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Hatchet Man: How Bill Barr Broke the Prosecutor’s Code and Corrupted the Justice Department – A National Bestselling Exposé and Blueprint for Reform
NATIONAL BESTSELLER
“Elie Honig has written much more than a compelling takedown of an unfit attorney general; he also offers a blueprint for how impartial and apolitical justice should be administered in America.”—Preet Bharara
“An essential analysis for anyone committed to understanding the abuses of the Trump administration so we can ensure they never happen again.”—Joyce White Vance
“Essential reading for all who cherish the rule of law in America.”—George Conway
"Written with all the color and pacing of a legal thriller."—Variety
CNN Senior Legal Analyst Elie Honig exposes William Barr as the most corrupt attorney general in modern U.S. history, with stunning new scandals bubbling to the surface even after Barr's departure from office.
In Hatchet Man, former federal prosecutor Elie Honig uncovers Barr’s unprecedented abuse of power as Attorney General and the lasting structural damage done to the Justice Department. Honig uses his own experience as a prosecutor at DOJ to show how, as America’s top law enforcement official, Barr repeatedly violated the Department’s written rules, and those vital, unwritten norms and principles that comprise the “prosecutor’s code.”
Barr was corrupt from the beginning. His first act as AG was to distort the findings of Special Counsel Robert Mueller, earning a public rebuke for his dishonesty from Mueller himself and, later, from a federal judge. Then, Barr tried to manipulate the law to squash a whistleblower’s complaint about Trump’s dealings with Ukraine—the report that eventually led to Trump’s first impeachment. Barr later intervened in an unprecedented manner to undermine his own DOJ prosecutors on the cases of Michael Flynn and Roger Stone, both political allies of the President. And then Barr fired the U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York under false pretenses. Finally, Barr amplified baseless theories about massive mail-in ballot fraud, pouring gasoline on the dumpster fire battle over the 2020 election results and contributing to the January 6 insurrection that led to Trump’s second impeachment.
In Hatchet Man, Honig proves that Barr trampled the two core virtues that have long defined the department and its credibility and independence – ultimately in service of his own deeply-rooted, extremist legal and personal beliefs. Honig shows how Barr corrupted the Justice Department and explains what we must do to prevent this from ever happening again.
“Elie Honig has written much more than a compelling takedown of an unfit attorney general; he also offers a blueprint for how impartial and apolitical justice should be administered in America.”—Preet Bharara
“An essential analysis for anyone committed to understanding the abuses of the Trump administration so we can ensure they never happen again.”—Joyce White Vance
“Essential reading for all who cherish the rule of law in America.”—George Conway
"Written with all the color and pacing of a legal thriller."—Variety
CNN Senior Legal Analyst Elie Honig exposes William Barr as the most corrupt attorney general in modern U.S. history, with stunning new scandals bubbling to the surface even after Barr's departure from office.
In Hatchet Man, former federal prosecutor Elie Honig uncovers Barr’s unprecedented abuse of power as Attorney General and the lasting structural damage done to the Justice Department. Honig uses his own experience as a prosecutor at DOJ to show how, as America’s top law enforcement official, Barr repeatedly violated the Department’s written rules, and those vital, unwritten norms and principles that comprise the “prosecutor’s code.”
Barr was corrupt from the beginning. His first act as AG was to distort the findings of Special Counsel Robert Mueller, earning a public rebuke for his dishonesty from Mueller himself and, later, from a federal judge. Then, Barr tried to manipulate the law to squash a whistleblower’s complaint about Trump’s dealings with Ukraine—the report that eventually led to Trump’s first impeachment. Barr later intervened in an unprecedented manner to undermine his own DOJ prosecutors on the cases of Michael Flynn and Roger Stone, both political allies of the President. And then Barr fired the U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York under false pretenses. Finally, Barr amplified baseless theories about massive mail-in ballot fraud, pouring gasoline on the dumpster fire battle over the 2020 election results and contributing to the January 6 insurrection that led to Trump’s second impeachment.
In Hatchet Man, Honig proves that Barr trampled the two core virtues that have long defined the department and its credibility and independence – ultimately in service of his own deeply-rooted, extremist legal and personal beliefs. Honig shows how Barr corrupted the Justice Department and explains what we must do to prevent this from ever happening again.
