1 00:00:00,480 --> 00:00:05,720 Speaker 1: You're listening to Bloomberg Law with June Grosso from Bloomberg Radio. 2 00:00:06,920 --> 00:00:10,520 Speaker 1: Attorney General William Barr offered a combative defense of his 3 00:00:10,600 --> 00:00:14,040 Speaker 1: independence from President Donald Trump and his role as Attorney 4 00:00:14,040 --> 00:00:17,319 Speaker 1: General as he testified yesterday before a committee in the 5 00:00:17,360 --> 00:00:21,480 Speaker 1: Democratic controlled House. Over more than four hours of testimony. 6 00:00:21,720 --> 00:00:26,600 Speaker 1: The Democrats pressed Bar. The exchanges over bars controversial decision 7 00:00:26,680 --> 00:00:30,800 Speaker 1: to overrule his own prosecutors to reduce a recommended prison 8 00:00:30,840 --> 00:00:35,600 Speaker 1: sentence for Trump ally Roger Stone were particularly combative. Here's 9 00:00:35,600 --> 00:00:40,600 Speaker 1: bars exchange with Democratic Georgia Congressman Hank Johnson. You change 10 00:00:40,640 --> 00:00:47,720 Speaker 1: that recommended the night before, the night before, I'm asking, Well, 11 00:00:47,760 --> 00:00:50,839 Speaker 1: I'm telling my story. That's what I'm here to do. 12 00:00:51,080 --> 00:00:54,040 Speaker 1: That's why I'm here. Well, I'm here to tell my story. 13 00:00:54,440 --> 00:00:57,560 Speaker 1: Joining me is National Security Attorney Bradley Moss, a partner 14 00:00:57,680 --> 00:01:01,160 Speaker 1: Mark Zade. How would you describe bars testimony and the 15 00:01:01,240 --> 00:01:05,840 Speaker 1: questioning by the Democrats and Republicans? The whole situation was 16 00:01:05,880 --> 00:01:09,240 Speaker 1: a complete disastrous circus, and nobody came out of this 17 00:01:09,400 --> 00:01:14,040 Speaker 1: looking pretty good. Republicans ran irrelevant talking points to Jordan, 18 00:01:14,200 --> 00:01:17,440 Speaker 1: you know, particularly amongst them trying to deflect from the situation. 19 00:01:17,920 --> 00:01:21,560 Speaker 1: The Democrats looked somewhat petty with their constant reclaiming the time, 20 00:01:21,680 --> 00:01:26,120 Speaker 1: you know, parliamentary procedure, and the Attorney General dragged out answers, 21 00:01:26,400 --> 00:01:30,600 Speaker 1: Stall procrastinated and constantly appeared to be unaware of factual 22 00:01:30,640 --> 00:01:33,679 Speaker 1: details that everybody on the plane at this point seemingly 23 00:01:33,720 --> 00:01:37,440 Speaker 1: already knew about situations in places like Portland or in 24 00:01:37,600 --> 00:01:40,960 Speaker 1: Michigan back in the spring. In the contents of the 25 00:01:41,000 --> 00:01:43,440 Speaker 1: President's tweets and comments on stuff such as the Roger 26 00:01:43,480 --> 00:01:47,520 Speaker 1: Stone prosecution of the Michael Flynn prosecution, it was not 27 00:01:47,680 --> 00:01:50,120 Speaker 1: what we tend to think of anymore as an actual 28 00:01:50,200 --> 00:01:53,760 Speaker 1: oversight hearing, because it wasn't an oversight hearing. It was 29 00:01:53,800 --> 00:01:56,720 Speaker 1: a political circus. And it's rather disturbing that this is 30 00:01:56,720 --> 00:01:59,320 Speaker 1: what it's come to. Let's talk about some of the 31 00:01:59,400 --> 00:02:04,240 Speaker 1: different points. There were allegations that he basically abandoned the 32 00:02:04,360 --> 00:02:09,480 Speaker 1: Justice Department's political independence to back President Trump, and one 33 00:02:09,480 --> 00:02:14,959 Speaker 1: of the most controversial moves was overruling his own prosecutors 34 00:02:15,080 --> 00:02:19,440 Speaker 1: to reduce a recommended prison sentence for Trump ally roger Stone. 