General Discussion
Related: Editorials & Other Articles, Issue Forums, Alliance Forums, Region ForumsWhy is Barr protecting Trump? Simple. It's greed.
He's an attorney that's served in government for the entirety of his career. He's only been in private practice since 2009, and he was probably hired to bring in powerful clients to help them deal with the government.
Read his Wiki page: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_Barr
Trump's policies serve the interests of the 1%. Trump's demagoguery builds political support for those policies. The 1% need Trump to survive. At 69, with his usefulness fading, Barr saw an opportunity for himself. Protect Trump and be rewarded by the 1%. He can sell himself as the corporate lawyer that protects the powerful from the government.
Look at what defending Michael Jackson and OJ did for Johnnie Cochran's legal practice.
Ninga
(8,283 posts)harumph
(1,923 posts)It's all about greed - they've had a taste of money and power and they won't ever
give it up. It's doubtful that they're even that competent in their professions - relying
instead on "favors" from above rather than their brains. The mob was successful because
they had a system of extortion based on threats to family members and incriminating
material. Trump and his ilk are simply criminals - not brilliant - just criminals with enough
leverage to make things happen. Of course Bush was a criminal - but a relatively "high class" one
that was smart enough to leave a trail of plausible deniability. That's why
contrary to the "bleating" of David Brooks, we don't live in a meritocracy - unless merit
means the ability to fuck people over for gain. I'm not saying that the smart don't rise - only that
it's very difficult for the smart and ethical to rise. This society is fucked.
Yavin4
(35,455 posts)Add to that a system where amassing mass wealth is a norm, and you hyper-incentivize unethical, immoral, and illegal acts.
Barr is an aging attorney on the verge of being putting out to pasture. No big corporate firm is going to keep him around unless he can deliver the big clients. This is his swan song.
Skidmore
(37,364 posts)Yavin4
(35,455 posts)If not them, then it's Exxon, or the Kochs, or a big Pharma company. Barr is on the open market, and he's proving his worth.