289 pages, Kindle Edition
First published July 6, 2021
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July 11, 2021
Hatchet Man is an examination of William Barr’s tenure as Attorney General of the United States. This is a position that Honig believes necessitates some experience in criminal prosecution. One of the themes that runs through this book is that only criminal prosecutorial experience can provide a solid foundation for the decisions that the Attorney General will be called upon to make. He recounts how his professional experience shaped his perspective and moral code.
Honig faults President Trump and Barr for staffing the top positions at the Department of Justice with people who lacked even a modicum of that experience.
Here is the essence of why Honig calls out Barr for his efforts to subvert one of the USA’s most respected and apolitical institutions.
First, for not respecting the “prosecutor’s code”
Second, he excoriates Barr for being a “liar.”
Third, he notes that Barr was a political partisan who used the power of the office politically.
Fourth, he digs into how Barr chose to foist his view of the Presidency as the pre-eminent branch (not an equal branch with the judiciary and the legislature) to upset the Constitutional balance in favor of a President who was untouchable and unaccountable. Honig characterizes this as a dystopian view where a small group of “men of faith” enforce their chosen social order.
Hatchet Man is an important and thought-provoking book for this period in America. At its heart is a plea for balance and restraint that should be part of a national discussion.
Honig faults President Trump and Barr for staffing the top positions at the Department of Justice with people who lacked even a modicum of that experience.
Here is the essence of why Honig calls out Barr for his efforts to subvert one of the USA’s most respected and apolitical institutions.
First, for not respecting the “prosecutor’s code”
Second, he excoriates Barr for being a “liar.”
Third, he notes that Barr was a political partisan who used the power of the office politically.
Fourth, he digs into how Barr chose to foist his view of the Presidency as the pre-eminent branch (not an equal branch with the judiciary and the legislature) to upset the Constitutional balance in favor of a President who was untouchable and unaccountable. Honig characterizes this as a dystopian view where a small group of “men of faith” enforce their chosen social order.
Hatchet Man is an important and thought-provoking book for this period in America. At its heart is a plea for balance and restraint that should be part of a national discussion.
December 9, 2024
I like to read history books. I like to see how a time period is viewed and I like to see everything written in a concise nugget in a way that I can understand. One of the biggest problems I've had with the past 4 years is that there was so much every single day, that I couldn't consume it and make sense of it. What I did know is that Bill Barr crossed lines that were unethical. I knew that he lied. What I didn't know is the way his actions and words would fit into the big picture. Elie Honig takes his own experiences as a prosecutor and attorney and overlays this with how Bill Barr conducted himself. I'm not going to lie. It was incredibly enlightening. Contrary to the title, the purpose is not to criticize Barr and spit him out for consumption. The subtext is that the criminal justice system is not what Barr created as his time as A.G. It works based on the implicit and explicit rules that Barr ignored.
I was an ardent follower of what was happening in the Judicial Branch of our government while Donald Trump was President. It alarmed me greatly to see the Attorney General become the President's protector rather than part of an independent branch of government that is supposed to be untouched by partisan politics. Based on Barr's behavior, I was beginning to believe that the Department of Justice is partisan and our country is going to Hell in a handbasket. Partisan politics has become such a ubiquitous part of every day life and had bled into all arenas, I was losing hope.
The author of this book gives a wonderful background on the justice system pre-Barr and pre-Trump. Although the President nominates A.G. and federal judges, they are still expected to honor the idea that justic is blind. In the Southern District of New York where Honig cut his prosecutorial teeth, there was no room for politics. Nobody knew what leanings another prosecutor had. They prosecuted openly Republicans and Democrats alike. Crimes were crimes. Prosecutors wielded a great deal of power but there were expectations and norms that were not only implicit but also explicit and written into codes of conduct. A few rules that should never be crossed include; be impartial, never use your title for special favors, money stays out of the office and out of the justice system, know that your role is to prosecute - not police, medical examine, or judge. Take the facts as they are, always tell the truth, never lie, stay within your given role, respect the process and your colleagues, don't undermine them. There are many others but the gist is that Bill Barr has never prosecuted a case. He has never been a prosecutor. He made mistakes from faux pas to ethical to possibly criminal. He grew fat on the power he wielded, pushed his own agenda, and abused the power he was given without giving the norms and codes a second thought.