35 00:02:20,160 --> 00:02:23,560 Speaker 1: How did he respond to that? YEA, So it was 36 00:02:23,639 --> 00:02:25,240 Speaker 1: kind of a mixed bag. I mean, one of the 37 00:02:25,320 --> 00:02:27,760 Speaker 1: things that the Attorney General raised in response was to 38 00:02:27,800 --> 00:02:29,960 Speaker 1: say that, you know, this is a sixty six year 39 00:02:30,000 --> 00:02:34,240 Speaker 1: old man, first time offender, non violent offense. It's not 40 00:02:34,320 --> 00:02:36,760 Speaker 1: a meeting potatoes kind of crime. Trying to, you know, 41 00:02:36,840 --> 00:02:39,960 Speaker 1: basically play the role of defense attorney for roger Stone 42 00:02:40,040 --> 00:02:44,040 Speaker 1: almost um in trying to mitigate any real sense that 43 00:02:44,040 --> 00:02:46,200 Speaker 1: there should have been a punishment. He then, you know, 44 00:02:46,200 --> 00:02:48,520 Speaker 1: obviously deflect from that by saying, I still thought it 45 00:02:48,560 --> 00:02:51,840 Speaker 1: was the righteous prosecution. I thought some jail time was warranted, 46 00:02:52,120 --> 00:02:56,320 Speaker 1: and that is what the judge ultimately granted before the 47 00:02:56,360 --> 00:02:59,920 Speaker 1: President commuted the sentence. But basically, the Attorney General kind 48 00:03:00,200 --> 00:03:05,600 Speaker 1: raised some mitigating factors that on their own wouldn't usually 49 00:03:05,800 --> 00:03:08,440 Speaker 1: in any other case of someone other than roger Stone, 50 00:03:08,760 --> 00:03:11,440 Speaker 1: have been enough to warrant such a reduction in the 51 00:03:11,480 --> 00:03:14,920 Speaker 1: rent sensing recommendation from the Justice Department. And as the 52 00:03:14,919 --> 00:03:18,080 Speaker 1: Attorney General noted, is the first time, as far as 53 00:03:18,120 --> 00:03:22,360 Speaker 1: he's aware, that he's ever otherwise, you know, in intervened 54 00:03:22,480 --> 00:03:26,640 Speaker 1: to overrule a sensing recommendation at that stage. I thought 55 00:03:26,639 --> 00:03:30,080 Speaker 1: that was the most telling part of his answer to 56 00:03:30,240 --> 00:03:33,920 Speaker 1: the roger Stone questions was that he had never done 57 00:03:33,919 --> 00:03:37,240 Speaker 1: this before, and the Democrats brought out that one point, 58 00:03:37,240 --> 00:03:39,280 Speaker 1: but as for the rest of it, didn't seem that 59 00:03:39,360 --> 00:03:43,800 Speaker 1: they really brought out the egregiousness or the departure from 60 00:03:43,840 --> 00:03:47,040 Speaker 1: standards of what he did. Yeah, well, and so this 61 00:03:47,080 --> 00:03:48,840 Speaker 1: is where, you know, and listening to some of the 62 00:03:48,960 --> 00:03:51,720 Speaker 1: answers given by the Attorney General, he lives apparently in 63 00:03:51,800 --> 00:03:54,680 Speaker 1: this world of blissful ignorance of everything else going on 64 00:03:54,720 --> 00:03:57,080 Speaker 1: around him that the rest of us see on a 65 00:03:57,120 --> 00:04:00,360 Speaker 1: regular basis. He's seemingly unaware of the president's weeks and 66 00:04:00,400 --> 00:04:03,360 Speaker 1: the president's public remarks on these things. He's unaware of 67 00:04:03,400 --> 00:04:06,480 Speaker 1: the media attention on it, and he wants us to 68 00:04:06,560 --> 00:04:09,560 Speaker 1: believe that all of these decisions he made, in particular 69 00:04:09,640 --> 00:04:13,080 Speaker 1: to intervene in this context, was made in a complete vacuum, 70 00:04:13,360 --> 00:04:16,400 Speaker 1: and that nothing else, you know, influenced his thinking on this, 71 00:04:16,520 --> 00:04:18,760 Speaker 1: and that he chose intervened for the very first time 72 00:04:18,800 --> 00:04:21,120 Speaker 1: in a matter like this with what just happened to 73 00:04:21,279 --> 00:04:26,000 Speaker 1: be the president's longtime personal friend who was publicly commenting 74 00:04:26,000 --> 00:04:28,760 Speaker 1: on the fact that he never broke he never turned 75 00:04:28,800 --> 00:04:32,240 Speaker 1: on the president, and seemingly Bill Barr was unaware of 76 00:04:32,240 --> 00:04:34,920 Speaker 1: any of these quotes. Either he just happened to be 77 00:04:34,960 --> 00:04:38,440 