The departure of Attorney General William Barr Monday evening was surprising only in its timing and how pleasant President Donald Trump was to the nation’s top law enforcement official with whom he had grown increasingly disappointed.
This is because, Trump administration sources unanimously agree, the president recognized that Trump enthusiasts are also Barr enthusiasts.
Barr, in fact, enjoys a following among grassroots conservatives akin to that of past Attorneys General John Ashcroft, a staunch conservative who served under George W. Bush, and A. Mitchell Palmer, Woodrow Wilson’s attorney general, famed for the “Palmer Raids” to capture Bolshevik anarchists from 1919-20.
“Barr gave extraordinary service to the nation and to the president,” said Arizona State University professor Donald Critchlow, author of the recent “In Defense of Populism.” “The investigations he launched will be played out in the court of law and will be ongoing. He was one of the most articulate speakers on the behalf of law and order in the history of attorneys general.”
In resigning his Justice Department perch when he did, Barr, 70, became the first attorney general to leave office in a presidential election year since President Harry Truman fired Attorney General J. Howard McGrath on April 3, 1952.
“But that’s hardly Dec. 14,” historian David Pietrusza, author of six critically-acclaimed books on presidential election years, told Newsmax. “And I was surprised to see Trump and Barr split so amicably.”
White House sources, to a person, took pains to assure reporters that Barr was not fired and that he had resigned voluntarily.
Although he had not spoken to Barr in at least a month, Trump tweeted that he and the attorney general had a “nice talk” when they met at the White House Monday and Barr tendered his resignation.
In less than an hour after Barr’s resignation was announced, Republican members of Congress and state attorneys general began weighing in with praise.
“Best wishes to AG Bill Barr for doing outstanding job pursuing justice, particularly his efforts to disclose origins of disgraceful, phony investigation of ‘Russia collusion,’” tweeted Rep. Pete King, R-N.Y.
Another tweet came from Sen. Shelley Moore Capito, R-W.Va., saying “I have a lot of respect for AG Barr and I appreciate his work and patriotism.”
Todd Rokita, Republican attorney general-elect of Indiana, told Newsmax: “From pointing out the flaws in the misguided Russia probe to promoting the rule of law and consistently ensuring victims receive justice, Bill Barr has served the nation with distinction. He fought for justice throughout a wide spectrum of injustice — from the endless hypocrisy of the deep state to the lawlessness of the rioting goofballs of last summer. While we cannot agree with anyone 100% of the time, as the president said today, Bill Barr has done an outstanding job.”
“Barr was a real problem-solver for Trump,” said Patrick Morrisey, who was just reelected West Virginia’s attorney general with 64% of the vote. “I’m grateful for the role he played in the Trump administration and enjoyed working with the Department of Justice on so many of the president’s initiatives. ... I’m hopeful that we will see him out hunting again in our state’s Eastern Panhandle soon!”
John Gizzi is chief political columnist and White House correspondent for Newsmax. For more of his reports, Go Here Now.
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