The point to the book is that, based on the abuses Barr committed, the judicial system is broken. It can't stay broken. Bill Barr allowed the Executive Branch to have power over the Judicial Branch. Anybody who knows the Constitution and respects it knows that Barr committed acts that damaged the fabric of our nation. The branches of government are supposed to be a built in way for checks and balances. Because of Barr, the lines were blurred horribly. But, thanks to Barr's poor character (my words, not the author's), how the office of A.G. can be abused were brought to light. Thanks to Barr, we have an opportunity to close those loopholes in order to protect the independence of the Judicial Branch.
I found the book incredibly enlightening and concise. Besides the fact that the author is writing about Barr (supporting his stance with facts), he is mostly non-partisan. He is critical of the way Barr behaved as the AG. He is critical of the way Barr shifted to protect the President rather than the Constitution and the people. By the way, the President already has attorneys. He doesn't need our AG. I highly recommend this book to anybody who is interested in the way the legal system is supposed to work and has worked.
Thanks to Edelweiss and the publisher for this ARC in return for an honest review.
I was an ardent follower of what was happening in the Judicial Branch of our government while Donald Trump was President. It alarmed me greatly to see the Attorney General become the President's protector rather than part of an independent branch of government that is supposed to be untouched by partisan politics. Based on Barr's behavior, I was beginning to believe that the Department of Justice is partisan and our country is going to Hell in a handbasket. Partisan politics has become such a ubiquitous part of every day life and had bled into all arenas, I was losing hope.
The author of this book gives a wonderful background on the justice system pre-Barr and pre-Trump. Although the President nominates A.G. and federal judges, they are still expected to honor the idea that justic is blind. In the Southern District of New York where Honig cut his prosecutorial teeth, there was no room for politics. Nobody knew what leanings another prosecutor had. They prosecuted openly Republicans and Democrats alike. Crimes were crimes. Prosecutors wielded a great deal of power but there were expectations and norms that were not only implicit but also explicit and written into codes of conduct. A few rules that should never be crossed include; be impartial, never use your title for special favors, money stays out of the office and out of the justice system, know that your role is to prosecute - not police, medical examine, or judge. Take the facts as they are, always tell the truth, never lie, stay within your given role, respect the process and your colleagues, don't undermine them. There are many others but the gist is that Bill Barr has never prosecuted a case. He has never been a prosecutor. He made mistakes from faux pas to ethical to possibly criminal. He grew fat on the power he wielded, pushed his own agenda, and abused the power he was given without giving the norms and codes a second thought.
The point to the book is that, based on the abuses Barr committed, the judicial system is broken. It can't stay broken. Bill Barr allowed the Executive Branch to have power over the Judicial Branch. Anybody who knows the Constitution and respects it knows that Barr committed acts that damaged the fabric of our nation. The branches of government are supposed to be a built in way for checks and balances. Because of Barr, the lines were blurred horribly. But, thanks to Barr's poor character (my words, not the author's), how the office of A.G. can be abused were brought to light. Thanks to Barr, we have an opportunity to close those loopholes in order to protect the independence of the Judicial Branch.
I found the book incredibly enlightening and concise. Besides the fact that the author is writing about Barr (supporting his stance with facts), he is mostly non-partisan. He is critical of the way Barr behaved as the AG. He is critical of the way Barr shifted to protect the President rather than the Constitution and the people. By the way, the President already has attorneys. He doesn't need our AG. I highly recommend this book to anybody who is interested in the way the legal system is supposed to work and has worked.
Thanks to Edelweiss and the publisher for this ARC in return for an honest review.
June 20, 2022
3.0⭐ Review To follow. 02/06/22
‐--------------------------------------------------
Updated 20/06/22
Hell hath no fury like a pundit proven wrong.
Former U.S. prosecutor Eli Honig, turned CNN legal commentator, went on television and predicted that William Barr might make a good Attorney General. At the time it wasn't as crazy as it sounds now because Barr was more qualified than most of Trump's appointments.
This book is Honig's effort to correct that mistake and he doesn't pull any punches. His disdain for Barr comes through on every page.
His thesis is that Barr broke the unwritten "prosecutor's code" ( which is essentially Honig's own common sense rules of conduct) while enabling and protecting Donald Trump's corrupt Presidency.
Honing shares the main billing with Barr by alternating chapters from his own career illustrating his code, with chapters showing Barr's transgressions of each. It's kind of a clunky structure but it mostly works.
