Rep. Jeffries Slams Barr’s ‘Inaccurate’ Praise of Trump’s Covid-19 Response

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Attorney General William Barr is defending the aggressive federal law enforcement response to civil unrest in America, saying “violent rioters and anarchists have hijacked legitimate protests” sparked by George Floyd’s death at the hands of Minneapolis police.

Barr will tell members of the House Judiciary Committee at a much-anticipated hearing on Tuesday that the violence taking place in Portland, Oregon, and other cities is disconnected from the death of Floyd, which he described as a “horrible” event that prompted a necessary national reckoning on the relationship between the Black community and law enforcement.

“Largely absent from these scenes of destruction are even superficial attempts by the rioters to connect their actions to George Floyd’s death or any legitimate call for reform,” Barr will say of the Portland protests, according to a copy of his prepared remarks released by the Justice Department on Monday.

The hearing was to begin at 10 a.m. but was delayed about an hour because the committee’s chairman, Rep. Jerrold Nadler, was involved in a minor car accident on the drive down from New York, his office said. He was not injured.

Barr will also touch on other controversies that have shadowed his tenure, including his handling of the investigation into Trump campaign ties to Russia, which he derisively refers to as “the bogus ‘Russiagate’ scandal.”

The testimony underscores the Justice Department’s ongoing effort to differentiate between increasing violence in some cities and the death of Floyd, which has already led to state charges against four officers and is under investigation by federal authorities. Massive but peaceful demonstrations ollowed Floyd’s death in May.

The attorney general, speaking as Congress and the public pay respects to the late Rep. John Lewis, will acknowledge to lawmakers that Floyd’s death struck a chord in the Black community because it reinforced concerns that Blacks are treated differently by police. But he will also condemn Americans who he says have responded inappropriately to Floyd’s death through what he said was rioting and anarchy.

“As elected officials of the federal government, every Member of this Committee – regardless of your political views or your feelings about the Trump Administration – should condemn violence against federal officers and destruction of federal property,” Barr says. “So should state and local leaders who have a responsibility to keep their communities safe. To tacitly condone destruction and anarchy is to abandon the basic rule-of-law principles that should unite us even in a politically divisive time.”

Civil unrest escalated in Portland after federal agents were accused of whisking people away in unmarked cars without probable cause; they were detained and later released. And in Washington, D.C., peaceful protesters were violently cleared from the streets by federal officers using smoke bombs and pepper balls ahead of a photo op by Trump in front of a church, where Barr had accompanied him.

The attorney general has defended as necessary the broad use of law enforcement power to deal with the situation, but the department’s internal watchdog has opened investigations into use of force and other tactics by agents in both cities.

The hearing on Tuesday marks Barr’s first appearance before the House Judiciary Committee, bringing him face-to-face with a panel that voted last year to hold him in contempt and is holding hearings on what Democrats allege is politicization of the Justice Department under his watch. It comes during a tumultuous stretch in which Barr has taken a series of actions cheered by President Donald Trump but condemned by Democrats and other critics.

Barr makes reference in his prepared statement to that antagonistic relationship, saying that “many of the Democrats on this Committee have attempted to discredit me by conjuring up a narrative that I am simply the President’s factotum who disposes of criminal cases according to his instructions. Judging from the letter inviting me to this hearing, that appears to be your agenda today.”

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Even Barr blames Obama. He is so slimey.

FreeCaledonia
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WOW! @RepJeffries thank you for schooling barr and starting to put him behind bars where he belongs. #bars4barr #DrainTheWhiteHouse

handmadehearts
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Wasn't really "slamming" more like "not letting the man you are questioning answer & continuing to through claims at him without letting him dispute it."

thekadend
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This is really democratic Paul Krugman math! LA county has 112% of the people voting! AND YOU THINK DEMOCRAT DON'T don't want you to know about their voter fraud! 374 counties with more voters than people! And you really think Trump should except that vote???? HOW DUMB ARE YOU??? How about their DIEBOLT VOTE CHANGING that changed the vote to whatever Democrats wanted! CHECK OUT BLACK BOX VOTING! DEMOCRATS WILL HATE YOU!

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Barr thinks he’s so smart ....but he is not

therealsongstress
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WHAT IS THE CONNECTION S OF OBAMA ADMINISTRATION FOR COVID 19 CASE. MR. BARR IS TRYING TO IMPLICATES PRESIDENT OBAMA HEALTHCARE ABOUT COVID 19.

norireyes
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Sr. he just serve the king, enjoy your king usa.

trilogy
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Still trying to understand what Jeffries monologue on the Covid response has to do with a relevant question for the Justice Department. There wasn't a question in that 5 minutes, just a 5 minute break for a political announcement. Had Barr known this was coming he could have taken his 5 minute break and not missed anything.

ausermeg
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Oops...can't let the guy answer. They could have done this "hearing" without Barr. What a waste of time & money.

sharonreilly
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I think this would be a good time to impeach Barrr

therealsongstress
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POTUS (Caesar) Trump will place his tabernacle palace ("FREEDOM") between the seas and the Holy Mountain.
"Then the king will do as he pleases, and he will exalt and magnify himself above every god
and will speak monstrous things against the God of gods;
and he will prosper until the indignation is finished, for that which is decreed will be done.
"He will show no regard for the gods of his fathers or for the desire of women, nor will he show regard for any other god; for he will magnify himself above them all.

johnstefanyszyn