OPINION:
More than 1,100 ex-Department of Justice officials have signed a petition demanding Attorney General William Barr resign over his handling of the Roger Stone case.
And while it’s easy to blame President Donald Trump for putting Barr in this tight spot — based, in part, because Barr himself sort of, kind of, pretty much suggested the president was to blame — the fact is, Barr was going to face calls to resign one way or the other.
It was part of the Democrats’ next political plan.
Seriously, seven to nine years behind bars for Stone? For the crime of lying to Congress?
For a crime of lying to Congress that came about because of the Democrats’ fake investigation into Russia collusion?
The real crime here is that Democrats and their outed partners in intelligence and law enforcement raced to bring a president to impeachment absent any impeachable offense, and during the course of that race, tried to rope in as many people tied to Trump as possible to threaten, intimidate, flip and exploit. And when the impeachment attempt failed, the left went ahead with as many prosecutions against those they roped in during the investigative period as warning, as a show of federal muscle, as punishment and as a vendetta against the White House — as an act of vindictiveness for daring to support this president in the first place.
Why Stone and not Andrew McCabe?
Why Stone and not James Clapper?
How come anti-Trumpers don’t have to go to jail for lying to Congress, but Trump supporters do?
When prosecutors recommended seven to nine years for Stone, Trump, as Trump does, took to Twitter to decry the “miscarriage of justice.” Which it was. Which it is.
And that’s why — because it was a “miscarriage of justice,” a ridiculous recommended sentence — Barr weighed in and called for a shorter sentence, which is within the right of the U.S. attorney general to do.
Barr didn’t intervene because of Trump.
In fact, he complained that Trump’s tweet made his job more difficult because it gave the appearance of politicization where none existed.
And now, predictably enough, the left has pounced. The left has its next rally cry. The left, using 1,100 political hacks disguised in formal Justice Department wear, has jumped on Barr and demanded his resignation because of his rightful, righteous call for a less ridiculous sentence of Stone.
“Barr’s actions in doing the president’s personal bidding …,” the letter shared by Project Democracy stated.
There’s no need to excerpt more.
It’s typical leftist manipulation, aimed at inflicting the most political damage from the latest fabricated scandal.
There’s no doubt Barr is in a tight spot right now.
But make no mistake about it: The left would’ve exacted its pound of flesh over Stone with or without Trump’s tweeting. The whole reason to pin nine years on Stone was to create a situation where Trump supporters would express outrage and press for a lighter sentence.
The left was just standing back, preparing their arrows, waiting for Barr to act.
This isn’t about Stone; this isn’t about Trump’s tweet, i.e. a red herring. This is about using Stone to crumble others tied to Trump, pure and simple.
• Cheryl Chumley can be reached at cchumley@washingtontimes.com or on Twitter, @ckchumley. Listen to her podcast “Bold and Blunt” by clicking HERE. And never miss her column; subscribe to her newsletter by clicking HERE.
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