There's a lot of repetition of Honig's criticisms, intended to drive the points home, I guess. Referring to Barr's not having spent a single day in court as a prosecutor, Honig says 'it can't be repeated too often.' Actually, Eli, it can.
The book could have used tighter editing to clean up the repetition.
The author has three main criticisms of Barr: that he lied constantly; that he was a shameless political partisan and that he believed the United States needed to be run by a small group of right-thinking men ( like himself). Honig should have provided more evidence to back up the last point but personally I'm willing to believe anything about Barr, so sure.
The book argues that Barr didn't become AG to support Trump's policies, but to use Trump to implement his own.
The whole thing is a catalog of outrage but two examples stand out: Honig is furious at Barr's duplicitous misrepresentation of the Mueller report which saved Trump's ass; and he has no tolerance for Barr's campaign to rehabilitate his reputation in the post Trump era ( with which I couldn't agree more).
The book's not bad as a summary of Barr's various crimes against Justice and as a cautionary tale. Honig lets his ego get too entangled in his story but it's not like that's never happened in a political epistle before. I found the book to be worth my time. -30-
‐--------------------------------------------------
Updated 20/06/22
Hell hath no fury like a pundit proven wrong.
Former U.S. prosecutor Eli Honig, turned CNN legal commentator, went on television and predicted that William Barr might make a good Attorney General. At the time it wasn't as crazy as it sounds now because Barr was more qualified than most of Trump's appointments.
This book is Honig's effort to correct that mistake and he doesn't pull any punches. His disdain for Barr comes through on every page.
His thesis is that Barr broke the unwritten "prosecutor's code" ( which is essentially Honig's own common sense rules of conduct) while enabling and protecting Donald Trump's corrupt Presidency.
Honing shares the main billing with Barr by alternating chapters from his own career illustrating his code, with chapters showing Barr's transgressions of each. It's kind of a clunky structure but it mostly works.
There's a lot of repetition of Honig's criticisms, intended to drive the points home, I guess. Referring to Barr's not having spent a single day in court as a prosecutor, Honig says 'it can't be repeated too often.' Actually, Eli, it can.
The book could have used tighter editing to clean up the repetition.
The author has three main criticisms of Barr: that he lied constantly; that he was a shameless political partisan and that he believed the United States needed to be run by a small group of right-thinking men ( like himself). Honig should have provided more evidence to back up the last point but personally I'm willing to believe anything about Barr, so sure.
The book argues that Barr didn't become AG to support Trump's policies, but to use Trump to implement his own.
The whole thing is a catalog of outrage but two examples stand out: Honig is furious at Barr's duplicitous misrepresentation of the Mueller report which saved Trump's ass; and he has no tolerance for Barr's campaign to rehabilitate his reputation in the post Trump era ( with which I couldn't agree more).
The book's not bad as a summary of Barr's various crimes against Justice and as a cautionary tale. Honig lets his ego get too entangled in his story but it's not like that's never happened in a political epistle before. I found the book to be worth my time. -30-
July 5, 2021
Ordinarily, I’m not one to delve into political reads. But my local store happened to display this one a week early. I perused it for a few minutes and HAD to purchase. Finished it 3 days later. Being a registered Independent, I had few pre-conceived leanings about Mr. Barr. I read this as an outsider looking through a window into a point in living US history. AND A FASCINATING VIEW IT WAS!!
Elie Honig, an esteemed prosecutor and TV analyst, does not bog us down with legalese or history lesson detours. He writes in laymen’s terms, and let’s the text flow at a smooth pace, keeping the sparks of interest lit throughout. Honig takes a no-bullshit approach. Events are what they are. There’s definitely a, “Decide For Yourself,” tone. Some will consider Mr. Barr to be a Patriot by the last page. Others will shake their heads, wondering, “What. The. Actual. F**k??”
Read this one, folks… No matter what side of the aisle you may find yourself on - or NOT on.
Elie Honig, an esteemed prosecutor and TV analyst, does not bog us down with legalese or history lesson detours. He writes in laymen’s terms, and let’s the text flow at a smooth pace, keeping the sparks of interest lit throughout. Honig takes a no-bullshit approach. Events are what they are. There’s definitely a, “Decide For Yourself,” tone. Some will consider Mr. Barr to be a Patriot by the last page. Others will shake their heads, wondering, “What. The. Actual. F**k??”
Read this one, folks… No matter what side of the aisle you may find yourself on - or NOT on.
