William Barr is an experienced, mainstream conservative choice for A.G. — less ideologically extreme than Sessions, far more qualified than Whitaker.
Notable that even as Mueller bears down on convicted former Trump aides like Cohen and Manafort, Trump is now moving towards a *more traditional, Bush-era lawyer* to run the DOJ — rather than a loyalist (Whitaker) or far right politician (Sessions)...
Barr is not someone you pick to improperly kneecap the DOJ. Trump has previously been on a “war” footing, trying to oust Mueller, blasting Sessions for recusal — does he now believe (rightly or wrongly) that he’s legally in the clear, so he’s no longer seeking a loyalist for AG?
An alternative theory — which the Senate can probe at confirmation — is that Trump and Barr already agree about limits or “red lines” for the Russia probe, or Trump demanded assurances on those issues. He’s already under investigation for demanding loyalty from the FBI.
