Thread by @karolcummins

The Many Problems With the Barr Letter

📌By unilaterally concluding that Mr. Trump did not obstruct justice, the attorney general has made it imperative that the public see the Mueller report. nytimes.com/2019/03/24/opi…

Mr. Barr, in his letter, acknowledges that the Mueller report “does not exonerate” Mr. Trump on the issue of obstruction, even if it does not recommend an indictment.

nytimes.com/2019/03/24/opi…

After laying out the scope of the inv’n and noting that Mueller’s report does not offer any legal rec’s, Barr declares that it therefore “leaves it to the AG to decide whether the conduct described in the report constitutes a crime.”

By which standard?

nytimes.com/2019/03/24/opi…

“He then concludes the president did not obstruct justice when he fired the F.B.I. director, James Comey.”

📌WTF? And then, the very next day Trump invites Lavrov & Kisliak into the Oval Office & where they gloat about Comey’s firing? WTF?

nytimes.com/2019/03/24/opi…

It was all smiles when Trump welcomed Lavrov & Kislyak to the US & to the WH OO.

Of course, we only know that thanks to photos from Russia's state news agency. Its photographer was the only one allowed in the meeting, while U.S. journalists were kept out.
washingtonpost.com/news/worldview…

📌📌It was a curious choice for a meeting that took place less than a day after Trump fired FBI Director James B. Comey, who was leading the investigation into the Trump campaign's ties to Russian officials.
washingtonpost.com/news/worldview…

As Lavrov was entering the State Department, a reporter asked whether the dismissal of Comey “cast a shadow” over Wednesday's meetings. Lavrov joked the question away. “Was he fired?” he sarcastically asked. “You are kidding. You are kidding.”
washingtonpost.com/news/worldview…

After the news conference, Trump met face-to-face with Lavrov. The Russian Foreign Ministry was quick to capitalize on the moment, tweeting one of the first photos of the two men shaking hands.
washingtonpost.com/news/worldview…

📌Also in attendance was Kislyak, Russia's ambassador to the United States. Kislyak's presence was surprising —

📌📌📌he's a key figure in the investigation of the Trump administration's ties to Russia.
washingtonpost.com/news/worldview…

📌Presidents tend to avoid photo-ops with representatives of countries accused of interfering in U.S. elections.

washingtonpost.com/news/worldview…

📌📌They might also avoid someone so closely associated with Nixon on a day when their decision to fire the sitting FBI head is being compared to some of that disgraced president's worst offenses.
washingtonpost.com/news/worldview…

In addition to the Russian officials, Trump also welcomed Henry Kissinger to the White House. The meeting was not on the president's official schedule, and it took the press pool by surprise.
washingtonpost.com/news/worldview…

📌📌Kissinger has advised Trump on key appointments and praised his leadership. Kissinger “has maintained close ties to Russian President Vladimir Putin,” according to Politico, and said previously that Comey was “not doing a good job.”
washingtonpost.com/news/worldview…

📌Ergo Barr’s conclusion would be momentous in any event. But to do so within 48 hours of receiving the report (which pointedly did not reach that conclusion) & without full & careful review of the evidence, should be deeply concerning to every American.

nytimes.com/2019/03/24/opi…