October 26, 2021
In this book the reader benefits from Elie Honig’s long experience as an SDNY prosecutor. Honig gives a legal critique of Bill Barr’s second term (2/19-12/20) as Attorney General. He shows how in this short time Barr violated not just departmental norms, but also DOJ policy and US law to protect Donald Trump.
There is detail on how Barr shielded Trump from the Mueller Report that went beyond what I had gathered from the news. There is background the DOJ dismissal of charges Michael Flynn and Roger Stone. You see how legal maneuvers helped Trump skirt the Ukrainian investigation and how the DOJ came to represent Trump against charges from Jean Carroll. You see (if you didn’t before, or now that it is “complete”) how the Durham investigation was purely political.
To lead of a department of prosecutors, prosecutorial experience is important. Barr has no such experience and it shows. Similarly, he does not seem to understand the Justice Department’s role in protecting the Constitution. Barr is dismissive of “process crimes” the primary threat by which a prosecutor gets frightened victims and witnesses to testify. In lieu of any reference to the DOJ and the US Constitution his speeches promote religion and an “us against them” mentality. Honig shows that even in his resignation letter he demonstrates his lack of understand of his role as head of the Department of Justice.
Barr’s arrogance shows throughout the book, but most specifically in the Lafayette Square Park episode where he acted like a military general and not the nation’s top Constitution/Bill of Rights enforcer.
Throughout the book there is example after example of how serious DOJ prosecutors are about their work and what they give up to do it. Throughout the book you also see Barr’s dismissive comments about and denigration of DOJ staff in his speeches and interviews. I lost track of the number of prosecutors who resigned from a case or the department because they had been undercut or saw something with which they could not abide.
Throughout are examples of how Barr acted on his belief, outlined in his “Audition Memo of 2018”, that presidential power is absolute (which should have been disqualifying for selection for this position). Does he live in a cocoon? Does he mean that we can just get rid of the other two branches of government? Does he grieve that Trump could not just jail his opponents? Would he have advised Bill Clinton (who met Loretta Lynch on the tarmac as the fate of Hillary Clinton’s 7 retroactively reclassified as secret emails hung in the balance) to forget Lynch… see President Obama to make it go away.
Honig ends with 9 recommendations for protecting the DOJ from political influence and a chapter on Humility.
This is an excellent summary of the important issues regarding the US Department of Justice. Lay persons, even those informed on the issues, will appreciate the legal background and the ways Honig demonstrates the whys and hows of DOJ policies.
There is detail on how Barr shielded Trump from the Mueller Report that went beyond what I had gathered from the news. There is background the DOJ dismissal of charges Michael Flynn and Roger Stone. You see how legal maneuvers helped Trump skirt the Ukrainian investigation and how the DOJ came to represent Trump against charges from Jean Carroll. You see (if you didn’t before, or now that it is “complete”) how the Durham investigation was purely political.
To lead of a department of prosecutors, prosecutorial experience is important. Barr has no such experience and it shows. Similarly, he does not seem to understand the Justice Department’s role in protecting the Constitution. Barr is dismissive of “process crimes” the primary threat by which a prosecutor gets frightened victims and witnesses to testify. In lieu of any reference to the DOJ and the US Constitution his speeches promote religion and an “us against them” mentality. Honig shows that even in his resignation letter he demonstrates his lack of understand of his role as head of the Department of Justice.
Barr’s arrogance shows throughout the book, but most specifically in the Lafayette Square Park episode where he acted like a military general and not the nation’s top Constitution/Bill of Rights enforcer.
Throughout the book there is example after example of how serious DOJ prosecutors are about their work and what they give up to do it. Throughout the book you also see Barr’s dismissive comments about and denigration of DOJ staff in his speeches and interviews. I lost track of the number of prosecutors who resigned from a case or the department because they had been undercut or saw something with which they could not abide.
Throughout are examples of how Barr acted on his belief, outlined in his “Audition Memo of 2018”, that presidential power is absolute (which should have been disqualifying for selection for this position). Does he live in a cocoon? Does he mean that we can just get rid of the other two branches of government? Does he grieve that Trump could not just jail his opponents? Would he have advised Bill Clinton (who met Loretta Lynch on the tarmac as the fate of Hillary Clinton’s 7 retroactively reclassified as secret emails hung in the balance) to forget Lynch… see President Obama to make it go away.
