The Washington Post says William Barr just 'lit his reputation on fire.' Democrats are calling Barr 'chicken.'


"Attorney General William P. Barr entered office with more credibility than many Trump appointees," The Washington Post said in an editorial Wednesday night. "Mr. Barr avowed loyalty to the Justice Department's mission and, nearing the end of his career, seemed to have little incentive to serve as another Trump sycophant. Yet Mr. Barr has lit his reputation on fire, and he just added more fuel during his Wednesday testimony before a Senate panel."
Barr's explanations for his "highly misleading representation" and "manipulation" of Special Counsel Robert Mueller's findings don't add up, the Post writes, and "it is long past time the public stopped hearing Mr. Barr's views on how Mr. Mueller feels, and heard from the special counsel himself."
House Judiciary Chairman Jerrold Nadler (D-N.Y.) said Wednesday evening his committee is still negotiating with the Justice Department to schedule Mueller's testimony, but Barr is apparently so "terrified of facing a skilled attorney" and "afraid of facing more effective examination," he isn't showing up for Thursday's scheduled testimony.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Other House Judiciary Committee Democrats joined in the needling. Rep. Ted Lieu (D-Calif.) said on Twitter he's "not surprised #Barr is scared" of testifying "after his terrible performance" Wednesday in the Senate. "I'm thinking that after we subpoena chicken Barr and force him to testify," he added, "I'm going to invite Sen. Kamala Harris to the hearing and then I'm going to yield my time to her." Rep. Steve Cohen (D-Tenn.) started the "chicken" thing Monday:
Barr is officially balking because Nadler wants staff lawyers to ask questions. That's an unusual arrangement but not unprecedented. You can read W. Neil Eggleston's account of being on both sides of those questions at Slate.
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Peter has worked as a news and culture writer and editor at The Week since the site's launch in 2008. He covers politics, world affairs, religion and cultural currents. His journalism career began as a copy editor at a financial newswire and has included editorial positions at The New York Times Magazine, Facts on File, and Oregon State University.
-
White House tackles fake citations in MAHA report
speed read A federal government public health report spearheaded by Robert F. Kennedy Jr. was rife with false citations
-
Judge blocks push to bar Harvard foreign students
speed read Judge Allison Burroughs sided with Harvard against the Trump administration's attempt to block the admittance of international students
-
Trump's trade war whipsawed by court rulings
Speed Read A series of court rulings over Trump's tariffs renders the future of US trade policy uncertain
-
Elon Musk departs Trump administration
speed read The former DOGE head says he is ending his government work to spend more time on his companies
-
Trump taps ex-personal lawyer for appeals court
speed read The president has nominated Emil Bove, his former criminal defense lawyer, to be a federal judge
-
US trade court nullifies Trump's biggest tariffs
speed read The US Court of International Trade says Trump exceeded his authority in imposing global tariffs
-
Trump pauses all new foreign student visas
speed read The State Department has stopped scheduling interviews with those seeking student visas in preparation for scrutiny of applicants' social media
-
Trump pardons Virginia sheriff convicted of bribery
speed read Former sheriff Scott Jenkins was sentenced to 10 years in prison on federal bribery and fraud charges