Speaker 1: in this lovely little, you know, blissfully ignorant vacuum deciding 78 00:04:38,480 --> 00:04:42,799 Speaker 1: to intervene. There weren't as many questions about the dropping 79 00:04:42,839 --> 00:04:46,800 Speaker 1: of the prosecution of Michael Flynn. Yeah. I think part 80 00:04:46,880 --> 00:04:49,039 Speaker 1: of the reason that may have not been pushed on 81 00:04:49,120 --> 00:04:51,640 Speaker 1: as much by the Democrats was simply for the fact 82 00:04:51,640 --> 00:04:54,039 Speaker 1: that if I were Attorney General Barr and the question 83 00:04:54,080 --> 00:04:56,880 Speaker 1: was posed to me, I would have largely deflected on 84 00:04:56,960 --> 00:04:59,719 Speaker 1: the argument that this is a matter of ongoing litigation 85 00:04:59,760 --> 00:05:02,320 Speaker 1: and not going to comment, And that would have been 86 00:05:02,440 --> 00:05:07,400 Speaker 1: somewhat consistent with past practices for Democrats and Republicans serving 87 00:05:07,400 --> 00:05:10,200 Speaker 1: an Attorney General and testifying before and oversight committee that 88 00:05:10,640 --> 00:05:13,200 Speaker 1: because the matter was still the subject of ongoing litigation 89 00:05:13,240 --> 00:05:16,479 Speaker 1: and that matter is a subject on an appeal right 90 00:05:16,520 --> 00:05:19,559 Speaker 1: now to this full DC circuit, that they can't comment 91 00:05:19,560 --> 00:05:23,400 Speaker 1: because it would prejudice or otherwise undermine the Justice Department's position. 92 00:05:23,680 --> 00:05:25,800 Speaker 1: That's certainly going to be something I think in the 93 00:05:25,960 --> 00:05:29,120 Speaker 1: end here after the election and once that particular litigation 94 00:05:29,160 --> 00:05:31,359 Speaker 1: is dealt with, we'll get more details on as to 95 00:05:31,440 --> 00:05:32,880 Speaker 1: what really went on here. I mean, that was a 96 00:05:32,920 --> 00:05:35,880 Speaker 1: completely unprecedented maneuver for the just Department to come in 97 00:05:36,000 --> 00:05:39,159 Speaker 1: and pull the prosecution after they already gotten the guilty 98 00:05:39,200 --> 00:05:43,240 Speaker 1: plate based off the technicality about notes on when jurisdiction 99 00:05:43,360 --> 00:05:46,720 Speaker 1: was and was not existing for the investigation. I've never 100 00:05:46,760 --> 00:05:49,599 Speaker 1: seen that the Justice Departments provided no evidence that they've 101 00:05:49,640 --> 00:05:53,120 Speaker 1: ever done that before. It doesn't mean they can't do it, 102 00:05:53,160 --> 00:05:56,600 Speaker 1: but it reached just reaped a favoritism. Coming up next 103 00:05:56,640 --> 00:05:59,760 Speaker 1: on Bloomberg Law Bars take on mail and valoting and 104 00:05:59,800 --> 00:06:03,480 Speaker 1: the residential election. I'm June Grosso and this is Bloomberg. 105 00:06:04,040 --> 00:06:06,400 Speaker 1: I've been done to Brad Moss of Mark's a about 106 00:06:06,440 --> 00:06:10,440 Speaker 1: Attorney General William Barr's testimony before the House Judiciary Committee. 107 00:06:10,560 --> 00:06:13,600 Speaker 1: He was questioned about the aggressive use of federal force 108 00:06:13,760 --> 00:06:19,720 Speaker 1: in response to protests in Washington, d C. And Portland, Oregon. 109 00:06:20,360 --> 00:06:24,760 Speaker 1: He didn't seem to back down from his assertions that 110 00:06:25,200 --> 00:06:30,400 Speaker 1: federal intervention was needed and they did everything correctly. Yeah. Well, 111 00:06:30,400 --> 00:06:34,000 Speaker 1: this is a very much Bill Barr's view on federal 112 00:06:34,040 --> 00:06:36,920 Speaker 1: authority and particularly in law enforcements for decades. I mean 113 00:06:36,960 --> 00:06:38,880 Speaker 1: there's memos that have come out now from the late 114 00:06:38,920 --> 00:06:41,520 Speaker 1: eighties or the nineties of how he wanted to deploy 115 00:06:41,600 --> 00:06:45,520 Speaker 1: federal law enforcement