The long hard fall of William Barr

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This afternoon, as Attorney General William Barr dug his feet deeper in on the wrong side of history during his testimony before the Senate Judiciary Committee, former FBI Director James Comey tweeted, โ€œWriting this brought me no joy. Iโ€™m sad for our country.โ€ Comey was referring to an op-ed he wrote in todayโ€™s New York Times, entitled โ€œHow Trump Co-opts Leaders Like Bill Barr.โ€

Barr is the latest example of many โ€œaccomplished people lacking inner strengthโ€ who โ€œcanโ€™t resist the compromises necessary to survive this president.โ€ Comey asks many rhetorical questions about what happened to these people, then admits โ€œthe answer is most likely complicated.โ€ But Comey does offer eerie insight into the process, based on his four months of working with Trump and longer time watching Trump handle other people.

As Comey puts it, โ€œTrump eats your soul in small bites.โ€ The ghoulish process begins with a โ€œprivate circle of assent,โ€ in which one begins to become complicit by staying silent during Trumpโ€™s verbal diarrhea of falsehoods and bluster. It continues with โ€œpublic displays of personal fealty,โ€ in which one follows others in expressing admiration for the outspoken boss. The last step is Trump โ€œattacking institutions and values you hold dearโ€ while you remain silent, deciding you want to keep your job both for yourself and perhaps to protect the country in the long run. The problem is, as Comey cautions, it means you must continue compromising yourself by showing Trump that you are on his team.

Comey singled out former Secretary of Defense James Mattis as an outlier who managed to keep his dignity before he resigned based on principle. A profile on National Security Advisor John Bolton in this weekโ€™s The New Yorker reveals Mattisโ€™ cunning in outsmarting and outmaneuvering Trump. Mattis would often block White House initiatives and ignore orders, viewing them as merely โ€œpart of a longer conversation,โ€ according to the reporting. Whether Mattis will be judged an insubordinate or a hero, it appears the retired Marine Corps general ranks among the very few to escape the Trump administration with a soul still intact. When Trump finishes devouring what is left of Barrโ€™s pitiful soul, he will no doubt quickly move on to his next prey, eager to feed his perverse, insatiable appetite for as long as he occupies the Oval Office.

Hey, it's Bill Palmer. I'm as sick of Trump as you are. I'm expanding Palmer Report's operations so we can lead the fight against him. Click here to donate $25 or $50.