Honig ends with 9 recommendations for protecting the DOJ from political influence and a chapter on Humility.
This is an excellent summary of the important issues regarding the US Department of Justice. Lay persons, even those informed on the issues, will appreciate the legal background and the ways Honig demonstrates the whys and hows of DOJ policies.
July 22, 2021
I enjoyed this a lot, and Barr is more corrupt than I think we all realized. Honig's writing style is a bit chatty, and might turn off some readers, but I enjoy his appearances on CNN a lot, so this was a win-win for me.
August 24, 2021
hatch·et man
/ˈhaCHət ˈˌman/
noun INFORMAL
1. a person employed to carry out controversial or disagreeable tasks
Sigh. I really tried to avoid reading this because I knew, deep in my law school loving soul, that reliving the last two years of DOJ scandals under that charlatan would serve no greater purpose than to royally piss me off. A feat of self preservation, if you will. But, ultimately, my need to know things overcame my reluctance, and I braced myself for the mental distress of remembering all things Trump-related.
The author did a fantastic job of approaching the topic in an organized manner and then presenting facts as they are publicly known and generally accepted, and then opining as to his conclusions separately. An excellent stylistic choice, and I applaud EH for his sparse use of legalese and for making his writing easily accessible to non-legally trained but curious minds as well. He didn’t dumb down anything, and he sprinkled in his personal anecdotes without being condescending. Nicely done!
Let’s discuss!
The Memo - Barr submitted an audition for the AG job, meant only for a party of one, not so cleverly disguised as a “concerned citizen’s” review of executive privilege. Barr (and his selected minions) had no prosecutorial experience, but all were formed in the legal hell that is the Federalist Society, and relentlessly promoted up to enact their shitty agenda.
The Confirmation Hearing - Barr obfuscated and flat out lied at several key questions, and pretended not to know the meaning of commonly used words (discussed? suggested?). A crazy performance, it’s absurd that he actually got any Democratic votes. A lot of pundits thought he’d be better than Sessions (a renowned racist) and the toilet con man (I forget his name) because of his alleged stellar past service; but in reality, Barr was just a wolf in sheep’s clothing, looking to promote his religious view (also shared by Pence, Pompeo, Thomas) of a fanatical version of a Christian nation, and damn democracy if it gets in the way.
The Mueller Report - Barr pretended to read it in under two days, then put out a patently false summary, lied UNDER OATH about Mueller’s objections, refused to release the prepared executive summaries, forestalled releasing the redacted versions in a timely manner, and distorted all the ACTUAL findings to cover up Trump’s crimes (ELEVEN instances of noted obstruction). Shockingly unethical, but exactly in line with his previously stated proposed unconstitutional premise of “absolute executive immunity.”
The Ukraine Scandal - Barr was central to the cover up and also retaliated against a whistleblower after he refused to investigate the criminality of the underlying actions. He based all his decisions on whether or not things would adversely affect Trump (emphatically NOT the AG job)! “Read the transcript,” indeed: Go ahead - it shows the crimes - bribery, extortion, solicitation of foreign election interference. Then: witness intimidation and recrimination. The DOJ policy about not indicting a sitting president does NOT mean they cannot be investigated. Epic failure all around.
The Michael Flynn Debacle - Barr interfered post guilty plea to protect Trump. Flynn stopped cooperating mid-stream after nineteen meetings. Why? What was promised and subsequently received? A pardon for treason, obviously (Trump attorney Dowd is implicated here, too). Qui bene, indeed. The whole Comey “loyalty” conversation is tied into this mess, too. Barr (and his cohort Shea) tried to dismiss Flynn’s two previous guilty pleas in a crazy move and was laughed at by thousands of prosecutors (“a corrupt and politically motivated” travesty of justice). Then add in crazy lawyer Sidney Powell - who admitted to briefing Trump on the criminal defense, thus completing the illegal circle jerk.
The Roger Stone Commutation - Barr undercut DOJ by seeking a lower sentence in contravention of internal policies and facts. His congressional testimony response: “Why should I?” implied he a) didn’t know enough about how prosecution works or b) believes he’s above the law. So he’s either legally ignorant or arrogant. His contention that he did not get involved in the case because of Stone’s relationship with Trump defies all human credulity.
