UPDATED: Barr On The FBI's Failure To Provide Trump A Defensive Briefing

Thomas Lifson at American Thinker draws attention to a key but underreported part of Barr's testimony yesterday, which occurred in an exchange with Sen. John Cornyn. In his usual laconic style, the exchange begins with Barr providing terse one word (or just a few word) answers. However, toward the end he expresses his views at more length. Remember, Barr had formative influence in the CIA as well as dealing heavily with national security issues at the DoJ, before going into private practice. Therefore, when he says that he "can't fathom" why a defensive briefing regarding purported Russian influence efforts--which should have been standard procedure--wasn't provided to the Trump campaign, that speaks volumes. This is a guy who understands these things, and knows that such a failure does NOT have an innocent explanation--which is exactly why Paul Sperry singled out Barr's pointed refusal to back off from using the word "spying":

BREAKING: AG Barr testified today that "I'm not going to back off the word spying" to describe covert intelligence operations launched against the Trump campaign and presidential transition, particularly when such secret surveillance is "unauthorized and inadequately predicated."

And just in case the meaning of his words was somehow missed, Barr laid it right on the line:

Paul Sperry‏

@paulsperry_

AG Barr: "The evidence is now that the prez was falsely accused of colluding w the Russians & accused of being treasonous & a Russian agent & the evidence now is that that was w/o a basis & 2 yrs of his admin have been dominated by the allegations that have now been proven false"

9:50 PM - 1 May 2019

This is also why Lifson (Barr laid it on the line with the simple question the Russia Hoaxers can’t answer) stresses the importance of Barr's carefully chosen words--going forward:

Attorney General William Barr scares the wits out of the Democrats who bet their party’s political future on removing President Trump from office. Now that The Mueller Report revealed no collusion with the Russians, they are living in fear that the coup plotters will be held accountable for their misdeeds in courts of law. Barr has indicated that prosecutorial investigations are underway, and his willingness to speak plainly and directly, such as his use (and defense of his use) of the word “spying,” demonstrates that that he and his associates can make their cases in convincing language. 

...

But William Barr is a man who is not intimidated or distracted by the chaff thrown out by Democrats, and during the hearing, he addressed the question that cannot be answered without revealing the intent of the coup project’s agents, telling Senator Cornyn, that “I can't fathom” why the Obama administration did not tell the Trump campaign about the FBI investigation into Russian interference in 2016

UPDATE: Michael Goodwin provides a fuller transcript of Sperry's shorthand quote (they're substantially identical - William Barr exposed the rampant desperation of Trump’s foes):

It was politics at its most dishonest as they tried to argue that up is down and black is white. Barr was mostly stoic, but allowed himself a brief moment to brilliantly summarize the outlandish effort to twist reality.

“How did we get to the point where the evidence is now that the president was falsely accused of colluding with the Russians, accused of being treasonous and accused of being a Russian agent, and the evidence now is that that was without a basis?” he asked. “And two years of his administration have been dominated by allegations that have now been proven false. But to listen to some of the rhetoric, you would think the Mueller report had found the opposite.”

... 

At one point, he talked of possible “overreach” by top officials, then added: “But what we have to be concerned about is a few people at the top getting into their heads that they know better than the American people.”

At another point, he said, “We have to stop using the criminal justice process as a political weapon.”

The references are unmistakable and the strongest sign yet that Barr suspects wrongdoing in very high places. It’s also a sign that the worm is turning.

As Scott Johnson puts it:

Attorney General Barr’s testimony before the Senate Judiciary Committee yesterday offered a preview of coming attractions. He means to get to the bottom of the “spying” conducted by the Obama administration on the Trump presidential campaign. How did it begin? What’s it all about? What was going on? Did it involve abuse of the FISA system? 

Of course, you had to tune out the Democratic static and listen to Barr’s exchanges with Republican members to pick up the preview, but it was unmistakably there. The Democrats’ hysteria reflects something more than motiveless malignity; Barr is the Attorney General Democrats should fear.