Attorney General William Barr appears really invested in President Trump's efforts to discredit U.S. intelligence agencies and their conclusion that Russia interfered in the 2016 election to help Trump win.
On Monday, Australia and the Justice Department confirmed that Trump personally asked Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison to assist a Justice Department counter-investigation into the origins of the FBI's 2016 Russia probe, purportedly at Barr's request, and The Washington Post reported that Barr has traveled overseas several times to meet with foreign intelligence officials and ask for their help with that investigation.
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.
The investigation Barr met with Italian officials about on Friday appears separate from the Ukraine muckracking. For one, Barr announced it publicly in May, putting U.S. Attorney John Durham in charge. Durham was in Italy with Barr and also reportedly met with senior Italian intelligence officials. Barr similarly flew to London over the summer to seek assistance from British intelligence officials, the Post reports. Such trips are not normal, ABC News notes. In fact, "it's not clear whether there's any other example of the country's lead law enforcement official traveling overseas to personally investigate an issue that the president believes could benefit him politically."
"Current and former intelligence and law enforcement officials expressed frustration and alarm Monday that the head of the Justice Department was taking such a direct role in reexamining what they view as conspiracy theories and baseless allegations of misconduct," the Post reports. On MSNBC, former FBI agent Clint Watt also explained why Barr "running around the world coordinating intelligence activities" must be confusing to America's allies and U.S. officials serving abroad. Watch below. Peter Weber
-
What’s the difference between a bull market and bear market?The Explainer How to tell if the market is soaring or slumping.
-
Senate votes to kill Trump’s Brazil tariffSpeed Read Five Senate Republicans joined the Democrats in rebuking Trump’s import tax
-
Gaza ceasefire teeters as Netanyahu orders strikesSpeed Read Israel accused Hamas of firing on Israeli troops
-
Hungary’s Krasznahorkai wins Nobel for literatureSpeed Read László Krasznahorkai is the author of acclaimed novels like ‘The Melancholy of Resistance’ and ‘Satantango’
-
Primatologist Jane Goodall dies at 91Speed Read She rose to fame following her groundbreaking field research with chimpanzees
-
Florida erases rainbow crosswalk at Pulse nightclubSpeed Read The colorful crosswalk was outside the former LGBTQ nightclub where 49 people were killed in a 2016 shooting
-
Trump says Smithsonian too focused on slavery's illsSpeed Read The president would prefer the museum to highlight 'success,' 'brightness' and 'the future'
-
Trump to host Kennedy Honors for Kiss, StalloneSpeed Read Actor Sylvester Stallone and the glam-rock band Kiss were among those named as this year's inductees
-
White House seeks to bend Smithsonian to Trump's viewSpeed Read The Smithsonian Institution's 21 museums are under review to ensure their content aligns with the president's interpretation of American history
-
Charlamagne Tha God irks Trump with Epstein talkSpeed Read The radio host said the Jeffrey Epstein scandal could help 'traditional conservatives' take back the Republican Party
-
CBS cancels Colbert's 'Late Show'Speed Read 'The Late Show with Stephen Colbert' is ending next year