The SDNY Takeover - Barr did his best to corrupt the most vaulted and historical department of the DOJ (assume my bias as a native New Yorker) by firing Berman without cause and attempting to install an unqualified rookie to be in charge of the department. We still don’t know the full extent of what got covered up here and why but we can guess it had to do with Trump’s shady NY business and personal dealings (“Individual One,” multiple Giuliani investigations, the Parnas/Ukraine scandal, connections to Turkey corruption, the Bannon financial fraud, Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell child sex exploitation, Deutsche Bank and money laundering, etc.).
The Sexual Assaults - Barr used the DOJ to defend against Trump’s many sexual assault lawsuits, despite the fact that none could possibly have been within the realm of the office of the presidency. The interference in the E. Jean Carroll case was initially rejected, and then appealed, so it ran out the clock on discovery (a Trump deposition and DNA) before the 2020 election, which is all he really wanted.
The Bible Photo Op - Barr embarrassed himself by pretending to have military authority to deploy troops to clear the square, crowd control, use of tear gas, etc. in order to create a photo op and performative political narrative for Trump. The cover up and lies afterwards just compounded the damage done by the use of our military on peaceful protesters for a campaign stop. The failure of Barr to condemn the right wing conspiracy to kidnap and execute Michigan Governor Whitmer showed his true colors: violence by the right was to be applauded and tacitly encouraged. The law and order party, indeed.
The Durham “Investigation” - “investigate the investigators” was just a political diversion and a pedantic ploy to cover up his and Trump’s collusion evidenced by the Russian investigation. There were Russian efforts to help the Trump campaign and interfere in our elections and Barr’s efforts (and globetrotting/grandstanding) to discredit that conclusion was obviously for political purposes only.
The 2020 Election - Barr promoted the false myth that mail in ballots were equivalent to voter fraud in order to help Trump’s chances without any evidence. He even first tried to allow DOJ to investigate election claims to help Trump’s post-election fraud claims; an unethical and partisan attempt to further weaponize DOJ. At the very last moment, he announced there was IN FACT no election fraud (why the turnabout? No one knows.) and then simply resigned with a kiss-ass letter based on nothing but lies. Bizarre. Possibly an attempt to rewrite his legacy? Maybe.
The Secular Question - Barr (and the Federalist Society) wants a Christian-centric government with extreme religiosity as its guiding light (homophobic, anti-choice, anti-women, pro-death penalty). He made sure that inmates were killed as close to the inauguration as possible, adding an additional level of cruelty heretobefore unseen.
Conclusion: He’s bat shit crazy? Yup. He’s pure evil? Yes.
May karma find him quickly.
It’s gonna be a long road back to normal.
Four stars.
/ˈhaCHət ˈˌman/
noun INFORMAL
1. a person employed to carry out controversial or disagreeable tasks
Sigh. I really tried to avoid reading this because I knew, deep in my law school loving soul, that reliving the last two years of DOJ scandals under that charlatan would serve no greater purpose than to royally piss me off. A feat of self preservation, if you will. But, ultimately, my need to know things overcame my reluctance, and I braced myself for the mental distress of remembering all things Trump-related.
The author did a fantastic job of approaching the topic in an organized manner and then presenting facts as they are publicly known and generally accepted, and then opining as to his conclusions separately. An excellent stylistic choice, and I applaud EH for his sparse use of legalese and for making his writing easily accessible to non-legally trained but curious minds as well. He didn’t dumb down anything, and he sprinkled in his personal anecdotes without being condescending. Nicely done!
Let’s discuss!
The Memo - Barr submitted an audition for the AG job, meant only for a party of one, not so cleverly disguised as a “concerned citizen’s” review of executive privilege. Barr (and his selected minions) had no prosecutorial experience, but all were formed in the legal hell that is the Federalist Society, and relentlessly promoted up to enact their shitty agenda.
The Confirmation Hearing - Barr obfuscated and flat out lied at several key questions, and pretended not to know the meaning of commonly used words (discussed? suggested?). A crazy performance, it’s absurd that he actually got any Democratic votes. A lot of pundits thought he’d be better than Sessions (a renowned racist) and the toilet con man (I forget his name) because of his alleged stellar past service; but in reality, Barr was just a wolf in sheep’s clothing, looking to promote his religious view (also shared by Pence, Pompeo, Thomas) of a fanatical version of a Christian nation, and damn democracy if it gets in the way.
