DoJ, Bill Barr--Going Forward?

When not asking what in the world happened to our republic, people are asking: What happens with all the Deep State related investigations if Biden actually won--Russia Hoax, Biden Inc., and God only knows what else?

I don't have the answer to that, and nobody I know does. Among those who don't have an answer to the question is law professor Jonathan Turley. Nevertheless, he's thinking about the whole issue and will be watching it closely for his DC perch at Geo. Washington U.'s school of law. In fact, today he sketches out the current lay of the land regarding the Biden Inc. investigations, noting that Dems--including top candidates for a Biden AG gig--are semi-hysterically trying to jawbone those investigations into nothingness:

Transition marks precarious period for Russia and Hunter Biden probes

Of course, when we talk about DoJ, for most people that means AG Bill Barr. Larry Johnson has a nice read on that subject today at TGP: 

What Is Bill Barr Going to Do?

Like Turley, Johnson has no answer to that question. However he does have some interesting observations.

Johnson begins with an observation that I, also, made recently in a comment: If you want to know how Barr feels about all this you need to rewatch his exchange with Wolf Blitzer about mail-in voting. Barr's reactions are those of a man who is deeply exercised about what he sees about to happen in the election. I linked--again, this will be the third time--to a video of that exchange in Barr Haters Will Hate:

AG Barr explained, weeks before the election, the inherent weaknesses of a huge, hastily-constructed vote-by-mail scheme...pic.twitter.com/oTjxv3r2I9

— Steve Cortes (@CortesSteve) November 6, 2020

Johnson then goes on:

I have a dear friend who knows Barr very well. Rarely does he show this kind of visceral anger. I find it difficult to believe that in the ensuing two months, Barr has decided to curl up into a fetal position and allow the Republic to be eviscerated.

I feel the same way. I, too, know people who know Barr. The fetal position doesn't come naturally to Barr, but visceral anger? I think so. Don't be fooled by his usual public demeanor--rewatch his reaction to Blitzer.

Johnson then reviews the various actions that Barr has already undertaken--as well as actions taken by Trump:

In tandem with the DOJ moves, President Trump fired Secretary of Defense Esper. The reason, I believe is simple–Trump wanted to ensure he had someone running the DOD who was not going to meddle in domestic politics. Trump followed up by installing Kash Patel, a National Security Council official and former congressional aide as chief of staff to new acting Defense Secretary.

Trump and Barr are not rearranging deck chairs on the Titanic. They are making sure that loyal people are in place who will ensure that the orders of the President are enforced.

To understand what Barr is preparing to confront you must understand the following. I will put it simply–there was an organized conspiracy to interfere in the Presidential election and thwart the will of the voters.

Johnson then reviews six indicators of just how widespread and organized that conspiracy was. I recommend the summary to your attention, although you will already be aware of much of it. The conspiracy embraced most of what we would call the Establishment. Some indicators, however, bear more thought than you may have given them to this point. For example, the second indicator:

Second, millions of dollars flowed to Black Lives Matter and then were re-routed to Act Blue, which in turn deposited this money into the coffers of the Democrats. This was not legal. It is criminal for a “charitable” organization to divert those funds to political campaigns. This is a money laundering charge.

Where did that money come from, to whom did it flow, who made the decisions? Important questions, and DoJ has the wherewithal to get the answers. Johnson's conclusion:

If you believe these are isolated, unrelated events, you are a moron and beyond the reach of reason. ...

So back to Bill Barr. What can he do? ...

The evidence I have outlined above is an indicia of criminal conspiracy. It provides sufficient predicate for criminal investigations. These were not isolated acts or mere human error. The evidence is being accumulated.

I do not know what the Attorney General is going to do. But, he is not going to ignore evidence. Based on his emotional defense of the voting system when interviewed by Wolf Blitzer, I do not believe he is going to let this slide. Stay hopeful.

Keep in mind two things. The election will be won or lost in the courts. It's possible that Barr will play a role, but that will be a supporting role. The primary role in the court battles will be fought by Trump's legal team. That doesn't and cannot include Barr. As far as investigative activity goes, we've seen that action is being taken, but as far as the extent of it is concerned, we'll be the last to know. 

With Johnson, I believe Barr will be exerting himself to the utmost. He's not Superman and an AG can only act within his powers of office--which are not unlimited. But he is dedicated.