On Thursday, during an interview with ABC News, Attorney General William Barr stunned observers by seeming to criticize President Donald Trump, saying that he should stop tweeting about ongoing criminal cases.
According to ABC, Trump and his officials were unaware that Barr was going to take a swipe at him, and were completely blindsided:
One of the first reactions to Barr's comments came from Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC), a prominent booster of President Donald Trump, who took to Twitter to praise Barr and note that he has his "complete confidence."
As New Yorker staff writer Susan Glasser noted, Graham's tweet may have been directed specifically at Trump — to warn him off retaliating against Barr.
Barr's tenure at the Justice Department has been marked with total subservience to Trump, and apparent efforts to cover up law enforcement findings that are bad for him. But with his latest statement, the script has been flipped — and there is no telling what Trump will do in response.