THREAD: What is wrong with Barr's meetings with foreign officials, seeking their help in discrediting the Mueller investigation? (Hint: It's not the same thing as the Ukraine scandal.)
1/ Today @washingtonpost reported that Barr has personally traveled overseas to meet with foreign officials and ask them to help their investigation to "investigate the investigators" and discredit the origins of the Mueller investigation. washingtonpost.com/national-secur…
@washingtonpost 2/ This comes on the heels of a @nytimes report that Trump pressed the Australian prime minister to aid the DOJ in that investigation. nytimes.com/2019/09/30/us/…
@washingtonpost @nytimes 3/ The issue here is distinct from the Ukraine scandal in very important respects. In the case of Trump's pressuring of the Ukrainian president, there was *no* lawful investigation of Biden and/or his son by DOJ/FBI. He pressured the Ukraine *instead* of doing that.
@washingtonpost @nytimes 4/ The Ukraine matter also involved the investigation of Trump's potential opponent in the 2020 election. So the Ukraine scandal is much different and should not be lumped together with today's news.
That *doesn't* mean everything we learned of today is a good thing.
@washingtonpost @nytimes 5/ It should trouble all of us that the Attorney General is flying overseas and spending his time focused on discrediting the origins of the Mueller probe instead of combating crime here in the U.S.
His personal involvement reinforces the view that he does Trump's bidding.
@washingtonpost @nytimes 6/ It also suggests that, on this matter, the attention of the DOJ and its leadership is focused on an investigation that will benefit Trump politically.
Politics should *not* play a role in DOJ investigations, and the President shouldn't use it as a tool to investigate enemies.
@washingtonpost @nytimes 7/ The pressure Trump put on the Australian president is even more problematic because it suggests that the President of the United States is using our foreign policy to advance a political agenda rather than pursuing policies that benefit all Americans.
@washingtonpost @nytimes 8/ So that should be troubling, and it certainly shows a pattern of behavior that he is using his power as president to help himself politically.
But it is very distinct from what happened in the Ukraine scandal. There Trump pressured a foreign power to investigate his opponent.
@washingtonpost @nytimes 9/ He did that *instead* of asking U.S. authorities to investigate, presumably because it appears that there was no credible basis to open an investigation. That is an example of Trump using his power as president to do something that only helped him personally.
@washingtonpost @nytimes 10/ This distinction matters legally, and it is important to keep the Ukraine matter distinct from what has been revealed today. There is no defense to what Trump did towards the Ukrainian President. He may try to use today's scandals to muddy the waters. /end
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