The DOJ Has Always Been Politicized- But Never In The Hands Of a Fascist Madman Like William Barr
Most of you know where I stand on Trump, Barr, and the threat of Fascism, so there shouldn't be much confusion about what I'm going to say.
The Department of Justice has been politicized since 1960, when JFK nominated his Brother Bobby for attorney General. The argument against Nepotism aside, there were 3 reasons JFK went in this direction.
First, the President, like four Presidents before him had a huge problem, named J. Edgar Hoover. Throughout Hoover's reign as FBI Director, he conducted a campaign of blackmail, intimidation, threats, entrapment, and encroachment on the prerogatives of State and local Law Enforcement, to make himself the Emperor of his own fiefdom of a Nationwide Police Agency. His intent was to carry out Inquisitions against groups and individuals he deemed "Enemies of the State". He was driven by racism, bigotry, admiration for the KKK and the Confederacy, and a megalomaniac's insane ambition to accumulate power. His heyday was throughout the 20's Red Scare, the 1930's Bank Robbery Epidemic, where he made a name for himself chasing around Tabloid heroes like Dillinger, and the Post War anti-Communist period of McCarthyism. Hoover was unhappy and chafed under the FDR Presidency, since FDR was a Machiavellian genius who outmaneuvered Hoover constantly, and had the backing of Americans as their Depression Era Wartime Leader. Hoover couldn't touch him.
JFK came to the Presidency with a tiny margin of victory. He won Illinois because his Father Joe paid off Mayor Daley of Chicago and his Democratic machine, with the help of the Chicago Mob, to conduct vote fraud. They literally threw Nixon ballots in the River.
Additionally, as everyone is aware, JFK had a personal problem, born of his competitive relationship with his Father and Older Brother Joe jr., which was the need to prove his manhood at every opportunity, and could not discipline himself in his personal life. Don't get me wrong, I loved JFK and what he did as President in his short time. But, he was vulnerable to political blackmail, and Hoover had a huge book on him. Some of the stories and rumors about Marilyn and other actresses you've heard, after he was elected. But, he had a track record, worse than most know, and because of this, he needed to hire an Attorney General whom he could trust with his life to protect him from Hoover. Hoover had the entire basement of his secured residence filled from end to end with file cabinets containing blackmail dossiers on everyone in Washington and elsewhere if he needed to exert control somewhere. Therefore, he was too powerful to Fire, and essentially he was Director for Life. So, JFK chose Bobby, who as Attorney General would actually be Hoover's boss. His job as AG was to protect his Brother from Hoover as a #1 priority.
Additionally, as everyone is aware, JFK had a personal problem, born of his competitive relationship with his Father and Older Brother Joe jr., which was the need to prove his manhood at every opportunity, and could not discipline himself in his personal life. Don't get me wrong, I loved JFK and what he did as President in his short time. But, he was vulnerable to political blackmail, and Hoover had a huge book on him. Some of the stories and rumors about Marilyn and other actresses you've heard, after he was elected. But, he had a track record, worse than most know, and because of this, he needed to hire an Attorney General whom he could trust with his life to protect him from Hoover. Hoover had the entire basement of his secured residence filled from end to end with file cabinets containing blackmail dossiers on everyone in Washington and elsewhere if he needed to exert control somewhere. Therefore, he was too powerful to Fire, and essentially he was Director for Life. So, JFK chose Bobby, who as Attorney General would actually be Hoover's boss. His job as AG was to protect his Brother from Hoover as a #1 priority.
Secondarily, Bobby had cut his teeth politically as lead investigator in Senate Committees investigations of La Cosa Nostra in the Committee of Estes Kefauver. He went after the Mob's influence in the Labor Unions. His investigation of the Teamsters and Jimmy Hoffa put Bobby on a hit list. So, JFK appointed his Brother to give him both the protection and stature of the Office to combat the growing political economic influence of the Mafia in the US.
Thirdly, JFK came to the Presidency with a Cabinet and government of Establishment figures that were dangerous and devious Cold Warriors, like CIA head Allen Dulles, McGeorge Bundy, Military Utopians and Mad Bombers like Gen Max Taylor, Air Force General Curtis Lemay, and Robert McNamara, and FDR's and his own adversary, former Soviet Ambassador and NY Governor, Averill Harriman. JFK was surrounded by people he did not trust. He valued differing opinions, but questioned the motivations of most. So, he needed someone in his Cabinet who knew his mind, who he could trust to interact with to solve the most difficult problems. This decision literally saved the human Race during the Cuban Missile Crisis, which would have resulted in Nuclear annihilation were it not for Bobby's role in it.
So, there was nothing that was not political about RFK's appointment. And, given the way in which Presidential traditions are passed from one Administration to the next, succeeding Presidents continued to appoint AG's who were Presidential loyalists who were tasked informally with the role of protecting their President from frivolous or destructive actual or potential legal threats. There is no point to pretending it has been otherwise.
This Attorney General, Barr, has gone way beyond even Nixon AG John Mitchell in breaking the Law, violating the principle of the Rule of Law, and using the DOJ to conduct political attacks on the President's adversaries for personal or political gain.
But, because of the superficial coverage by the Media, and the lack of astuteness by most observers, people are making the mistake that Barr is doing this out of loyalty to Trump. HE. IS. NOT. LOYAL.TO. ANYONE.
But, because of the superficial coverage by the Media, and the lack of astuteness by most observers, people are making the mistake that Barr is doing this out of loyalty to Trump. HE. IS. NOT. LOYAL.TO. ANYONE.
Barr is an ideological fanatic, who as a leader of the Federalist Society has always espoused the Unitary Executive Theory of Presidential power. Meaning, virtually unlimited Executive Power, under the pretext of "National Emergencies". His intellectual mentor was German Law professor Carl Schmitt, the architect of the legal system of Adolf Hitler's Third Reich. Schmitt wrote the legal justification for Hitler declaring Dictatorship after the Reichstag Fire, and defending the Enabling Act. Schmitt is all over Federalist Society writings and Barr's publicly stated Legal philosophy. The US House investigating the DOJ, and the News media coverage of Barr's malfeasance in office is utterly missing the most important issue. Barr's doctrine of legal theory has been a lynchpin of the so called "Conservative Revolution" launched in the 1990's by Newt Gingrich and his insurgency into the GOP since, with it's current incarnation of the Fascist Tea Party and Freedom Caucus. The Barr/Federalist Society doctrine of Law was the bedrock of the Cheney-Bush administration. All of the atrocities of that administration, such as the Patriot Act, Torture and Renditioning Programs, and obliteration of the War Powers Act, were courtesy of William Barr, and his followers. And, to add, most of the 200 appointments by Trump to the Federal bench are either Federalist Society members or have their stamp of approval, including his SCOTUS nominations.
Everything happening right now is life and death. When I see a gross conceptual error, sloppy criticism that undermines an effective opposition, or superficial shallow investigations, I feel the need to step up and help with a course correction. Maybe the few people who read this and have some influence can take this to heart and do something with it.
