As I sip my freshly brewed DD coffee this morning I am saddened to think about the subversion of the Office of the Attorney General of the United States.
Most institutions are proud of the success of their alumni, mainly as a reflection on the quality of the institution from which the alum graduated. This is why yesterday's bi-partisan statement signed by 65 faculty and professors from the George Washington Law School was so startling. The group wrote that Barr's actions as Attorney General "have undermined the rule of law, breached constitutional norms, and damaged the integrity and traditional independence of his office and of the Department of Justice." Not a ringing endorsement for one of their 'star graduates' i would say.
Barr's latest action to fire U.S. Attorney Geoffrey Berman of the Southern District of New York continues a record of partisan behavior that is an embarrassment to the office of the Attorney General. Maybe we will eventually find out that it was motivated by a number of factors, but high on my 'likely' list is Berman's investigation of Trump's favorite bag man, Rudy Giuiiani. I'm sure Cheeto gave (dis)Barr an earful about how he feels about the high-handed SDNY investigations. Add Berman's dismissal to a longer list that includes 'tampering' with the sentencing of Roger Stone and, of course, let's not forget similar shenanigans with twice-confessed purger Michael Flynn.
One has to wonder why so many previously successful pols like Bill Barr, Lindsey Graham, Mitch McConnell, Marco Rubio, et. al. seem so willing to throw their reputations under the bus for Cheeto? Is the lust for reelection or continuing incumbency by these guys so great that personal principles are so easily discarded? Although not generally the conspiratorial type, I also can't help wondering what kind of dossier does Trump possibly have that he uses to keep these invertebrates in line? Maybe his bosom buddy Vlad helps by passing along some old KGB goodies on their financial and personal transgression to use at opportune moments.
With that thought, I will continue to lament the decline of 'constitutional norms' in the Justice Department as I enjoy more coffee this morning.