Interviewed by every left-wing publication and talk show since leaving his Cabinet post Dec. 23, 2022, 72-year-old former Atty. Gen. Bill Barr doesn’t pull any punches of what working under Trump was like. Speaking with Bari Weiss podcast, Barr called former President Donald Trump “incorrigible,” much to the delight of Wesiss’s liberal audience. “This left has lost their mind over Trump—Trump derangement syndrome is a real think—but Trump is his own worst enemy and has provoked a lot of venom,” Barr said, reflecting on his nearly two year working under Trump. Bari knows all too well how the left called Barr Trump’s “lapdog,” apparently defending him against unwarranted but relentless attacks by the Democrat Party. Left wing audiences like to her former Trump officials denouncing the ex-president because it apparently vindicates—or diverts attention—from all the fake reporting on Trump.
Barr didn’t disappoint Weiss’s audience, calling Trump difficult to work under. “In fact, he was incorrigible,” Barr told Weiss. “He doesn’t take advice from people and he does hi own thing, and you’re not going to teach an old dog new tricks. So I was under no illusion when I went in, but I felt there was a chance he would rally to the office and be more disciplined in his behavior,” Barr said. What irked Democrats about Barr was his evenhandedness, feeling sorry for Trump that he was persecuted by the Department of Justice and FBI while running for president and during his time in office. Barr thought it was disgraceful that Trump endured years of fake news stories from the New York Time and Washington Post, all based on former Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton’s paid opposition research AKA the Steele dossier. So Barr defended Trump against the left-wing onslaught.
Barr told Weiss he accepted the job after former Atty. Gen. Jeff Sessions (R-Al.) resigned Nov. 7, 2018, hoping he could stabilize the Justice Department. Barr said he warned Trump in 2020 that he could lose the election if he didn’t “adjust” his campaign. Trump “continued to be self-indulgent and petty, and turned off key constituents that made the difference in the election,” Barr said. But whatever advice Trump took or didn’t take in 2020, Democrats had done such a good job domonizing him for everything wrong with America, he had no chance to win the election.. How was Trump supposed to overcome the Covid-19 global pandemic, economic fallout and racism attached to the murder of George Floyd? By the time the election rolled around, Trump was viewed as a threat to U.S. democracy, despite the fact Trump created more prosperity and national security certainly than Biden.
Barr made the point that Trump’s feisty personality made it easy for Democrats to attack every aspect of his presidency, despite the fact that the economy and foreign policy ran like clockwork. Democrats and the press blamed Trump for having close ties with America’s enemies in Russia, China, North Korea and Iran. Trump was the first U.S. president to ever meet with Kim Jong-up in North Korean territory. His friendly relations with 69-year-old Russian President Vladimir Putin, left the New York Times and Washington Post saying Trump was a fascist. Trump had his run-ins with China but only on economic terms, never accusing Beijing of human rights abuses. Somehow that was regarded by Democrats and the press as colluding with the enemy. What does the press think of U.S.-Russian and U.S.-Chinese relations now that Biden has wrecked diplomatic ties with both countries?
Barr felt bad that Trump was subjected to years of fake DOJ and FBI investigations, eventually appointing Special Counsel John Durham Oct. 19, 2020, over two months before he left his job. Barr wanted Durham to get to the bottom of former FBI Director James Comey’s Crossfire Hurricane investigation. How ironic that Deputy Atty. Gen. Lisa Monaco runs the show at the DOJ, despite Garland serving as a titular Attorney General. So, even though Barr expressed frustration with Trump’s leadership style, he also felt sorry for the unjustified Democrat and media attacks. Barr told Weiss he was “disgusted, mortified and angry” about the Jan. 6 Capitol riots but took a more measured approach than House Democrats and Republicans blaming Trump for the Capitol riots. Barr didn’t think it was right to impeach Trump once he left office, something not Constitutional.
Liberal journalists like to interview Barr because he’s honest about his perceptions of Trump, being impossible to work with. Barr showed a mixed bag with Trump, believing in his policies but disagreeing with his erratic leadership style. Barr liked Trump’s approach to the economy and foreign policy, certainly different than Biden’s many failures at both. Barr said he lived through some difficult times with Trump at Cabinet meetings where Trump called his Cabinet “losers,” embarrassing Barr and wrecking rapport with his staff. Judging by Barr’s comments, it’s clear he doesn’t want Trump running again for president. Barr thinks the country would see more of the same in a second round of Trump. “Someone asked me if I would have voted for impeachment and I said no,” Barr said, explaining that Article 1 impeachment authority only applied to incumbents.
About the Author
John M. Curtis writes politically neutral commentary analyzing spin in national and global news. He’s editor of OnlineColumnist.com and author of Dodging The Bullet and Operation Charisma.