when there were riots in the wake 116 00:06:45,600 --> 00:06:48,400 Speaker 1: of the Rodney King incident. Who has can all remember 117 00:06:48,440 --> 00:06:51,280 Speaker 1: way back to the early nineties with that saga. So 118 00:06:51,520 --> 00:06:54,160 Speaker 1: a lot of what is being pursued here is sort 119 00:06:54,160 --> 00:06:56,960 Speaker 1: of his fever dream from decades ago that he finally 120 00:06:57,000 --> 00:06:59,760 Speaker 1: has the ability to implement with the President who's willing 121 00:06:59,760 --> 00:07:02,839 Speaker 1: to give him that latitude, and a Department of Homeland 122 00:07:02,880 --> 00:07:06,200 Speaker 1: Security that's run by acting leaders who have no will 123 00:07:06,240 --> 00:07:10,800 Speaker 1: ability to countermintenment. So DHS has been turned into what 124 00:07:10,920 --> 00:07:13,160 Speaker 1: it was never supposed to be. It is now the 125 00:07:13,480 --> 00:07:15,160 Speaker 1: you know, the equivalence of what we think of as 126 00:07:15,160 --> 00:07:18,360 Speaker 1: an interior ministry in authoritarian countries, where we have the 127 00:07:18,360 --> 00:07:21,480 Speaker 1: federal law enforcement that comes in decked out like their 128 00:07:21,480 --> 00:07:24,720 Speaker 1: military uniform as if they're operating in Kabul or Fallujah 129 00:07:25,120 --> 00:07:29,920 Speaker 1: and they're using military style tactics to confront protesters. Have 130 00:07:30,080 --> 00:07:34,040 Speaker 1: there been violent protesters, Absolutely, And I think everybody's agreed 131 00:07:34,280 --> 00:07:36,880 Speaker 1: if you engage in that violence, if you deface federal property, 132 00:07:36,880 --> 00:07:39,720 Speaker 1: if you assault federal officers, you can be prosecuted and 133 00:07:39,760 --> 00:07:42,840 Speaker 1: convicted for that. But too many times we've seen in 134 00:07:42,880 --> 00:07:45,400 Speaker 1: these videos and this reportment's come out of these federal 135 00:07:45,480 --> 00:07:49,520 Speaker 1: law enforcement officers, way getting over their skis, way going 136 00:07:49,600 --> 00:07:52,440 Speaker 1: beyond the issue of trying to protect federal property and 137 00:07:52,480 --> 00:07:55,600 Speaker 1: protect themselves, which they're entitled to do, and going after 138 00:07:55,680 --> 00:07:59,560 Speaker 1: what are otherwise peaceful protesters who are gathering in large 139 00:07:59,720 --> 00:08:02,240 Speaker 1: number burs including with you know, you've got the wall 140 00:08:02,280 --> 00:08:04,080 Speaker 1: of Moms. You get all these different individuals who were 141 00:08:04,120 --> 00:08:07,040 Speaker 1: not engaging in violence. If that's the concern, is that 142 00:08:07,120 --> 00:08:10,920 Speaker 1: Bill Barr is using this opportunity to employ measures that 143 00:08:11,000 --> 00:08:14,480 Speaker 1: otherwise would never have been permitted. He was questioned about 144 00:08:14,480 --> 00:08:17,560 Speaker 1: whether he's talked with President Trump about the use of 145 00:08:17,640 --> 00:08:21,800 Speaker 1: troops and whether that would happen in elections. He evaded 146 00:08:22,280 --> 00:08:26,000 Speaker 1: the question, but he also indicated that there had been talking. 147 00:08:26,720 --> 00:08:29,679 Speaker 1: Bill Barr is nothing if not a very crafty old 148 00:08:29,720 --> 00:08:32,800 Speaker 1: school lawyer, and he knew how to kind of dodge 149 00:08:32,800 --> 00:08:36,360 Speaker 1: and deflect around the question. I didn't necessarily take the 150 00:08:36,400 --> 00:08:40,560 Speaker 1: answers he did provide as indicating or confirming that he 151 00:08:40,600 --> 00:08:44,200 Speaker 1: had specifically discussed with the President in the context of 152 00:08:44,240 --> 00:08:47,240 Speaker 1: the re election fight, the idea of deploying troops in 153 00:08:47,360 --> 00:08:50,480 Speaker 1: support of that idea and to order to push that agenda. 