Trump’s Pick William Barr May Scuttle Mueller’s Russia Probe

Although in his Senate confirmation hearings Barr had willy-nilly supported Mueller investigation, it is expected that he will somehow interfere in Mueller’s work.

By Rakesh Raman

The appointment of William P. Barr as the 85th U.S. Attorney General is expected to scuttle the ongoing probe aimed to assess the Russian interference in the 2016 presidential election.

Currently, special counsel Robert Mueller is leading a judicial team to know the extent of Trump-Russia ties that allegedly helped Donald Trump win the 2016 presidential race.

Earlier, Trump had fired Attorney General Jeff Sessions who was not willing to stop Mueller probe against Trump. On December 7, 2018, President Trump had announced Barr’s nomination for Attorney General to succeed Jeff Sessions.

Barr – who was confirmed by the U.S. Senate on February 14 – is known for his unconditional loyalty to Trump. He has openly criticized Mueller investigation, and in June 2018, he had sent an unsolicited 20-page memo to Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein about Mueller probe.

In his memo titled “Mueller’s Obstruction Theory,” Barr raised questions about special counsel’s approach to potential obstruction of justice by Trump and opined that it was “fatally misconceived” and Trump’s actions were within his presidential authority.

Although in his Senate confirmation hearings Barr had willy-nilly supported Mueller investigation, it is expected that he will somehow interfere in Mueller’s work.

In fact, Matt Schlapp – who is a Trump supporter and president of the American Conservative Union – has stated that after Barr’s appointment as Attorney General, Mueller’s days are numbered.

It is also being conjectured that Barr will refuse to release the full Mueller report on Trump’s alleged ties with Russia and will share a redacted version of the report to save Trump surreptitiously.

Meanwhile, in order to neutralize Barr’s attempt to secretly protect Trump, the U.S. Congress – the House of Representatives and the Senate – is expected to accelerate its separate investigations against Trump.

In February, the House Intelligence Committee had voted to release all witness transcripts from its Russia investigation to the Department of Justice and special counsel Robert Mueller.

Trump has objected to the congressional oversight into his alleged felonious deals with Russia and stated irrationally that the investigation will hurt the economy.

Trump had participated in the swearing-in of Barr during a ceremony in the Oval Office of the White House, where U.S. Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts administered the oath of office.

By Rakesh Raman, who is a national award-winning journalist and social activist. He is the founder of a humanitarian organization RMN Foundation which is working in diverse areas to help the disadvantaged and distressed people in the society. He also creates and publishes a number of digital publications on different subjects.