Top Items:
James Comey / New York Times:
How Trump Co-opts Leaders Like Bill Barr — Accomplished people lacking inner strength can't resist the compromises necessary to survive this president. — Mr. Comey is the former F.B.I. director. — People have been asking me hard questions. What happened to the leaders in the Trump administration …
Discussion:
The Atlantic, RedState, Washington Monthly, The Hill, Rolling Stone, Fox News, Raw Story, The Daily Caller, CNN, Splinter, The Gateway Pundit, Axios, POLITICUSUSA, Mediaite, Vox, emptywheel, Talking Points Memo, Sara A. Carter, The Guardian, Reuters, NB Blog, Mother Jones, Boing Boing, Daily Kos, New York Post and The Stranger
RELATED:
Eli Lake / Bloomberg:
Barr Released the Mueller Report. How Is That a Scandal? — The attorney general has acted properly in his oversight of the Mueller report and investigation. — It was only a month ago that many Democrats were hoping Robert Mueller's investigation into Russia's interference …
Discussion:
Washington Post, The Bulwark and The Editorial Board
Washington Post:
William Barr torched his reputation. His testimony compounded the damage. — ATTORNEY GENERAL William P. Barr entered office with more credibility than many Trump appointees. A veteran of the George H.W. Bush administration, Mr. Barr avowed loyalty to the Justice Department's mission and …
Eliana Johnson / Politico:
The real reason Bill Barr is defending Trump — Bill Barr didn't want to work for President Donald Trump. — At age 68 and semi-retired for a decade, the attorney general resisted three efforts over two years to recruit him into Trump's fold. When approached in late 2018 for his current job …
Discussion:
Slate, The Atlantic, Breitbart, Hullabaloo, The Moderate Voice, Politico, The Week and Raw Story
Jerry Portwood / Rolling Stone:
Barr Didn't Even Try to Pretend He's an Honest Broker for the Justice Department — This is what happens when the nation's top prosecutor is the president's defense lawyer — There's no great mystery about what Attorney General William Barr did Wednesday during his testimony before the Senate Judiciary Committee.
Discussion:
Talking Points Memo, Politico and NPR
Andrew McCarthy / Fox News:
Mueller's letter to Barr - A neat trick by the Washington Post before hearings begin — “Mueller complained to Barr about memo on key findings.” That's the banner headline at the top of the Washington Post's website Wednesday. But when you click your way to the actual story, it turns out that the headline is not true.
Discussion:
RedState and Instapundit
Jennifer Rubin / Washington Post:
William Barr and his horrible hearing — So far, Attorney General William P. Barr's testimony before the Senate Judiciary Committee has done himself and the administration no favors. To the contrary, former acting solicitor general Neal Katyal observes, “Barr has been evasive and misleading from the first paragraph.
Discussion:
Vanity Fair, Breitbart and Le·gal In·sur·rec· tion
Aaron Blake / Washington Post:
4 early takeaways from William Barr's tense hearing — Attorney General William P. Barr ventured up to Capitol Hill on Wednesday an embattled man. About 15 hours before his testimony, The Washington Post reported that special counsel Robert S. Mueller III had sent Barr a letter saying Barr's summary …
Discussion:
The Bulwark, Townhall, Bloomberg and Fox News
Michael S. Schmidt / New York Times:
Mueller Pushed in Letter for Barr to Release Report's Summaries — WASHINGTON — The special counsel, Robert S. Mueller III, pushed Attorney General William P. Barr twice to release more of his investigative findings in late March after Mr. Barr outlined the inquiry's main conclusions …
Discussion:
New Republic, Vox, Washington Post, Raw Story, Florida Politics, CBS News, Washington Press, USA Today, The Week, Townhall, Outside the Beltway, Political Wire, The Daily Beast and Mercury News
Eli Watkins / CNN:
Hirono calls Barr a liar and says he should resign
