Former Attorney General Bill Barr delivered another scathing critique of his former boss, Donald Trump, in a recent op-ed published in The Free Press. Since leaving his position, Barr has been increasingly vocal in his criticisms of the former president, especially following Trump’s indictment by the Department of Justice. In this latest piece, Barr delves further into the classified documents case and dissects Trump’s claims of victimhood.
Barr concedes that Trump has faced unjust persecution by relentless adversaries who would stop at nothing to bring him down, acknowledging instances such as Russiagate and the ongoing legal actions against him in New York. The former attorney general does not shy away from defending Trump during such situations. However, Barr asserts that Trump is also a deeply flawed individual, whose dishonesty and self-destructive recklessness often lead to calamity for both himself and the nation.
According to Barr, the indictment against Trump in this specific case is a consequence of his own actions rather than unfair government persecution. In his op-ed, Barr emphasizes the need for Republicans to confront the hard truths about Trump’s behavior and its far-reaching implications, not only for the country but also for their own party. He labels attempts to portray Trump as a victim in the Mar-a-Lago document affair as cynical political propaganda.
Barr proceeds to provide a factual account of the case, highlighting how the National Archives and the Department of Justice granted Trump ample opportunities over the course of a year to resolve the matter privately. However, Trump’s brazen criminal conduct, Barr asserts, is indefensible under any circumstances.
The former attorney general concludes his op-ed by cautioning readers to consider that the Department of Justice has yet to disclose a significant amount of information, which will be revealed in the coming weeks. He firmly states that the already known details of Trump’s behavior are indefensible, implying that additional revelations will only further tarnish his reputation.
“Trump has been the victim of witch hunts by obsessive enemies willing to do anything to bring him down. On those occasions—most prominently Russiagate, and more recently the civil and criminal actions against him in New York—I have never shied away from defending him,” he wrote.
But, Barr notes, “It is also true, as I know well, that Trump is a deeply flawed, incorrigible man who frequently brings calamity on himself and the country through his dishonesty and self-destructive recklessness.” He argues that the indictment of Trump in this instance is a case of the latter, rather than the former phenomenon playing out:
For the sake of the country, our party, and a basic respect for the truth, it is time that Republicans come to grips with the hard truths about President Trump’s conduct and its implications. Chief among them: Trump’s indictment is not the result of unfair government persecution. This is a situation entirely of his own making. The effort to present Trump as a victim in the Mar-a-Lago document affair is cynical political propaganda.
It would be wise to consider that the DOJ has held back a lot of information, and it will be coming out in the weeks ahead,” he continues before concluding that “what we already know about Trump’s behavior is indefensible
