Contempt for the law

Donald Trump sees his Justice Department as, well, his Justice Department. To him, it exists to mete out punishment to his foes and spare loyalists from the consequences of illegal actions. That’s a dangerously Nixonian attitude that should trouble all Americans.

This week, Trump squawked on Twitter about prosecutors’ sentencing recommendations for his pal Roger Stone. Then the DOJ backed off those recommendations, leading all four prosecutors to leave the case (one to quit entirely).

In the heat that followed, Attorney General Bill Barr, for a split second acting like a real lawman, told ABC News that Trump’s incessant tweeting makes it “impossible” to do his job. Trump, shameless as usual, responded that he had a “legal right” to interfere in criminal prosecutions.

Barr deserves whatever discomfort he’s feeling. He’s the one who acquiesced to Trump’s pressure campaign on Stone. He’s the one who just said the department was working to streamline intake of Rudy Giuliani’s Ukraine smears.

He’s the one reportedly bringing in outside prosecutors to “review” the handling of DOJ’s criminal case against former Trump national security adviser Michael Flynn.

Indeed, from the moment he took over at Main Justice, Barr has protected Trump. His first public act was pre-spinning the Mueller report, dulling its impact before the public. Now Trump’s whims are a problem? Unbound post-impeachment, Trump does as he wishes. Under such conditions, if Barr is serious about making a strong statement about the need for an above-board Justice Department, he has one honorable choice: Resign in protest.