Hirono calls Barr a liar and says he should resign
Discussion:
The Week, Daily Wire, Balloon Juice, Townhall and WTVR-TV
Zachary Basu / Axios:
AG Bill Barr cancels appearance before House Judiciary Committee
AG Bill Barr cancels appearance before House Judiciary Committee
Discussion:
Political Wire
Chris Stevenson / The Independent:
Robert Mueller to testify to congress about Trump-Russia report, senior Democrat says
Burgess Everett / Politico:
Moderate Dems fret they made a ‘big mistake’ backing Barr
Moderate Dems fret they made a ‘big mistake’ backing Barr
Discussion:
ABC News, The Week, Raw Story and twitchy.com
Olivia Beavers / The Hill:
House Dems pass motion to allow Judiciary staff to question Barr
House Dems pass motion to allow Judiciary staff to question Barr
Discussion:
The Daily Caller, American Greatness, IJR, The Gateway Pundit and Daily Caller News Foundation
emptywheel:
William Barr Absolved Trump of Obstruction without Having the Faintest Clue What He Obstructed
William Barr Absolved Trump of Obstruction without Having the Faintest Clue What He Obstructed
Discussion:
Hullabaloo
Tim Ahmann / Reuters:
Agreement reached to have Mueller testify on Russia probe: lawmaker
Agreement reached to have Mueller testify on Russia probe: lawmaker
Discussion:
Townhall, IJR, Talking Points Memo, POLITICUSUSA and House Judiciary Dems
Philip Bump / Washington Post:
Lindsey Graham kicked off Barr's testimony by whipping up a Hillary Clinton conspiracy theory
Lindsey Graham kicked off Barr's testimony by whipping up a Hillary Clinton conspiracy theory
Discussion:
The Daily Beast and Vanity Fair
Brian Beutler / Crooked Media:
The Democrats' Fatal Impeachment Error
The Democrats' Fatal Impeachment Error
Discussion:
The Atlantic, Washington Post, Reason and Tampa Bay Times
Brad Reed / Raw Story:
Mueller's letter to Barr is ‘screaming this is really wrong’: CNN's David Gregory
Mueller's letter to Barr is ‘screaming this is really wrong’: CNN's David Gregory
Discussion:
Washington Post
Guy Benson / Townhall:
Analysis: Democrats' Dubious Barr Derangement is an Emotional Stand-in For Impeachment
Analysis: Democrats' Dubious Barr Derangement is an Emotional Stand-in For Impeachment
Discussion:
Washington Post, Fox News and Mercury News
Andrew Desiderio / Politico:
The Barr-Mueller breakup: AG works to discredit special counsel
The Barr-Mueller breakup: AG works to discredit special counsel
Discussion:
The Gateway Pundit, Fox News, Breitbart, Daily Kos, CNN and Just Security
Isaac Stanley-Becker / Washington Post:
'I don't know': Barr's professed ignorance prompts calls for his resignation after Mueller letter
'I don't know': Barr's professed ignorance prompts calls for his resignation after Mueller letter
Discussion:
Shareblue Media, CNN, Vanity Fair, The Guardian, Daily Wire, VICE News, Boston Globe and The Week
Washington Post:
Attorney General William Barr declines to testify before House panel
Attorney General William Barr declines to testify before House panel
Discussion:
Vox, NBC News, Political Wire, CNN, Daily Kos and The Stranger
Lucien Bruggeman / ABC News:
Mueller didn't intend report to be roadmap for Congress, AG Barr tells lawmakers
Mueller didn't intend report to be roadmap for Congress, AG Barr tells lawmakers
Discussion:
Yahoo Finance, The Daily Beast, Politico, FiveThirtyEight, Townhall, The Week, Vox, CNBC, The Gateway Pundit, Raw Story and Business Insider
Josh Kovensky / Talking Points Memo:
READ: Mueller Letter To Barr Reveals New Contacts Over Release Of Report
READ: Mueller Letter To Barr Reveals New Contacts Over Release Of Report
Discussion:
Mother Jones, Hullabaloo and VICE News
Derek Kravitz / ProPublica:
How Taxpayers Covered a $1,000 Liquor Bill for Trump Staffers (and More) at Trump's Club — A top-shelf, closed-door drinking session. $546-a-night hotel rooms. A special government credit card for Mar-a-Lago. Taxpayers foot the costs — and the president profits.
