Watching the extreme reactions of reporters and journalists to Attorney General Bill Barr’s conference, including accusations of cover-up and citing his press conference as evidence of our nation’s descent into an authoritarian junta, my mind leapt back to an argument between Rich Lowry and David French on the proper forum for the kind of investigation Robert Mueller was doing.


French argued that it was fine for a department of the executive branch — created by Congress to enforce federal law — to investigate the president for violations of that law. Lowry argued that the role of investigating the president more properly belonged to Congress.

I sided with Rich more tentatively then, but today’s reaction confirms it for me. The incredible charge of “cover-up” is only believable because Attorney General Barr is part of the Trump administration, and, as he emphasized, he himself is responsible for the report.

My prediction is that eventually the people charging a cover-up will read the report, demand statements from Robert Mueller, and turn against Mueller himself. “A lifelong Republican,” they’ll say.