Barr Aimed To Block Turkish Bank Indictment After Erdogan Asked Trump For Help: Report

[riversedge]

Source: huff post



02/17/2020 09:05 am ET
A CNN report suggests the attorney general was doing the bidding of an autocratic foreign leader at the direction of President Donald Trump.


Attorney General William Barr attempted to block U.S. prosecution of a Turkish bank last year after Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan asked Donald Trump for help in the matter, according to a new CNN report that supports earlier accounts.

Barr personally attempted to head off prosecution of Halkbank in a suspected multibillion-dollar scheme to evade sanctions against Iran, CNN reported, citing “a person familiar with the discussions.” He reportedly tried to steer a settlement that would have allowed the bank to dodge an indictment shortly after Erdogan pressed Trump for help last spring.

Barr ultimately failed to stop an indictment, however. U.S. Attorney Geoffrey Berman of the Southern District of New York insisted on criminal prosecution, CNN reported.
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The CNN account appears to ratify a Bloomberg report from last year. After Erdogan pressed Trump for help with the Halkbank case in April, the president told the Turkish leader that Barr and Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin would handle it, sources told Bloomberg in an article in October....................................

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Former national security adviser John Bolton expressed concerns last year that Trump was doing personal favors for the “autocratic” leaders of Turkey and China, according to draft of a manuscript for his upcoming book obtained by The New York Times....................

Read more: https://www.huffpost.com/entry/trump-barr-halkbank-recep-tayyip-erdogan_n_5e4a0eb2c5b64ba297517ef3

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Barr needs to Resign! Period!! no ands, ifs, or buts!

[OAITW r.2.0]

1. JFC....what does Trump/Putin have on Barr?

It has to be something deeply compromising and disgusting. He can't be doing this for the salary or future income opportunities. His reputation is disappearing before his eyes.

[PSPS]

13. barr is a "treu believer." he just doesn't believe in democracy

[atreides1]

16. He has nothing on Barr

Barr is a believer in the "Unitary executive", only his belief goes beyond even what the Framers had in mind.


https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Unitary_executive_theory


The general principle that the President controls the entire executive branch was originally rather innocuous, but extreme forms of the theory have developed. Former White House Counsel John Dean explains: "In its most extreme form, unitary executive theory can mean that neither Congress nor the federal courts can tell the President what to do or how to do it, particularly regarding national security matters."

[bronxiteforever]

2. Barr is some kind of evil creature.

[The Blue Flower]

3. il drumpf doesn't have something on Barr

Barr wanted this in the worst way for himself.

[2naSalit]

4. He has a sex trafficking empire to protect!

And putin probably funds half of it.

[Lonestarblue]

5. Barr has long wanted to create an imperial presidency.

I think he saw his chance with Trump because Trump has no morality and he’s greedy for both money and power. Barr probably thought, rightly, that Trump would be happy to go along with his ideas for expanding presidential powers. In seeking the AG job, he might not have known that Senate Republicans would nullify the Constitutional system of checks and balances, but that has also worked to create the monster in the White House who believes he has power over the entire universe and no law can touch him. If Barr can only get Trump re-elected, the door is wide open to establish more of the authoritarian and theocratic government that Barr and Opus Dei want.

[Evolve Dammit]

7. Well said.

[DanieRains]

6. We Need Legislation Every Trump Phone Call To Foreign Leaders Has To Have 20 Witnesses

Just like all the other presidents.

Members of congress need to be given recordings.

Especially Putin, Erdogan, and Jinping.

Pass it unanimously.

[LudwigPastorius]

8. Bill Barr is the new Michael Cohen.

Hell, Trump should have made Cohen AG from the start. He probably wouldn't have flipped on him after that.

[Perseus]

10. Michael Cohen is a saint compared with Barr

Barr has the power that Cohen never had, and I would be very surprised if Barr ever admitted to his corruption like Cohen has.

I am not defending Cohen, but there is no comparison on the level of corruption between the two men.

[Perseus]

9. yes, Barr needs to resign, but better yet, get impeached and disbarred

Unless of course he can be disbarred after he resigns. That SOB has no morals or principles to be a lawyer, he is corrupt, he doesn't respect the law, how can he be a lawyer? He is a gangster!

[riversedge]

11. Maddow reported on this tonight

[Pepsidog]

12. This has something to do woth the gold trader they have in custody and is cooperating i susoect.

[B Stieg]

14. Is it possible that Barr is MORE corrupt than tRump?

He seems to have warmed to his task rather spectacularly.
Impeach and disbar this asshole.

[dalton99a]

15. Impeach this fucker.

House hearings, please

[DeminPennswoods]

17. Trump is a useful idiot to Barr

I am sure Barr, as a devout opus dei catholic, has no respect for Trump the person.

But Barr as a true believer in unlimited executive power/unitary executive theory finds Trump the president very useful in pursuit of this goal. From this perspective, it's understandable Barr would be doing Trump's bidding to stay in his good graces in order to accomplish Barr's legal goal.