154 00:08:50,520 --> 00:08:53,199 Speaker 1: It doesn't mean he didn't. The answers he gave were 155 00:08:53,280 --> 00:08:55,400 Speaker 1: vague enough that he can kind of maneuver around it. 156 00:08:55,920 --> 00:08:58,000 Speaker 1: But I think we're seeing with you know, not with 157 00:08:58,080 --> 00:08:59,959 Speaker 1: the locations. I mean, we just got a new announcement 158 00:09:00,080 --> 00:09:02,480 Speaker 1: that Operation Legend, which is the code, which is the 159 00:09:02,520 --> 00:09:05,760 Speaker 1: operation name for this whole effort by federal law enforcement, 160 00:09:06,080 --> 00:09:09,640 Speaker 1: is now getting deployed to three battleground states, Michigan, Ohio, 161 00:09:09,760 --> 00:09:13,040 Speaker 1: and Wisconsin. It just so happens to be areas where 162 00:09:13,040 --> 00:09:17,520 Speaker 1: they're high areas higher numbers of Liberals and Democrats who 163 00:09:17,640 --> 00:09:19,520 Speaker 1: happened to be in those areas, and that's where these 164 00:09:19,520 --> 00:09:23,040 Speaker 1: federal law enforcements getting deployed. Is there a legitimate reason 165 00:09:23,080 --> 00:09:25,800 Speaker 1: for it? There might be in certain respects, but it's 166 00:09:26,120 --> 00:09:28,760 Speaker 1: very interesting to note that this is where they're choosing 167 00:09:28,800 --> 00:09:31,600 Speaker 1: to deploy their resources. Whether or not it's being done 168 00:09:31,640 --> 00:09:34,200 Speaker 1: appropriately is something that's going to be scrutinized heavily in 169 00:09:34,200 --> 00:09:39,160 Speaker 1: the coming months. An area that was of concern to 170 00:09:39,520 --> 00:09:42,920 Speaker 1: Democrats and I think to a lot of people looking 171 00:09:43,240 --> 00:09:47,280 Speaker 1: towards the elections is the fairness of the elections. He 172 00:09:47,400 --> 00:09:51,800 Speaker 1: was asked about that and to justify his repeated warnings 173 00:09:51,880 --> 00:09:55,080 Speaker 1: about the risks of mail in balloting. Yeah, and this 174 00:09:55,120 --> 00:09:57,600 Speaker 1: is somewhere where I wish you would really stick to 175 00:09:57,800 --> 00:10:00,120 Speaker 1: his own lane. For lack of a better and at 176 00:10:00,160 --> 00:10:02,640 Speaker 1: the Beltway phrase, this is not really his job. That's 177 00:10:02,640 --> 00:10:05,920 Speaker 1: a job for the FEC and other entities from the 178 00:10:05,960 --> 00:10:09,160 Speaker 1: US government to oversee. It's not his job to be 179 00:10:09,240 --> 00:10:12,800 Speaker 1: commenting on mail and balloting procedures. And his answer was 180 00:10:12,920 --> 00:10:15,560 Speaker 1: that he didn't have any actual evidence, you know, for example, 181 00:10:15,640 --> 00:10:18,360 Speaker 1: that foreign governments were going to print off fake ballots 182 00:10:18,400 --> 00:10:21,959 Speaker 1: and submit them. He just said, I have common sense. Well, unfortunately, 183 00:10:22,120 --> 00:10:24,680 Speaker 1: for US real lawyers, you need more than that. You 184 00:10:24,800 --> 00:10:28,200 Speaker 1: need evidence, and he admits he has none. The President 185 00:10:28,360 --> 00:10:32,400 Speaker 1: has admitted he has none. These are various paranoid theories 186 00:10:32,440 --> 00:10:35,000 Speaker 1: they have in their mind that they're concerned about because 187 00:10:35,040 --> 00:10:39,040 Speaker 1: from a demographic standpoint, they're aware that if mail in 188 00:10:39,160 --> 00:10:42,959 Speaker 1: balloting becomes far more expansive and extensive in this upcoming election, 189 00:10:43,400 --> 00:10:46,640 Speaker 1: it is more likely to benefit Democrats, who are less 190 00:10:46,679 --> 00:10:50,320 Speaker 1: likely to vote from times compared to Republicans, and that's 191 00:10:50,400 --> 00:10:54,240 Speaker 1: not something they necessarily want to advocate for. Brad He 192 00:10:54,400 --> 00:10:59,200 Speaker 1: was asked about what would