Media rip Barr in advance for holding a news conference
Written by Fox News on April 18, 2019
Even before William Barr’s appearance at the Justice Department this morning, he had been utterly vilified—for the sin of showing up to answer reporters’ questions.
There was, to be sure, more to it than that. By making his public appearance before the Mueller report was released, the attorney general appeared to be engaging in a partisan maneuver. He was, it was said, trying to frame the narrative in a way that would help the man who appointed him.
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But any attempt at spin would be short-lived at best, as journalists and members of Congress would see the anxiously awaited report about 90 minutes after the Barr presser.
Even before word leaked about the delayed release, which in my view was too cute by half, Barr was being savaged. The Washington lawyer who came into office highly respected—he had, after all, held the same job under George H.W. Bush—had shredded his credibility, according to the liberal indictment. Commentators at MSNBC were absolutely horrified that he would hold a news conference at all—and indeed, leading Democrats soon demanded that the AG cancel the session.
In other words, the pundits would be talking about Barr and his handling of the explosive report all day, but for him to publicly respond to questions was a bridge too far.
Sure, it would have been better to release the report first and make Barr available second. But the media uproar reflected the enormous anxiety in the runup to the report’s release, filled with days of speculation and advance conclusions about a document none of us had seen.
More concerning is a New York Times report that Justice Department officials had “numerous conversations with White House lawyers” about Mueller’s conclusions in recent days, helping the president’s legal team prepare its rebuttal report. And President Trump was leading the prebuttal, tweeting early this morning that “The Greatest Political Hoax of all time! Crimes were committed by Crooked, Dirty Cops and DNC/The Democrats.”
The net effect is that after the deputy attorney general named Robert Mueller to lead an independent investigation insulated from politics, the matter is back in the hands of Trump political appointees—in part because Mueller punted on deciding obstruction of justice charges, leaving the matter to Barr.
But all the advance spin and counterspin will be moot the moment the report comes out.
Source: Fox News Politics
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