Washington, D.C., October 31, 2019 – In a new column at Yeomans Work, Alliance for Justice Fellow Bill Yeomans highlights the way Attorney General Bill Barr is undermining the norms of his office. Rather than serving as an independent advocate for the U.S. justice system, he has devoted himself to being President Trump’s fixer. That includes launching an inexplicable criminal investigation into the handling of the Russia investigation — and then leaking that it was happening.
“While unsupported conspiracy theories abound, no reliable public information has emerged suggesting criminal conduct,” Yeomans explains. “The principal purpose of the leak appears to have been to give Trump a positive news hit in the middle of a disastrous week.”
Yeomans goes on to note the many ways that Barr has sacrificed his credibility, because he knows that Trump will humiliate him if he doesn’t continue to show loyalty. “Trump will not tolerate an Attorney General who will choose principle over serving as Trump’s protector and Barr has shown himself eager to stay in Trump’s good graces,” Yeomans writes.
Barr’s efforts to shield the president from scrutiny are not compatible with transparency. This shift, Yeomans concludes, will significantly erode the public’s trust in the Department of Justice.
Read Yeoman’s full explainer here.
Yeomans Work focuses on the challenges to the justice system in the era of Trump. Bill Yeomans is available for media interviews. His opinions are his own and do not necessarily represent the positions of Alliance for Justice. For booking inquiries, contact Zack Ford, Press Secretary, at Zack.Ford@afj.org or at 202-464-7370.