happen if there were disputed elections, 193 00:10:59,240 --> 00:11:02,440 Speaker 1: and he kept, I will follow the law. Why didn't 194 00:11:02,440 --> 00:11:05,760 Speaker 1: that answer satisfy the Democrats on the committee? Yeah, well, 195 00:11:05,800 --> 00:11:07,880 Speaker 1: because it becomes a question. But when he says follow 196 00:11:07,880 --> 00:11:10,760 Speaker 1: the law, it's Bill Barr's view of what the law is, 197 00:11:10,800 --> 00:11:12,960 Speaker 1: and Bill Barr's view of the law and the view 198 00:11:13,000 --> 00:11:15,160 Speaker 1: of a lot of the rest of us doesn't necessarily 199 00:11:15,240 --> 00:11:18,120 Speaker 1: always tend to align. It's the same kind of issue 200 00:11:18,200 --> 00:11:21,679 Speaker 1: with receiving assistance from a foreign government. He hadn't been 201 00:11:21,760 --> 00:11:24,560 Speaker 1: owed around that issue too, and before he finally said no, 202 00:11:24,679 --> 00:11:27,559 Speaker 1: they should not be accepting foreign assistant. So the way 203 00:11:27,640 --> 00:11:30,200 Speaker 1: he's given this answer is kind of similar to how 204 00:11:30,240 --> 00:11:32,640 Speaker 1: the presidents given the answer. And to be very candid, 205 00:11:33,080 --> 00:11:35,839 Speaker 1: I hate this question being posed the political candidates or 206 00:11:35,920 --> 00:11:38,959 Speaker 1: the senior officials because we don't know what the lecture 207 00:11:39,000 --> 00:11:41,920 Speaker 1: will look like, and so do we have any reason 208 00:11:42,000 --> 00:11:45,240 Speaker 1: to believe that they will refew that. You know, the 209 00:11:45,240 --> 00:11:47,480 Speaker 1: presidents he were to lose and a you know, landslide, 210 00:11:47,480 --> 00:11:51,240 Speaker 1: would refuse to concede. No, he'll leave. He'll concede defeat 211 00:11:51,240 --> 00:11:53,840 Speaker 1: in whatever way he chooses fit, and he'll leave the 212 00:11:53,880 --> 00:11:57,280 Speaker 1: White House in one they're gonna play up this game, 213 00:11:57,320 --> 00:12:00,199 Speaker 1: though a little bit partially just because the president fit 214 00:12:00,240 --> 00:12:03,160 Speaker 1: from a media perspective. He likes controversy in the news, 215 00:12:03,760 --> 00:12:07,280 Speaker 1: it's what he does. But in the ultimate scheme of things, 216 00:12:07,360 --> 00:12:10,319 Speaker 1: I don't like the question itself because any candidate, now 217 00:12:10,559 --> 00:12:12,920 Speaker 1: Joe Biden, would be kind of a similar answer at points, 218 00:12:13,320 --> 00:12:15,440 Speaker 1: because you just don't know what to look like on 219 00:12:15,520 --> 00:12:18,040 Speaker 1: election night or election week, whatever it can become at 220 00:12:18,040 --> 00:12:20,800 Speaker 1: this point, and you can't commit that you'll accept whatever 221 00:12:20,800 --> 00:12:24,920 Speaker 1: it missually comes out because there are legal challenges. You 222 00:12:25,000 --> 00:12:29,280 Speaker 1: mentioned his hesitation to say that a president shouldn't accept 223 00:12:29,400 --> 00:12:32,839 Speaker 1: foreign help to get elected, and I found that confusing 224 00:12:32,920 --> 00:12:35,880 Speaker 1: because that is out and out law. There is no 225 00:12:36,000 --> 00:12:39,360 Speaker 1: question about that. It's not fuzzy. And he said, well, 226 00:12:39,400 --> 00:12:42,439 Speaker 1: it depends on what kind of help. I don't understand 227 00:12:42,480 --> 00:12:45,920 Speaker 1: why he didn't just say, of course not well, for 228 00:12:46,000 --> 00:12:48,319 Speaker 1: one reason was most certainly is that he didn't want 229 00:12:48,320 --> 00:12:50,960 Speaker 1: to brazenly contradict the president up front the way the 230 00:12:51,040 --> 00:12:54,840 Speaker 1: FBI director had. We I'll remember from our pre COVID 231 00:12:54,920 --> 00:12:58,080 Speaker 1: days there was a infamous interview between the President and 232 00:12:58,080 --> 00:13:01,520 Speaker 1: George Stefanopolis over at ABC, and the President said the 233 00:13:01,559 --> 00:13:04,319 Speaker 1: FBI director was wrong to say that it would be 234 00:13:04,400 --> 00:13:07,640 Speaker 1: improper to receive foreign assistance in the context of the 235 00:13:07,640 --> 00:13:10,960 Speaker 1: election of the president. Clear he'd welcome such information, he'd 236 00:13:10,960 --> 00:13:13,400 Speaker 1: want to see it. So the Attorney General, trying to 237 00:13:13,600 --> 00:13:16,760 Speaker 1: maintain some manner of you know, civility between itself and 238 00:13:16,800 --> 00:13:19,600 Speaker 1: the president, didn't want to be quite as brazen as 239 00:13:19,640 --> 00:13:23,400 Speaker 1: the FBI director is my assumption there. But where he 240 00:13:23,480 --> 00:13:25,640 Speaker 1: was hemming and hawing. I think on the legal side 241 00:13:26,200 --> 00:13:31,080 Speaker 1: is that it's unresolved what would qualify as assistant from 242 00:13:31,120 --> 00:13:33,400 Speaker 1: a from a from a criminal standpoint, And this was 243 00:13:33,440 --> 00:13:35,880 Speaker 1: some of what the Mueller teams struggled with. If you 244 00:13:36,000 --> 00:13:40,800 Speaker 1: simply receive information, not money, is that going to be 245 00:13:40,960 --> 00:13:45,320 Speaker 1: enough to violate campaign finance laws. There is no clear 246 00:13:46,280 --> 00:13:49,520 Speaker 1: um ruling or standard on that because it's never happened 247 00:13:49,520 --> 00:13:51,920 Speaker 1: before in that context, so no one really knows for 248 00:13:51,960 --> 00:13:54,320 Speaker 1: sure how the law would play out. I think that's 249 00:13:54,360 --> 00:13:56,760 Speaker 1: really ton of General was kind of dancing around the edges. 250 00:13:57,360 --> 00:14:02,160 Speaker 1: The Democrats question him about Trump's response to the coronavirus, 251 00:14:02,200 --> 00:14:04,440 Speaker 1: which you know, it doesn't seem to really be in 252 00:14:04,480 --> 00:14:08,199 Speaker 1: the purview of the Attorney General and the Justice Department, 253 00:14:08,640 --> 00:14:12,200 Speaker 1: and he blamed President Obama, which is something that we 254 00:14:12,320 --> 00:14:15,760 Speaker 1: heard from the White House. That's another point where you 255 00:14:15,880 --> 00:14:20,640 Speaker 1: just question why he's even being asked that. Yeah, I 256 00:14:20,640 --> 00:14:23,600 Speaker 1: thought it was I thought it was a rather irrelevant 257 00:14:23,640 --> 00:14:25,920 Speaker 1: question to have asked, and I thought his response was 258 00:14:26,000 --> 00:14:30,240 Speaker 1: a rather political operative style answered just relying on White 259 00:14:30,240 --> 00:14:32,520 Speaker 1: House talking point. It doesn't matter how many times things 260 00:14:32,520 --> 00:14:34,920 Speaker 1: have been debunked. I don't know why that question was asked, 261 00:14:34,920 --> 00:14:37,120 Speaker 1: because again, if I had been the Interney General and 262 00:14:37,120 --> 00:14:39,160 Speaker 1: that question has been post to me in that context, 263 00:14:39,520 --> 00:14:42,600 Speaker 1: would have largely deflected saying that's not my purview, that's 264 00:14:42,600 --> 00:14:46,160 Speaker 1: the purview of DHS, that's purview of CDC, and you 265 00:14:46,200 --> 00:14:48,880 Speaker 1: know entities like that, d o J is supporting them 266 00:14:48,880 --> 00:14:51,560 Speaker 1: to extent needed. So that's not really what we handle. 267 00:14:52,120 --> 00:14:55,440 Speaker 1: But Bill Barr has been a long time political operative. 