Discussion:
Washington Times, The Week, Rolling Stone, Eater, POLITICUSUSA, Boing Boing and Politico
RELATED:
Jamie Ross / The Daily Beast:
Taxpayers Paid Team Trump's $1,000 Mar-a-Lago Bar Bill: Report
Taxpayers Paid Team Trump's $1,000 Mar-a-Lago Bar Bill: Report
Discussion:
Mother Jones
Bill Lambrecht / Houston Chronicle:
Rep. Joaquin Castro won't run for U.S. Senate in 2020 — WASHINGTON - U.S. Rep. Joaquin Castro has decided not to seek the Democratic nomination to challenge Sen. John Cornyn, choosing instead to continue pursuing a fast-rising career in Congress focusing on security and border issues.
Discussion:
Politico, Dallas Morning News, Roll Call and Political Wire
RELATED:
Michael Edison Hayden / Southern Poverty Law Center:
Prolific Alt-Right Propagandist's Identity Confirmed — Thanks to the anonymity of the internet, a man can become a major player in the white supremacist “alt-right” movement without ever revealing his face to his audience. And that's just what Joseph Jordan did.
Hamed Aleaziz / BuzzFeed News:
A 16-Year-Old Unaccompanied Immigrant Boy Has Died In US Government Custody — A 16-year-old unaccompanied immigrant boy died in US government custody in Texas on Tuesday, officials said. — The boy was handed over to the custody of the Office of Refugee Resettlement (ORR) …
Josh Rogin / Washington Post:
Biden calls for end to U.S. support for Saudi war in Yemen — Former vice president Joe Biden is taking his first major foreign policy stance since officially announcing his candidacy for president by calling for the United States to end its assistance to Saudi Arabia for its war in Yemen.
Discussion:
NBC News, Outside the Beltway, RealClearPolitics and The Daily Caller
RELATED:
Benjy Sarlin / NBC News:
‘Democracy Dollars’: Gillibrand's plan to give every voter $600 to donate to campaigns — The Democratic presidential hopeful wants to use a voucher system to clean up politics — but it's got strings attached. — WASHINGTON — Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand, D-N.Y., unveiled a plan on Wednesday …
Will Sommer / The Daily Beast:
‘Make Sh*t Up’: Inside Jacob Wohl's Bonkers Investment Plan — The bumbling political operative pitched investors on a scheme to use fake news stories to manipulate political betting markets for profit. — Bumbling conservative provocateur Jacob Wohl pitched investors this spring on a scheme …
Discussion:
The Daily Dot
Washington Post:
Former CIA officer Jerry Lee admits conspiracy to spy for China — A former CIA case officer long suspected in the intelligence community of being a devastating mole for the Chinese government admitted Wednesday he conspired to commit espionage in that country.
WSOC-TV:
Source: UNCC shooting victim jumped on gunman to save others — Two people were killed and four others injured after a gunman opened fire in a classroom at UNCC Tuesday — Police arrested and charged 22-year-old Trystan Terrell with 2 counts of murder and 4 counts of attempted murder
Discussion:
CNN, twitchy.com, ABC News, Faithwire, myfox8.com, Daily Caller News Foundation, WSB-TV and The Daily Beast
Seung Min Kim / Washington Post:
Thune says Trump's choice of Moore for Fed Board ‘is in trouble,’ expects decision on nomination this week — Stephen Moore's prospects of getting confirmed to the Federal Reserve Board grew dimmer Wednesday as Trump administration officials began to acknowledge privately he does not have the votes …
Discussion:
Political Wire, The Root and Mother Jones
Anne Helen Petersen / BuzzFeed News:
Charlie Kirk And Candace Owens' Campus Tour Is All About The Owns — “If you disagree, go to the front of the line.” — That's what Charlie Kirk tells the 500-plus people gathered in a ballroom at Montana State University in Bozeman. He and Candace Owens, his coheadliner …