The WSJ presents an opinion piece of Mr. Barr’s accomplishments on his resignation today, ostensibly over his statement that there was not enough evidence of voter fraud to overturn the presidential election.
Some highlights:
…Mr. Barr…wanted to clean up a Justice Department that he rightly knew had been tainted by a corrupt FBI under James Comey and political appointees in both parties who lacked the courage or tenacity to take responsibility for hard prosecutorial judgments.
[He navigated] the end of the Robert Mueller probe while protecting the office of the Presidency from unconstitutional conclusions about obstruction of justice. Future Presidents of both parties will thank him.
He was willing to endure media and Democratic smears by taking fresh looks at old investigations…. His release of documents has helped to show the FBI probe began in partisan scheming and unlawful practices…
Mr. Barr also had the guts to ask another U.S. Attorney, Jeffrey Jensen, to re-examine Mr. Mueller’s prosecution of Michael Flynn. That probe turned up more malpractice and a decision to dismiss charges that never should have been brought…
…Perhaps Mr. Barr’s greatest contribution was speaking truth to Mr. Trump, who wanted his tormentors prosecuted whether or not the evidence warranted. This resistance chafed on Mr. Trump as Mr. Barr’s tenure went on, and especially when Mr. Durham declined to bring indictments or leak evidence before the presidential election. This was the right decision and shows Mr. Barr’s adherence to principle. [“Thank You Bill Bar”, WSJ, 14 Dec 2020]
Whether one agrees or disagrees with Barr (his antitrust case against Google is described by the WSJ as “weak”) whether revealing the abuses of Democrat “deep state” operatives or willing to disagree with Trump when he believed the facts warranted it, Barr demonstrated an allegiance to the U.S. Constitution, and the rule of law, which is all that one can demand of a public official.