AG Barr did ‘the wrong thing — in the wrong way’ and no longer deserves benefit of the doubt: Former federal prosecutor

On Thursday, in an editorial in The Daily Beast, former federal prosecutor and law professor Mimi Rocah sharply criticized Attorney General William Barr for his seeming determination to protect Trump politically from special counsel Robert Mueller's report on Russian interference in the 2016 presidential election.

"I was one of several alumni of the Department of Justice who was inclined to give Barr the benefit of the doubt," wrote Rocah. "And so it is with some sadness that I say, Barr did absolutely the wrong thing, in the wrong way, and one can certainly infer bad reasons in his handling so far of the special counsel's report."

In particular, Rocah castigated Barr's decision to write his own letter to Congress summarizing the Mueller report and declaring his own opinion that it could not be established whether the president obstructed justice, without giving Mueller's team a chance to speak for themselves.

"In 48 hours, in just a few short paragraphs, Barr essentially threw out the window the facts, findings, nuances, and 'difficult questions of law and fact' of Mueller's nearly two-year investigation which, to any rational observer, was thorough and conducted with integrity," wrote Rocah. "Coming from the man who had written the 19-page memo saying Trump couldn't commit obstruction, this looked pre-determined and political — like a lawyer trying to protect his client, not a public servant trying to get the truth and facts where they belong."

Rocah concluded by saying Barr, "must immediately release the Mueller-prepared summaries rand work with Congress to ensure that the whole report is turned over to Congress," adding that it is his "final chance to salvage his reputation and, more importantly, the integrity of the Justice Department he claims to hold so dear."