The special master ruling for Trump was so wrong that even Bill Barr called for the government to appeal.
Video of Barr:
Barr said:
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The opinion I think was wrong, and I think the government should appeal it. It’s deeply flawed in a number of ways. I don’t think the appointment of a special master is going to hold up. But even if it does, I don’t see it fundamentally changing the trajectory.Â
I don’t think it changes the ball game except for we’ll have a rain delay for a couple of innings. But I think the fundamental dynamics of the case are set, which is the government has very strong evidence of what it really needs to determine whether charges are appropriate, which is government documents were taken, classified information was taken and not handled appropriately, and they’re looking into and there’s some evidence to suggest that they were deceived, and none of that really relates to the content of documents.
 It relates to the fact that there were documents there and the fact that they were classified, and the fact that they were subpoenaed and never delivered, but they don’t have to show the content, you know, the specific advice given in a memo, for example in order to prevail in this case. So I think it’s not really going to change the decision.
Barr is right. There are serious doubts about whether or not a special master can even be found, and the opinion is absurd and based on no logic at all. The fact that legal experts on the left and right are both trashing this order suggests that this is not a political issue but a legal egregious mess.
The order likely doesn’t change anything in the big picture. It buys Trump some time, and that is really what all of this is about. Trump is trying to buy time until he announces his 2024 candidacy and then hopes that his candidate status makes him immune from prosecution.
In the long run, nothing is going to change. The investigation will continue, and Trump is in a mountain of legal trouble.
Jason is the managing editor. He is also a White House Press Pool and a Congressional correspondent for PoliticusUSA. Jason has a Bachelor’s Degree in Political Science. His graduate work focused on public policy, with a specialization in social reform movements.
Awards and Professional Memberships
Member of the Society of Professional Journalists and The American Political Science Association
