ATTORNEY GENERAL/RUSSIA INVESTIGATION/SPYGATE/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT: “When Attorney General William P. Barr described the early stages of the Russia investigation as ‘spying’ on the Trump campaign, he prompted questions about whether he had used that word spontaneously — or whether he was deliberately fueling conspiracy theories. That question flared anew on Friday [5-17-19] after Mr. Barr went even further in casting doubt on the legitimacy of the investigation in two interviews that, by design or coincidence, provided fresh ammunition for President Trump and allies to attack law enforcement and intelligence agencies. Mr. Barr told Fox News he had been asking whether ‘government officials abused their power and put their thumb on the scale’ in opening the Russia inquiry. ‘A lot of the answers have been inadequate and some of the explanations I’ve gotten don’t hang together,’” he added. And he doubled down on the innuendo-laden formulation he used in congressional testimony last month, telling The Wall Street Journal, ‘Government power was used to spy on American citizens.’”
–Charlie Savage, “Barr Again Casts Doubt on Russia Inquiry’s Origins, Aligning With Trump’s Attacks,” The New York Times online, May 17, 2019