I guess there are several ways to interpret the revelation in the Washington Post that El Caudillo del Mar-a-Lago wanted his pet attorney general to hold a press conference in which William Barr would announce that the president* was blameless in the obvious shakedown of the government of Ukraine, but that Barr declined this opportunity to obstruct justice.

The most obvious one is to speculate that Barr knows that the president* is as guilty as all the evidence clearly indicates he is. Perhaps Barr is seeking somehow to rehabilitate himself as a respectable establishment figure within the government, the reputation he had before he put his integrity on layaway down at Camp Runamuck. (Not that anything he’s done since has been at odds with the image of a Republican Winston Wolf that Barr built in the extended denouement of the Iran-Contra scandal.) It merely could be one more rodent down the ratline.

But, whatever the reason, Barr’s refusal is a vivid indication that the president* is running out of alibis, allies, and options.

In recent weeks, the Justice Department has sought some distance from the White House, particularly on matters relating to the burgeoning controversy over Trump’s dealings on Ukraine and the impeachment inquiry they sparked. People close to the administration say Barr and Trump remain on good terms...But those close to the administration also concede that the department has made several recent maneuvers putting it at odds with the White House at a particularly precarious time for the president. Like others, they spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss the politically fraught situation.



The ratlines are getting crowded. Every resume looks like a ransom note now.

Respond to this post on the Esquire Politics Facebook page here.

Charles P. Pierce Charles P Pierce is the author of four books, most recently Idiot America, and has been a working journalist since 1976.

This content is created and maintained by a third party, and imported onto this page to help users provide their email addresses. You may be able to find more information about this and similar content at piano.io