30 Years Ago, William Barr 'Misled' the Public About the Contents of a Legal Memo [View all]
by Matt Naham | 11:06 am, April 15th, 2019
Two-time U.S. Attorney General William Barr once penned a controversial legal opinion while Assistant Attorney General in the Office of Legal Counsel. That was 30 years ago. But before Barrs questionable legal conclusions were released in full, he and others in the administration seized an opportunity to get out ahead of the narrative.
A history lesson of sorts from NYU Law Professor Ryan Goodman in Just Security links this blip from decades ago to a present-day parallel, namely Barrs current handling of Special Counsel Robert Muellers confidential Russia report. U.S. Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein recently spoke out in defense of his boss, calling criticism of Barr bizarre.
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Two-time U.S. Attorney General William Barr once penned a controversial legal opinion while Assistant Attorney General in the Office of Legal Counsel. That was 30 years ago. But before Barrs questionable legal conclusions were released in full, he and others in the administration seized an opportunity to get out ahead of the narrative.
A history lesson of sorts from NYU Law Professor Ryan Goodman in Just Security links this blip from decades ago to a present-day parallel, namely Barrs current handling of Special Counsel Robert Muellers confidential Russia report. U.S. Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein recently spoke out in defense of his boss, calling criticism of Barr bizarre.
Hes being as forthcoming as he can, and so this notion that hes trying to mislead people, I think is just completely bizarre, Rosenstein said. Goodman, in Barrs Playbook: He Misled Congress When Omitting Parts of Justice Dept Memo in 1989, points out that Barr and his surrogates have said nearly the exact thing before while keeping the real controversy under lock and key.
When Barr testified before Congress in 1989 about his memo, he said that he wasnt handing over his full opinion because of long-standing department policy. Since its inception, the Office of Legal Counsels opinions have been treated as confidential, he said. After Barr was pressed on the claim, a blanket statement became: It has been the long established policy of OLC that except in very exceptional circumstances, the opinions must remain confidential.
More:
https://lawandcrime.com/high-profile/30-years-ago-william-barr-misled-the-public-about-the-contents-of-a-legal-memo/