Attorney General Barr has presented a radical re-interpretation of what the framers of the Constitution had in mind when they set up the powers of three co-equal branches of government.
, claimed that “Congress is increasingly quick to dismiss good-faith attempts to protect Executive Branch equities” and asserted that Article II of the Constitution was intended to grant the president greater powers than the other two branches so that the president would be a “muscular executive” relatively unencumbered by checks and balances.
Barr’s arguments clear the way for Trump supporters to claim that Trump was within his rights as president to act as he did with respect to Ukraine—and to reason that his behavior was within the scope of his power as president.
Barr is arguing that Trump has been unfairly attacked, and that the courts and Congress should stop “picking on” the president by investigating crimes he may have committed. According to Barr, the president should have the power to do what he wants to do—especially when it comes to foreign policy and investigations.
Barr’s comments were so incendiary that he was rebuked by a highly respected group of conservative lawyers: Checks and Balances, a group of constitutional lawyers that asserted Barr’s “interpretation of the law set a dangerous precedent.
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