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Deconstructed

Is Bill Barr the Most Dangerous Member of the Trump Administration?

Deconstructed

The Intercept

News

4.84.7K Ratings

🗓️ 21 May 2020

⏱️ 35 minutes

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

Attorney General William Barr has emerged as the shrewdest and most effective member of the Trump administration, weaponizing the Department of Justice to protect the president and his allies while threatening his enemies with legal retribution. He has made it clear that in sharp contrast to the traditionally independent role of the AG, he is willing to serve as Trump’s enforcer, providing a facade of legal propriety to the president’s election-year political maneuverings. What does this mean for the future of American politics? How bad could things get if Trump secures a second term this November? Emily Bazelon — Yale research fellow, staff writer for New York Times magazine, and host of Slate’s Political Gabfest — joins Mehdi Hasan to discuss.

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Transcript

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0:00.0

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0:02.0

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on.

0:32.4

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0:36.3

of Trump's inane reality TV, COVID briefings, a lot of our reporters are out there covering

0:42.3

the deadly consequences of his mounting policy failures.

0:46.2

Here on this show, just in the last few weeks, I've spoken to Abdul El Sayard about the

0:49.8

argument for Medicare for all in a pandemic to solidar O'Brien about the infuriating inadequacy

0:55.7

of mainstream media coverage of Trump.

0:58.2

And memorably to Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez about the necessity for bold federal

1:03.6

government action on behalf of the working class.

1:06.6

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