Date: 2024-12-21 Page is: DBtxt003.php txt00019274
The Trump Saga
Attorney General William Barr
William Barr spent over five hours dodging questions from members of Congress
Peter Burgess
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Date: 2024-12-21 Page is: DBtxt003.php txt00019274 | |||||||||
The Trump Saga | |||||||||
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Burgess COMMENTARY Peter Burgess | |||||||||
| the paramilitary invasion Inbox x Public Citizen robert@citizen.org via salsalabs.org Wed, Jul 29, 3:59 PM (8 hours ago) to me Yesterday, William Barr spent over five hours dodging questions from members of Congress who were exposing the extent to which he has debased the office of Attorney General and failed in his sworn duty to uphold the Constitution. I could send you quite a few emails about the assorted ways Barr functions as a servile lackey of Donald Trump. But I want to focus on one of the most alarming. At Trump’s behest, Barr has dispatched federal law enforcement agents — outfitted in battle fatigues and armed with military-grade weaponry — to invade American cities against the wishes of local officials. These paramilitary forces are shooting at, tear-gassing, beating, maiming, and kidnapping peaceful demonstrators who are exercising their constitutional rights. What people are protesting — brutality, corruption, overreach, and racism by law enforcement — is exactly what these Trump/Barr goon squads are exhibiting. Of course, that irony has not restrained Barr. Meanwhile ... Throughout the coronavirus emergency, pro-Trump agitators have been congregating at city halls and state capitols all over the country — armed to the teeth — in outright rebellion against science-based precautions, such as mask mandates and stay-at-home policies, that are key to our nation surviving this pandemic. As Rep. Pramila Jayapal pointed out to Barr, violent pro-Trump extremists — some carrying Confederate flags and brandishing swastikas — stormed the Michigan capitol with automatic weapons and called for Governor Gretchen Whitmer to be lynched, shot, and beheaded. Barr told Congress he was somehow unaware of this heinous threat against a state governor. We have heard not a peep — much less seen invading armies of unidentified federal agents — from William Barr or his Justice Department in response to neo-Nazi, white-supremacist terrorism directed at government officials. Tell Attorney General William Barr: Recall the federal law enforcement agents that have been deployed to Portland, Albuquerque, and Chicago. Do not allow such forces to be deployed to any other American cities unless expressly requested by local officials. And aggressively investigate acts of far-right domestic terrorism directed at policymakers. Add your name. Thanks for taking action. Stay safe. - Robert Weissman, President of Public Citizen P.S. Public Citizen — like many nonprofits and other small businesses — is feeling the financial strain of the coronavirus emergency. If you can, please consider donating to support the critical work we’re doing together. Thank you. Public Citizen | 1600 20th Street NW | Washington DC 20009 | Unsubscribe | |||||||||