Jessie Liu was on the way out, but the big question was: Who would Barr--woops--Trump appoint to the hugely important DC USAO?
We've got the answer, which is a combination of very good news and, well, decide for yourself.
First the good news, via AP:
WASHINGTON (AP) — Attorney General William Barr on Thursday named Timothy Shea, one of his closest advisers, to be the next top prosecutor in the nation’s capital.
Shea will lead the largest U.S. attorney’s office in the country, which has been historically responsible for some of the most significant and politically sensitive cases the Justice Department brings in the U.S.
He is a senior counselor to the attorney general ...
As the U.S. attorney in the District of Columbia, Shea would oversee some of the lingering cases from special counsel Robert Mueller’s Russia investigation, along with a number of politically charged investigations. The office is also generally responsible for handling potential prosecutions if Congress finds a witness in contempt.
And here's that other bit:
[Shea] was Barr’s right-hand man helping institute reforms at the federal Bureau of Prisons after Jeffrey Epstein’s death at the Metropolitan Correctional Center in New York City.
...
In the wake of Epstein’s death, Barr and Shea worked hand-in-hand to manage the crisis and investigation into the circumstances surrounding the wealthy financier’s death. Shea visited the jail days after Epstein’s suicide and helped advise the attorney general as Barr shook up the agency’s leadership, removing its acting director.
Overall, it's probably very good news.
UPDATE: Report: Barr Names His Close Personal Confidant as U.S. Attorney in D.C. Who Will Handle “Highly Political” Cases
Here are some excerpts:
The timing of this and the choice is interesting.
One can’t help but wonder if this is a move made to support possible indictments and whatnot down the road pertaining to #SpyGate.
Just a few weeks ago William Barr sat down with NBC Today and said in no uncertain terms that the FBI acted in “bad faith” in regards to the Russia investigation.
Two points of interest to most of us:
ReplyDelete1. he starts on Monday.
2. Prosecutor van Grack, the head tormentor of Gen. Flynn, is a subordinate in this US A office.
It will be interesting to see if Shea intervenes in the growing debacle of the case that van Grack has wrought on Flynn, or if he takes a more "hands off" approach.
Might Shea review this (and other active cases) within this office, and make an executive decision to drop the prosecution because of the problems with the case and possible prosecutorial misconduct by van Grack?
Would be cleaner if Judge Sullivan throws it out completely, but DOJ might want to avoid that sort of embarrassment and euthanize it themselves, and Shea might be the guy to do it.
The timing does not seem to be a coincidence.
Certainly Barr wasted no time getting his guy in there. He knows how important it is, especially because we know there are important investigations both ongoing and possibly in the past.
DeleteI question the part of getting his person in ASAP, since Liu has not been confirmed to move over to treasury by the senate, unless the 120 day rule somehow applies to Shea / Liu.
ReplyDeleteMy guess this timing is due to Powell’s Flynn filings.
This has nothing to do with Barr and the DC Attorney's Office.
ReplyDeleteIs there a more despicable man in the USA than Adam Schiff. When he was asked about hiring Misko, he deflected with his feigned outrage.
He is loathsome. My tolerance for this farce is wearing thin and I haven't even watched. I got this from Shem Horne's Twitter feed.
Another off-topic is the Deep State fraying?
ReplyDeleteHere's a tweet from Johnny Boy Brennan about RINO Burr, "John O. Brennan
@JohnBrennan
Despite policy differences & his “fidgets,” I thought Senate Intel Committee Chairman Burr had integrity, was interested in facts & truth.
A vote against impeachment witnesses would prove otherwise.
Intel Committee members refusing to call Bolton should resign for hypocrisy."
If Sundance is to believed, Burr and Warner are covering for Brennan, James Wolfe and others.
Regardless, Brennan's desperate tweet signals good things to my way of thinking.
For quite a while now Brennan has simply been flailing.
DeleteFor quite a while now Brennan has simply been flailing."
ReplyDeleteLike starting in the mid-1970s when he voted for a Communist?