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DEMS SWARM BILL BARR. House Judiciary Committee Democrats have been spoiling for a fight with Attorney General Bill Barr for more than a year. Remember the last time Barr was scheduled to appear? It was in May 2019, during the height of Democratic fever over the Mueller report.
Barr agreed to testify. All seemed set. But then committee chairman Jerry Nadler demanded Barr be questioned not by lawmakers but by the Democrats’ hired-gun lawyers. It was an unprecedented demand. Barr refused to go along; when hearing day came, he didn’t show up. But Democrats were ready anyway. Rep. Steve Cohen brought a bucket of Kentucky Fried Chicken to chomp for the cameras (at 9:00 a.m.) and even came up with a plastic chicken to place behind Barr’s name plate at the witness table. Get it? Barr had chickened out of testifying.
Behind the shenanigans, committee Democrats were frustrated. They stayed that way until Tuesday, when they finally had Barr in front of them. Their pent-up anger at Barr, and their eagerness to score points off the attorney general, were hard to conceal.
But Democrats did not actually want to hear Barr answer questions. They wanted to take shot after shot after shot at him. So this might become known as the “reclaiming my time” hearing. This or that Democratic committee member would attack Barr and then, after the prefatory attacking, ask him a question. Then, as Barr began to answer, they would interrupt and say, “Reclaiming my time,” and begin attacking him again.
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The idea was two-fold — to create video confrontations for campaign ads and to get under Barr’s skin. Democrats probably achieved both, but Republicans came away with something, too. Yes, GOP lawmakers came away with video of Democrats harassing the attorney general, but the Republican gain was more substantive than that.
The riots in Portland, Oregon played a big role in the hearing, and throughout, Democrats were deeply invested in defending so-called “peaceful” protesters and claiming that federal law enforcement was attacking those “peaceful” protesters. The short version was, when there are violent rioters attacking federal law enforcement, committee Democrats side with the rioters — the “peaceful” rioters.
“In Portland, we have seen mothers and veterans who were peacefully protesting, not threatening the federal courthouse, beaten and gassed,” said Rep. Cohen — yes, the Rep. Cohen of “chicken” fame.
“The vast majority of protesters are peaceful,” said Rep. David Cicilline. “You think Americans who show up to peacefully protest should expect to be beaten and pepper sprayed?”
The reporting and video out of Portland, of course, proves that the rioting is real. And the committee Democrats’ statements were interesting in part because they came at the same time some other Democrats were conceding that yes, there is violence, and that it is hurting the Democratic cause.
“Violent protesters lighting fires and using violence in Portland should wear @realDonaldTrump buttons,” veteran Democratic insider Lanny Davis tweeted recently. “That is who they are helping. Progressives in Portland need to call them out, including the mayor. Retweet please. Don’t allow violent people to help @realDonaldTrump.”
Nevertheless, committee Democrats firmly established themselves on the side of the rioters. They would not even take a stand against the idea of attacking a federal facility. “Federal courts are under attack,” Barr said. “If someone went down the street to the Prettyman Court here [the federal courthouse near the U.S. Capitol]…and started breaking windows and firing industrial grade fireworks in to start a fire, throw kerosene balloons in and — and start fires in the court, is that OK? Is that OK now?”
Of course it it not OK. But no Democrat rose in full-throated defense of protecting America’s federal courthouses against rioting mobs. They wouldn’t even concede that there were rioting mobs. And that is where the Barr hearing, designed to provide campaign material for Democrats, might end up helping Republicans at least as much.
