Trump startled by cozy Barr-Mueller relationship
Source: CNN
President Donald Trump was startled Tuesday as he watched television coverage of his nominee for attorney general describing a warm relationship with the special counsel Robert Mueller in front of the Senate Judiciary Committee, according to three people familiar with the matter.
During the first day of his confirmation hearing, William Barr described telling the President the first time he met him in June 2017 that he was friends with Mueller, referring to him on a first name basis.
"I told him how well I knew Bob Mueller and that the Barrs and Muellers were good friends and would be good friends when this was all over," Barr said. "Bob is a straight-shooter and should be dealt with as such."
While Barr said during his hearing that Trump "was interested" in hearing about the friendship, the details that emerged this week caught the President off guard, the three sources said. He bristled at Barr's description of the close relationship, complaining to aides he didn't realize how much their work overlapped or that they were so close.
Read more: https://www.cnn.com/2019/01/17/politics/donald-trump-william-barr-robert-mueller/index.html
Perseus
(4,341 posts)I have a bad feeling about Barr...
sandensea
(21,720 posts)He was behind Poppy Bush's post '92 election decision to pardon everyone indicted in his Iran-COCAINE-Contra scandal.
Cheeto's kind of AG alright.
liberalgunwilltravel
(339 posts)The Bushes hate/hated Trump. GHW Bush despised Trump. Even for all of his faults, GHW Bush loved America and its ideals. Barr was a loyal servant of GHW Bush. Wouldn't it be sweet...
Leghorn21
(13,527 posts)Wellstone ruled
(34,661 posts)the clock is running as well as the Calendar. Barrs Confirmations is not going to happen for some time. Donnie has 24 months left if he is not kicked our of Office. And 24 months in Politics is a life time .
riversedge
(70,464 posts)Thomas Hurt
(13,903 posts)GulfCoast66
(11,949 posts)The racism, 18th century reading of the Constitution. All of it.
And it pisses me off that History may well be kind to him the way he tried to keep trump from interfering with Mueller.
That night while trump was raging against the whole investigation that Session publicly went out to eat with Rosenstein and Wray was when I knew even he had his limits.
I have my doubts about Barr. He does not seem that smart and like many here think he may well be a stooge. But he has to know where this is heading. Standing up to trump will help his legacy and at his age that must mean something.
What Mueller know will come out. The people want it too bad for it to be suppressed.
LastLiberal in PalmSprings
(12,603 posts)"Trump's toady." No matter how he truly feels about the investigation (and I think his writings are closer to the truth than his testimony), if he's seen killing it he knows that when the history of the abomination that was Trump is written he will not come off well.
My concern is how many ways Barr can dilute the final report if it released. Congress should be entitled to Mueller's unedited report, not a summary. And they should subpoena Mueller's work products to use during the impeachment and trial.
I agree with the conclusion of the Atlantic article: the impeachment process should begin NOW, before Trump has a chance to do even worse damage, like pulling us out of NATO.
Journeyman
(15,044 posts)Mueller operates on an entirely different plane than they do. I don't believe they'll risk challenging him.
GulfCoast66
(11,949 posts)He is a religious nut and thinks god is directing trump. And is not very smart.
My fear is that on his last day in office he fires Rosenstein and Mueller.
If not I agree with you. Barr will not get dive into the chess pool.
ffr
(22,681 posts)Barr cannot be trusted, just like all of tRump's appointees.
Aviation Pro
(12,246 posts)...pulled a con on the con(vict). (Soon).
SayItLoud
(1,702 posts)littlemissmartypants
(22,868 posts)I've seen nonverbal signs of deception. He can't be trusted. These "Bob" statements just make him look like a name dropping braggart.
rickyhall
(4,889 posts)Hekate
(91,042 posts)SunSeeker
(51,811 posts)DallasNE
(7,404 posts)Barr was AG for 1990-1992. So what was Mueller doing at the same time. Well, from Wikipedia, he was "In 1990 he became the United States Assistant Attorney General in charge of the United States Department of Justice Criminal Division."
flibbitygiblets
(7,220 posts)Honeycombe8
(37,648 posts)Trump and his team would have zeroed in on Barr's relationship w/Mueller and found out everything about it. No doubt in my mind that Trump thought that was an advantage, so he could say "See? I chose someone who worked w/Mueller & was friendly with him! I'm so fair!"
northoftheborder
(7,575 posts)....sympathetic to Dotard---or his nomination would have been immediately withdrawn by D.T. Dotard would never allow another person to get close to the "recusal" situation as with Sessions. I think the above analysis of why Barr decided to flatter DT into nominating him as AJ is interesting history.