Bill Barr embarrasses Eric Swalwell after gotcha question backfired today. Eric wants Barr to investigate Trump and Barr shut him down.
Eric asked, “AT YOUR CONFIRMATION HEARING, YOU ARE ASKED, DO YOU BELIEVE A PRESIDENT COULD LAWFULLY ISSUE A PARDON IN EXCHANGE FOR THE RECIPIENT’S PROMISE NOT TO INCRIMINATE HIM? AND YOU SAID THAT WOULD BE A CRIME. YOU ARE ASKED, COULD A PRESIDENT ISSUE A PARDON IN EXCHANGE FOR THE RECIPIENT’S PROMISE TO NOT INCRIMINATE HIM? HE RESPONDED, NO, THAT WOULD BE A CRIME. CORRECT?
A.G. BARR: YES, I SAID THAT.
YOU SAID IT WOULD BE A CRIME. AND WHEN HE SAID THAT, THAT A PRESIDENT SWAPPING A PARDON TO SILENCE A WITNESS WOULD BE A CRIME, YOU ARE PROMISING THE AMERICAN PEOPLE THAT IF YOU SAW THAT, YOU WOULD DO SOMETHING ABOUT THAT. IS THAT RIGHT?
A.G. BARR: THAT IS RIGHT.
ARE YOU INVESTIGATING DONALD TRUMP FOR COMMUTING THE PRISON SENTENCE OF LONGTIME FRIEND AND POLITICAL ADVISOR ROGER STONE?
A.G. BARR: NO.
WHY NOT?
A.G. BARR: WHY SHOULD I?
HE WAS CONVICTED ON SEVEN COUNTS DURING THE RUSSIAN INVESTIGATION, AND HE LIED. WHY WOULD HE LIKE? IT WAS SAID HE LIED BECAUSE THE TRUTH LOOK BAD FOR DONALD TRUMP. DONALD TRUMP NOT GIVE — IN WRITTEN ANSWERS, THAT HE TALKED TO ROGER STONE DURING A RUSSIAN INFLUENCE OPERATION. THERE IS EVIDENCE THAT TRUMP AND STONE DID TALK DURING THAT TIME. YOU WOULD AGREE THAT IT IS A FEDERAL AGREE TO LIE UNDER OATH, RIGHT?
A.G. BARR: YES.
A DONALD TRUMP LIED TO THE INVESTIGATORS, WOULD YOU AGREE WAS A CRIME, DONALD TRUMP WOULD BE IN THE POSITION TO EXPOSE THE LAW. DONALD TRUMP SAID ROGER STONE HAD SHOWN GUTS ON TWITTER BY NOT TESTIFYING AGAINST HIM. A.G. BARR: I AM NOT AWARE OF THAT.
DO YOU READ THE PRESIDENT’S TWEETS?
A.G. BARR: NO.
THEY SAY A LOT, AND I THINK YOU SHOULD START READING THEM HE SAID ROGER STONE HAD GUTS. THIS THAT I HAD 29 OR 30 CONVERSATIONS WITH TRUMP DURING THE CAMPAIGN PERIOD, AND TRUMP KNOWS I WAS UNDER ENORMOUS RUSH HER TO TURN ON HIM. IT WOULD HAVE EASED MY SITUATION CONSIDERABLY, BUT I DID NOT THE PROSECUTORS WANTED ME TO PLAY JUDAS, BUT I DID NOT. ARE YOU FAMILIAR WITH THAT? A.G. BARR: ACTUALLY, I AM NOT.
HOW CAN YOU SAY, WHY SHOULD I INVESTIGATE THE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES IF YOU’RE NOT EVEN AWARE OF THE FACTS CONCERNING THE PRESIDENT USING THE COMMUTATION POWER TO SWAP THE SIGNS OF A WITNESS?
A.G. BARR: BECAUSE WE REQUIRE A RELIABLE PREDICATE BEFORE WE OPEN A CRIMINAL INVESTIGATION.
I JUST GAVE TO YOU, SIR — A.G. BARR: I DO NOT CONSIDER IT. I CONSIDER IT A THEORY THAT YOU HAVE.
IT SOUNDS LIKE…
A.G. BARR: THERE WOULD BE A LOT MORE PEOPLE UNDER INVESTIGATION.
AG Barr shuts down Eric Swalwell's partisan talking points as a "Rube Goldberg theory" pic.twitter.com/mCjKgPNV24
— America Rising (@AmericaRising) July 28, 2020
Transcript from CSPAN.
