Setting the Barr: How Trump's Attorney General has Bent the Justice System to His Favor
Attorney General Barr accompanying President Trump to Kenosha, Wisconsin, showing the close relationship the two have maintained since the former’s appointment. Source.
Voting by mail is not a new or unusual practice in the American political system. Americans have long relied on absentee ballots for a safe and accessible means of voting. With the general election right around the corner, many have called for universal voting by mail as the COVID-19 pandemic persists. However, President Trump is adamant that voting by mail is a gateway to fraud, saying that such an act is only done by “cheaters.” And right by his side is the nation’s most recognizable lawyer, Attorney General William Barr.
Barr has been in the heart of the controversy surrounding voting by mail. Earlier this month, the United States Postal Service (USPS) drastically limited its post office hours, causing massive delivery delays as a result. This caused a public uproar, with many Americans expressing concern that their ballots would not be received in time for their votes to be processed. Shortly after, the USPS Chief suspended such controversial changes until following the election, a move that Barr responded would “raise serious questions about the integrity of the election.”
Overall, Barr’s judiciary record and political positions are that of an establishment Republican. In his judicial activity before being appointed Attorney General, Barr advocated to raise the incarceration rate in the United States and advised George H.W. Bush to pardon political officials involved in the Iran-Contra scandal. Appointed by President Trump early last year, William Barr has greatly expanded the powers of an attorney general. For example, in June of 2020, he intervened and fired a federal prosecutor who was investigating President Trump and his close associates.
In response to the Black Lives Matter protests, Attorney General Barr launched Operation Legend through the DOJ in which “all federal law enforcement agencies worked in conjunction with state and local enforcement officials to fight the sudden surge of violent crime.” Operation Legend has subsequently facilitated a large spike in incarceration rates in cities where Black Lives Matter protests have gained national attention.
Attorney General Barr is an extreme proponent of the President holding unrestrained authority over the Executive Branch, making it no surprise that he is siding with President Trump in accusations of voter fraud by mail. Several lawsuits have been made against discriminatory voting practices since Barr’s appointment to Attorney General, and the Department of Justice (DOJ) has yet to address any of them -- many, including prominent Democrats, feel as if this is an attempt to commit voter suppression. Voter fraud itself is extremely rare, and several state governors are attempting to expand mail-in voting. A poll released last month showed that nearly half of Biden’s supporters plan to vote by mail, where only one-tenth of Trump supporters tend to do so. Democrats are especially pushing for absentee ballots in battleground states, with Florida and North Carolina alone requesting 700,000 ballots to date.
By enacting pro-Trump policies, Attorney General Barr has both expanded and bent the Justice system in his favor. His broad judiciary views have led to several accusations of power abuse, with the most tangible being that of rising rates of incarceration. Historically, the role of the Attorney General is to enforce a neutral understanding of law. Democrats have used Barr’s evidently partisan policies as a basis to criticize him, claiming he is abusing the powers of an Attorney General. In response, Barr has stated “We have to stop using the criminal justice process as a political weapon.”