James Cheef
The statements, views and opinions expressed in this column are solely those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of this site. This site does not give financial, investment or medical advice.
On Sunday February 16, 1,100 former Department of Justice attorney’s and officials signed an open letter calling for Attorney General William Barr to resign. The call to resign comes as a reaction to Barr lowering Roger Stone’s 9 year prison sentence handed out Monday, after President Trump tweeted his displeasure with the prison sentence.
Why the Alumni is Angry
The letter represents the anger of DOJ alumni that have served in Republican and Democrat administrations. In their legal opinion, what Barr did was nothing short of the “interference in the fair administration of justice.” They are outraged because they feel Barr failed in allowing the law to be applied equally regardless of ones social status. This action won’t come as a surprise to most legal professionals and indeed voters that did not vote for President Trump. However, non-legal professionals including pundits will deem the action as an anti-Trump agenda, and all 1,100 former DOJ officials Never Trumpers.
Appearance of is All That Matters
The action taken by the former DOJ officials is actually a perfect example of why A.G. Barr said it makes it impossible to do his job with the President tweeting about ongoing investigations and cases. Whether President Trump was signaling Barr to intervene doesn’t matter. Whether Barr had Stone’s sentencing on his radar with plans of his own to intervene doesn’t matter after the fact. What matters to the former DOJ officials is that it gives the appearance of intervening in the application of justice, by exerting presidential power on the Attorney General through the court of public opinion. I personally don’t know what Trump’s intentions were with the tweet, but, I can admit to the appearance the tweet gave. I can also understand the precarious position William Barr found himself in, and has found himself in since becoming AG. Investigators and attorneys do their best work out of the public purview. This is for many reasons, all of them professional.
DOJ lawyers not only take an oath but, they also are expected to follow the DOJ’s rulebook, The Justice Manual. The Justice Manual states that decisions of the Department “must be impartial from political influence.” Barr’s action in lowering Stone’s sentence following President Trump’s tweet, simply gives the appearance of Barr being influenced by political power. In the words of the DOJ alumi themselves, ” Governments that use the enormous power of law enforcement to punish their enemies and reward their allies are not constitutional republics; they are autocracies.”
Why Being Out of the Public Purview Matters
While I am not accusing President Trump of leading us into an autocracy, having studied law and investigating, I can appreciate the out of public purview environment in which legal professionals and investigators prefer to work. It makes it easier to stay focused on where the evidence leads. There is less apprehension about decisions made becoming decisions questioned. It all but eliminates the court of public opinion calling into question bias, integrity, and ethics. Just a jurors are kept from being publicly influenced during cases they will decide, it works the same way for investigators and attorneys. Whether they are government or private legal professionals or investigators.
James Cheef
The statements, views and opinions expressed in this column are solely those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of this site. This site does not give financial, investment or medical advice.
Shakespeare had it right hundreds of years ago.
How pathetic, the corrupt rotten Deep-State Swamp summons their Swamp Creatures in an atempt to derail Barr as he closes in on the Deep-State ‘Coup D’éta’ Leader AKA Traitors.
Just a mo….we are talking about the same Justice system? The real one that actually exists or the idealised one I’m not sure ever existed but hasn’t since before living memory?
Actual indictments and trials will restore some confidence. What are the odds of one trial of somebody significant resulting from Durham’s report…
“1,100 ex-deep state democrats” from the Injustice Dept. signs petition for Barr to resign.
…democrats and RINOs and doesn’t-matter-what-you-call-them deep state bureaucrats that have no intention of giving the power that rightfully belongs to the people back to the people, or the power that rightfully belongs to the Executive and CIC back to the Prez. Why?…because their only concern is their own power and control and wealth…nothing else. So, actually, I’m glad we have all those names now…1100 of them, imagine that…especially for those that out of sheer ignorance claimed that the “deep state” is just an urban legend. Here it is in all its putrefaction. And there are thousands more where they came… Read more »
Mr Cheef seems to think the public has been living under a rock for the past three years. Talking about “allowing the law to be applied equally regardless of ones social status” is a joke in today’s America. Where to start applying the law is certainly an AG’s nightmare: Hillary Clinton and uranium deals — and her numerous other quid-pro-quos? Obama falsely obtaining FISA warrants? Bush lying the country into war? Trump assassinating a foreign official? The US Congress for violating the US Constitution with every illegal war they fund? Please Mr Cheef, don’t treat us like imbeciles. The US… Read more »
disappointing to see false deep state talking points in the Duran – “as a reaction to Barr lowering Roger Stone’s 9 year prison sentence ” – Barr did NOT ‘lower the sentence’, which has not been made yet, he simply issued a note saying he disagreed with the sentencing proposals of the prosecutors in the case – the final sentencing is still completely in the hands of the trying judge (a known Trump hater…)
Until now, based on his long-standing CIA ties, I have been questioning whether Barr was “for real”. I would consider this as a “smoking gun”, “they” clearly think he’s “for real”. Good stuff.