Barr's Resignation

Attorney General William Barr's recent resignation has generated a stir within with Christian-Trumpite circles leading many to wonder if he's a traitor, or even a closet Biden supporter.

This notion is misguided and even a bit silly and it painfully demonstrates how ill-informed and even ignorant the Trump base is. How little they understand even about the basic workings of government and why people do what they do.

Barr was certainly one of Trump's top allies. He laboured to effect Trump's policies and even engaged in actions of questionable legality and ethics in order to do so. By many estimations he behaved more like Trump's personal lawyer than the attorney general of the United States. He was guilty of the grossest kind of politicisation of the office and not a few scholars are certain to rank him among the worst people to ever hold that position. His actions undermined the law and its integrity.

Why then has Barr turned on Trump? He hasn't. It's simply a case of Trump being delusional. He's lost and he lost legitimately. I've even seen Christians questioning whether Mitch McConnell isn't for Biden since he has now acknowledged his victory? Do these people not understand? These people are not going to throw their careers and legacies away for a spoiled brat and liar. His show (at least in terms of the presidency) has come to an end and for those looking ahead – it's time to move on. They're not going to fall on their swords to defend Trump especially when they know he'll turn on them in a heartbeat or toss them aside when they are no longer of any use to him.

Does Barr have Deep State connections? He certainly does. He's a dirty and corrupt figure and I don't doubt he also pursued his own agenda while in office but he also did a lot to help Trump and I'm sure he would have preferred Trump to stay in office.

So then why leave now? Why not wait until January?

The answer is pretty simple. Barr has accomplished what he wanted to do and also he wishes to avoid the ugliness (and legal lunacy) that's going to occur during the last few weeks of the Trump presidency.

Outgoing presidents issue pardons and Trump is sending signals that he's ready to issue some controversial and even legally questionable ones – such as pardoning himself for instance.

Any pardon runs through the Justice Department and thus the attorney general is part of the process. His signature will be involved.

Barr wants nothing to do with it. He's not going to destroy his own standing and perhaps even place himself at risk in order to do this. He's walking away. That's all that's happening. It's not that complicated.

It is pretty stunning though when you consider his past roles in scandals such as Iran-Contra and the BCCI affair. And yet this – to fall on his sword for one such as Trump? That's asking too much. And to what end? What would he hope to gain? Trump is headed nowhere. Unless Barr wants a television show or something along those lines, there's no reason for him to keep himself attached to Trump.

And yet the Trumpites read this in a very different way because they have been blinded by their idolatrous devotion to Trump and gauge things by their emotions – rather than rooted in an understanding of how things actually work.

Contrary to Albert Mohler's estimation of him, William Barr is a deplorable figure. But he's not a fool.