan's crimes during Iran-Contra.
Barr is many things but he isn't really a follower. He is a man on a mission, who saw that Trump's motives aligned in a certain way, with his own. If there is a problem (which I doubt) between the two right now, it is that Trump is so self serving and stupid, that it gets in the way of Barr's agenda of establishing an executive branch above the law. Trump just wants to shout it from the roof tops. He likes to commit crime and brag about getting away with it. Barr is used to slightly smarter criminals who maintain an air of plausible deniability.
Most of the people that Trump has actually chosen for positions are scumbags. He inherited people as career workers in departments but clashed with them immediately (think Sally Yates). He chose Flynn. He chose Kelly. He chose Spicer, Huckabee-Sanders, and Scaramucci. He chose Manafort. He chose Stone.
If Barr resigns, Trump will pick another scumbag to replace Barr. One thing though, is that the likely choice will be someone who is not as adept at being a weasel like Barr who was given the benefit of the doubt by Washington people because he was a former Attorney General and didn't get the scrutiny he deserved for Iran-Contra. He is a Washington operator though and Trump is running out of those.
katmondoo
(6,454 posts)TreasonousBastard
(43,049 posts)Do not forget that Barr was not complaining about Trump's tweets stopping him from doing a proper job, but complaining about how they interfered with his plans to do his dirty work, much of which actually helps Trump.
I've heard that even back in the early days of law school and clerkship, he was in favor of the unitary executive, and believes that congress and the courts have no real oversight powers. Trump is indeed too stupid to just let him do his job, such as it is.
Perhaps we should be thankful for small favors.
Caliman73
(11,722 posts)My wife and I were having that very conversation today. Trump is too dumb and egotistical to get out of his own way. He needs to brag about how he can break the rules. It makes him feel more powerful.
I totally agree that what Barr is saying and doing is not sincere communication about wanting to serve the American People. He is trying to communicate with Trump to ease off because breaking the law is best done in secret. As I said, if there is any friction, it is that. Trump wants to openly flout the law and Barr wants to do it more secretively.
Firestorm49
(4,028 posts)keithbvadu2
(36,640 posts)Trump will replace him with Roy Cohn.
Dead? No problem.
Paula White and Pat Robertson can raise him from the dead.
0rganism
(23,920 posts)that is the pattern, i do not think it will change