It appears that Trump and Giuliani think that all elections are decided by a member of the Justice Department dropping a bomb against their opponent in the final weeks. They were counting on it this time:
In the aftermath of the New York Post reporting earlier this month—for which Trump had personally greenlighted Giuliani’s decision to act as the paper’s source—the former New York City mayor has spoken with President Trump both about the Hunter Biden materials and what could be done about them from a law enforcement perspective, according to a White House official and a source close to Giuliani. Recently, the president and Giuliani discussed their mutual frustrations with the lack of action from Barr and FBI Director Chris Wray saying that the emails and Hunter files have provided legal ammunition to probe the Bidens, the person close to Giuliani said.
The Trump attorney had also advised the president that the events of the past two weeks underscore why Trump should fire Wray, arguing that it shows that the current FBI director is an anti-Trump subversive, according to the White House official. This official was not aware of Giuliani making as harsh a comment about Barr. Reached for comment on Wednesday night, Giuliani told The Daily Beast: “I don’t comment on my conversations with my client.”
The FBI has declined to confirm or deny if it’s even investigating the Hunter Biden-related emails and images, and the bureau and Justice Department have remained tightlipped on the issue. There is a long-standing institutional aversion to publicly talking about these types of investigations this close to a presidential election—though there is still no evidence at the moment that one even exists, much to the consternation of much of Trumpworld.
Were Barr to make any announcement, said Matt Miller, the former director of the Department of Justice’s public affairs office, it would be a seismic politicization of the agency.
“Barr announcing an investigation at this point would make Jim Comey’s actions in 2016 look quaint by comparison. Comey at least wasn’t trying to hurt Clinton and he wasn’t getting involved at the behest of a candidate and his attorney,” said Miller. “A Barr announcement would be a full banana republic-style intervention in the political process. DOJ shouldn’t even be taking any new investigative steps involving either candidate at this point unless there is some reason to believe those steps couldn’t wait until after the election.”
In their private conversations, Giuliani has mentioned to Trump that Barr could be up to something that he and others simply do not know about, but that he thinks it’s unlikely, according to the source close to Giuliani. Trump campaign officials, meanwhile, do not appear to be banking on any intervention.
“We have one week left,” said one senior Trump campaign official. “I don’t think Bill Barr is going to ride into town and save the day.”
The resignation from both the campaign and Trump and Giuliani specifically, underscore the degree to which the president’s team was banking on an “October surprise” against the Biden family to change their political fates. It also illustrates the disappointment they’re experiencing that it hasn’t played out the way they’d hoped.
“Why aren’t they doing anything?…What the hell are they waiting for?!” President Trump has exclaimed to some close advisers this month, according to two people who’ve heard him say this.
Trump’s displeasure with Wray has long been brewing, with the president angling to oust the FBI director if he wins reelection. But last week, Trump took to his favorite morning cable-news show to signal his displeasure at Barr as well.
“We’ve got to get the attorney general to act,” the president said on Fox & Friends. “He’s gotta act, and he’s gotta act fast, and he’s gotta appoint somebody.”
[…]
On Monday, Giuliani went on the Fox Business program hosted by Lou Dobbs to argue that his findings “could be used in a court of law…There’s a trial here that could be done that would be fabulous for a trial lawyer, I’d love to try it.”
Dobbs, who moonlights as a Trump adviser and confidant, then contended that the FBI and Justice Department “don’t want any part of trying cases against prominent Democrats” in recent years. He then called out the U.S. attorney general: “Where is William Barr? He’s gone radio silent!” Dobbs said.
Here’s the thing about Barr. He has been a loyal Trump henchman but it was only in furtherance of his own agenda which is to further the cause of right wing autocracy. He’s a Republican first. So I would assume he sees that Trump is likely going to lose and so if he does have anything up his sleeve it will be more useful to the GOP agenda after Biden is elected.
This really cracks me up:
“It appears from what’s been uncovered so far that Hunter Biden was trading on his father’s name in order to make money for himself and his family. The question the DOJ has to answer is whether that constitutes a federal crime,” Steven Groves, who previously served as a lawyer and then spokesman in the Trump White House, said on Wednesday.
Golly, I don’t know. Maybe they could ask Donald Trump Jr what he has to say about all that:
Seriously. This is from a year ago:
Last month, the Trump family business received approval from a local government in Scotland for a major expansion of its golf resort near Aberdeen, marking the largest real estate development financed by the Trump Organization since the 2016 election.
In August, President Trump’s eldest son, Donald Jr., flew to Jakarta to help kick-start sales at a pair of Trump-branded luxury resorts planned for Indonesia. He appeared at a private event with wealthy prospective buyers and joined his politically connected billionaire Indonesian business partner at a news conference.
And last year, Donald Jr. visited India to sell condos at future Trump-branded towers, appearing at an event that also featured India’s prime minister.
“I’m here as a businessman,” Mr. Trump told the gathering in New Delhi. “I’m not representing anyone.”
