The love affair between Donald Trump and Attorney General Bill Barr appears to be over. Barr said publicly on Tuesday that no evidence of fraud has been found in the 2020 presidential elections and Trump supporters called him a traitor. With Tuesday’s news, they’ll really go off the deep end, and a series of Barr-bashing tweets from the president are imminent.
On Tuesday, CNN reported that the Department of Justice, led by Bill Barr, is actively investigating a crime related to funneling cash to the White House in the form of a political contribution in exchange for a pardon. The charge is similar to the one that Trump already has pending in New York regarding an illegal campaign donation paid by his personal attorney, Michael Cohen, to adult film star Stormy Daniels to keep her quiet. In this case, however, bribery and abuses of power are involved.
It is unclear at this point who is suspected of funning that money, or if it’s someone Trump has already pardoned. The New York Times reported on Tuesday that former New York City Mayor and new attorney to the president, Rudy Giuliani, discussed a preemptive pardon with the president, raising questions about what it is he thinks he may be accused of in the future. Recently, Trump has also pardoned former national security advisor Michael Flynn, who was charged with working as a foreign agent; at the time, he was working in the White House, too.
Trump has also pardoned his long-time friend and informal campaign advisor Roger Stone after he was charged with threatening a witness in his case and lying to the FBI. Of course, other pardons have been issued, several of which do not pardon any Trump officials or friends, but Trump has used pardons to keep those who have information that could be used against him quiet with promises of a pardon.
Presidential pardon as lawful form of obstructing justice: https://t.co/2DwcH6HpjD
— Frank Figliuzzi (@FrankFigliuzzi1) December 1, 2020