268 00:14:55,640 --> 00:14:57,680 Speaker 1: He was very clear on that when he came into 269 00:14:58,080 --> 00:15:01,200 Speaker 1: this position again which he had held decade earlier, already 270 00:15:01,240 --> 00:15:04,600 Speaker 1: once before, and so he chose to pursue a political 271 00:15:04,680 --> 00:15:07,840 Speaker 1: agenda response. I didn't think it was really befitting of 272 00:15:07,880 --> 00:15:10,160 Speaker 1: his position, but that's what he chose to do. He 273 00:15:10,320 --> 00:15:15,880 Speaker 1: was questioned about systemic racism in the police. That questioning 274 00:15:16,080 --> 00:15:19,960 Speaker 1: was a little more tailored, and the Democrats seem to 275 00:15:20,000 --> 00:15:22,960 Speaker 1: do better in that area. Yeah, and I think that 276 00:15:23,000 --> 00:15:25,920 Speaker 1: the Turning General gave what I would characterize at the 277 00:15:26,320 --> 00:15:32,440 Speaker 1: very Trump party line response, which is to minimize any 278 00:15:32,480 --> 00:15:35,520 Speaker 1: incidents like what happened with George Floyd as the result 279 00:15:35,560 --> 00:15:38,600 Speaker 1: of a few bad apples and not reflective of a 280 00:15:38,720 --> 00:15:42,560 Speaker 1: larger problem. And this becomes sort of the philosophical debate 281 00:15:42,600 --> 00:15:45,200 Speaker 1: between the two parties here as to whether there is 282 00:15:45,240 --> 00:15:48,760 Speaker 1: a larger issue at place or whether or not what 283 00:15:48,800 --> 00:15:52,480 Speaker 1: we're seeing here is just minor and isolated incidents. When 284 00:15:52,520 --> 00:15:55,440 Speaker 1: this happens where there's you know, police violence, I gain 285 00:15:55,480 --> 00:15:57,920 Speaker 1: someone like George Floyd, the Tney General will say, well, 286 00:15:57,960 --> 00:16:00,600 Speaker 1: that's just a few bad apples. But and there are 287 00:16:00,640 --> 00:16:04,640 Speaker 1: a few rioters amongst the largely peaceful protest crowd in 288 00:16:04,680 --> 00:16:07,840 Speaker 1: support something like black Lives Matters. It's they're all violent 289 00:16:07,840 --> 00:16:10,960 Speaker 1: extremists and arsenists and anarchists. They have they have no 290 00:16:11,000 --> 00:16:14,000 Speaker 1: problem painting with a broad brush when they feel it's 291 00:16:14,000 --> 00:16:17,520 Speaker 1: most appropriate to them. And that was some myst been 292 00:16:17,560 --> 00:16:19,880 Speaker 1: my issue with the White House's response on this and 293 00:16:19,920 --> 00:16:23,840 Speaker 1: the Attorney General um serving as that you know, ultimate 294 00:16:23,880 --> 00:16:27,560 Speaker 1: spokesperson for the Justice Department. So finally, at the end 295 00:16:27,560 --> 00:16:31,080 Speaker 1: of the hearing, Bar got a wrist bump from one 296 00:16:31,120 --> 00:16:35,440 Speaker 1: of the Republican congressmen. Was Bar the winner here? I 297 00:16:35,480 --> 00:16:37,800 Speaker 1: think if you have to truly declare a winner, I 298 00:16:37,800 --> 00:16:40,520 Speaker 1: think you'd have to give Bar just a slight edge 299 00:16:40,520 --> 00:16:45,000 Speaker 1: because Democrats didn't really land any true knockout blows on him. 300 00:16:45,120 --> 00:16:48,880 Speaker 1: He used the ultimate political inside fighter. He drew them 301 00:16:48,920 --> 00:16:52,040 Speaker 1: to a draw. He looked petty, they looked petty. But 302 00:16:52,120 --> 00:16:54,560 Speaker 1: he didn't need to quote unquote win. He just needed 303 00:16:54,600 --> 00:16:58,320 Speaker 1: to get through it without imploding or without giving in 304 00:16:58,360 --> 00:17:00,320 Speaker 1: too much. So did they get what they we needed 305 00:17:00,360 --> 00:17:02,680 Speaker 1: out of him? No, And so for that reason I'd 306 00:17:02,680 --> 00:17:07,040 Speaker 1: say he wins. Thanks Brad. That's Bradley Moss Apartment, Mark Zaid, 307 00:17:07,640 --> 00:17:10,200 Speaker 1: And that's it for the edition of Bloomberg Law. I'm 308 00:17:10,280 --> 00:17:12,960 Speaker 1: June Grosso. Thanks so much for listening, and remember to 309 00:17:13,040 --> 00:17:15,320 Speaker 1: tune to The Bloomberg Law Show every weeknight at ten 310 00:17:15,400 --> 00:17:17,639 Speaker 1: pm Eastern right here on Bloomberg Radio.