SIMPLE & QUICK: Bill Barr is central casting, all of the House Judiciary is a stage, and American democracy enters through side door

The President’s Attorney General took center stage today in the House Committee on the Judiciary‘s hearing on oversight of the United States Department of Justice. The leading political actors stuck to their roles and the AG made it clear that he is central casting, too.

The committee chair, Democratic Congressman Jerry Nadler, read an opening statement that outlined a litany of grievances and heavy charges against the Attorney General. Ranking member, Republican Congressman Jim Jordan, resurrected American Carnage and invoked the Russia Investigation in his opening statement. The animated congressman followed his words with a lengthy compilation video of edits displaying enraged demonstrators.

William Barr spared no time in declaring the party line. After being sworn in under oath and advised of the speaking rules, the Nation’s Top Cop decried, “Police killings of black men are rare,” and that “deep-seated racism is an oversimplification” of the George Floyd demonstrations. The AG furthered this inclination by informing the Committee that, “so far this year, eight (8) black men have been killed by police and that is compared to eleven (11) white men.” Mr. Barr also blames black people for 90% of black murder and black crime.

Democrats spent the day taking individual shots against the Attorney General in what appeared to be a death-by-a-thousand-cuts strategy. Speaking time allows for five minutes per member. In a ploy to avoid non-answer replies from the AG, Democrats attached receipts to their complaints of Bill Barr as they indict him with violating civil rights of Americans, violating his oath of office as AG, and for deploying federal troops at the whim of the President’s political tantrums among other gross transgressions of Democracy.

The Committee spent time comparing the Justice Department’s magnanimous handling of Roger Stone with the same Justice Department’s aggressive action toward Portland protestors and D.C. demonstrators. Members point out that peaceful demonstrators are being abducted and beaten bloody by extra-judicial and unrecognizable Federal police troops, while Roger Stone, a convicted felon, even in AG Barr’s own words, is out of prison and enjoying his best life. To that, AG Bill Barr asks, “Is it okay for a 67-year-old man to spend six (6) to seven (7) years in prison?”

The President will be pleased with Bill Barr because The Donald’s focus is optics and Bill Barr played his role well. The President’s AG was quick to be snarky with Chairmen Nader, calling him a “class act” and saying that he “waited over an hour” for him. The Chairman was rear-ended on the way to the Capitol, causing a delay in the meeting. When responding to member accusations and questions, Barr was dismissive, disrespectful, and uninterested in addressing the actual allegations.

The AG’s behavior today was the core message and that message is the United States Attorney General is an unapologetic political agent working on behalf of the President’s political whims. Especially in regards to helping out the President’s criminals and finding criminality in non-violent detractors.

The AG stumbled multiple times and lied more than once. Regarding his department’s interference with executive public health orders issued by governors, Bill Barr denied he issued a BOLO. He did. However, when asked if it was ever acceptable for a US Presidential candidate to accept election assistance or interference from a foreign government, William Barr, the Nation’s Top Law Enforcement Officer, says, “It depends on the kind of assistance.”

There was no answer from the Attorney General when Democratic Representative Pramila Jayapal described how white men with swastikas and guns stormed the Michigan Capitol building. The Attorney General did not activate troops then— even after the Liberate Michigan protestors called for the lynching of Michigan Democratic Governor Gretchen Whitmer.