Attorney General Bill Barr is the second most dangerous man in America (after Trump himself) because his constitutional theory is dangerously wrong
Make no mistake: Barr’s position is (or at least has the consequence) that the president is above the law.
If a president can obstruct a federal investigation or grand jury proceeding regardless of how corrupt his motive is, then he is above the law. Period. 2/9
It is true that the constitution confers on Congress and not the judiciary the power to remove a president from office. But that only means that the framers decided in their wisdom to let the branch of government 3/9
that writes the laws decide whether a presidential act that falls within the powers conferred on the office of president by the Constitution but done with a corrupt motive deserves removal from office (by impeachment). 4/9
And all that means is that an act fitting this description is not subject to indictment (a legal act). It is only subject to impeachment, a political act. 5/9
But that certainly doesn’t mean that the president cannot commit a *crime* as long as he acts within his constitutionally conferred powers. In fact, he can commit a HIGH crime and misdemeanor (where “crime” means crime) by acting either outside OR inside these powers. 6/9
(It is just that in the president’s case the decision to remove or not is made by Congress, not the judiciary.)
There are virtually NO legal experts or constitutional scholars who agree with Barr’s constitutional theory. 7/9
Will someone please point out to me why we are supposed to regard Barr as having legal or constitutional expertise? Is it something that he did as an attorney in *private practice* that we need to know about? 8/9
For a more thorough deconstruction of Barr’s constitutional theory, see this excerpt from my “Reader’s Guide to the Mueller Report.” 9/9 tinyurl.com/y4m6v68c
