A Saturday report from The Intercept spotlighted the purported role Attorney General William Barr is playing in “weaponizing” the Department of Justice to help Donald Trump win re-election in November. In particular, the publication claimed Barr is using his power to attack Trump’s enemies and undermine voting for the benefit of the president.
Gerry Heber, who worked in the DOJ for over 20 years on issues related to voter rights, told The Intercept that Barr is not only repeating Trump’s purportedly false claims about the susceptibility of vote-by-mail to fraud, his department has failed to properly protect the rights of American voters.
“There have been literally dozens of lawsuits all over the country to protect voting rights during the pandemic, so that voters don’t have to choose between voting and putting their health at risk. The Barr DOJ hasn’t yet weighed in on any of those cases.”
Former Justice Department inspector general Michael Bromwich suggested that the next concerning possibility is that Barr supports Trump’s purported plan to use U.S. law enforcement agencies to suppress the vote in November.
“An attorney general who believed in the rule of law and democracy would come out four-square against such tactics,” Bromwich said.
The Intercept also speculated that Barr could be planning an October surprise that could be linked to federal prosecutor John Durham’s probe into the origins of the Russian investigation. The investigation notably led to former FBI agent Kevin Clinesmith pleading guilty to doctoring an email that was used to continue surveillance of Trump campaign official Carter Page.
Justin Levitt, a former DOJ prosecutor and current law professor, noted Barr’s past misrepresentations of Robert Mueller’s report and warned that Americans should be skeptical of any revelations he announces this year.
According to Bromwich, Barr’s “active promotion” of the Durham investigation has undermined its integrity.
“Any criminal charges or public report released close in time to the election — generally defined as within 60 days — would be viewed with great skepticism.”
Libertarian Rep. Justin Amash has been a vocal critic of both Trump and Barr for their purported authoritarian tendencies. As The Inquisitr reported, the Michigan congressman highlighted that the pair believe in the unitary executive theory, which posits that the U.S. Constitution provides any given president with broad power over the executive branch.
Amash also accused Barr of being one of the primary forces behind the surveillance state and said the attorney is a vehement supporter of warrantless searches and seizures.