The Mueller Report - Barr pretended to read it in under two days, then put out a patently false summary, lied UNDER OATH about Mueller’s objections, refused to release the prepared executive summaries, forestalled releasing the redacted versions in a timely manner, and distorted all the ACTUAL findings to cover up Trump’s crimes (ELEVEN instances of noted obstruction). Shockingly unethical, but exactly in line with his previously stated proposed unconstitutional premise of “absolute executive immunity.”
The Ukraine Scandal - Barr was central to the cover up and also retaliated against a whistleblower after he refused to investigate the criminality of the underlying actions. He based all his decisions on whether or not things would adversely affect Trump (emphatically NOT the AG job)! “Read the transcript,” indeed: Go ahead - it shows the crimes - bribery, extortion, solicitation of foreign election interference. Then: witness intimidation and recrimination. The DOJ policy about not indicting a sitting president does NOT mean they cannot be investigated. Epic failure all around.
The Michael Flynn Debacle - Barr interfered post guilty plea to protect Trump. Flynn stopped cooperating mid-stream after nineteen meetings. Why? What was promised and subsequently received? A pardon for treason, obviously (Trump attorney Dowd is implicated here, too). Qui bene, indeed. The whole Comey “loyalty” conversation is tied into this mess, too. Barr (and his cohort Shea) tried to dismiss Flynn’s two previous guilty pleas in a crazy move and was laughed at by thousands of prosecutors (“a corrupt and politically motivated” travesty of justice). Then add in crazy lawyer Sidney Powell - who admitted to briefing Trump on the criminal defense, thus completing the illegal circle jerk.
The Roger Stone Commutation - Barr undercut DOJ by seeking a lower sentence in contravention of internal policies and facts. His congressional testimony response: “Why should I?” implied he a) didn’t know enough about how prosecution works or b) believes he’s above the law. So he’s either legally ignorant or arrogant. His contention that he did not get involved in the case because of Stone’s relationship with Trump defies all human credulity.
The SDNY Takeover - Barr did his best to corrupt the most vaulted and historical department of the DOJ (assume my bias as a native New Yorker) by firing Berman without cause and attempting to install an unqualified rookie to be in charge of the department. We still don’t know the full extent of what got covered up here and why but we can guess it had to do with Trump’s shady NY business and personal dealings (“Individual One,” multiple Giuliani investigations, the Parnas/Ukraine scandal, connections to Turkey corruption, the Bannon financial fraud, Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell child sex exploitation, Deutsche Bank and money laundering, etc.).
The Sexual Assaults - Barr used the DOJ to defend against Trump’s many sexual assault lawsuits, despite the fact that none could possibly have been within the realm of the office of the presidency. The interference in the E. Jean Carroll case was initially rejected, and then appealed, so it ran out the clock on discovery (a Trump deposition and DNA) before the 2020 election, which is all he really wanted.
The Bible Photo Op - Barr embarrassed himself by pretending to have military authority to deploy troops to clear the square, crowd control, use of tear gas, etc. in order to create a photo op and performative political narrative for Trump. The cover up and lies afterwards just compounded the damage done by the use of our military on peaceful protesters for a campaign stop. The failure of Barr to condemn the right wing conspiracy to kidnap and execute Michigan Governor Whitmer showed his true colors: violence by the right was to be applauded and tacitly encouraged. The law and order party, indeed.
The Durham “Investigation” - “investigate the investigators” was just a political diversion and a pedantic ploy to cover up his and Trump’s collusion evidenced by the Russian investigation. There were Russian efforts to help the Trump campaign and interfere in our elections and Barr’s efforts (and globetrotting/grandstanding) to discredit that conclusion was obviously for political purposes only.
The 2020 Election - Barr promoted the false myth that mail in ballots were equivalent to voter fraud in order to help Trump’s chances without any evidence. He even first tried to allow DOJ to investigate election claims to help Trump’s post-election fraud claims; an unethical and partisan attempt to further weaponize DOJ. At the very last moment, he announced there was IN FACT no election fraud (why the turnabout? No one knows.) and then simply resigned with a kiss-ass letter based on nothing but lies. Bizarre. Possibly an attempt to rewrite his legacy? Maybe.
The Secular Question - Barr (and the Federalist Society) wants a Christian-centric government with extreme religiosity as its guiding light (homophobic, anti-choice, anti-women, pro-death penalty). He made sure that inmates were killed as close to the inauguration as possible, adding an additional level of cruelty heretobefore unseen.
Conclusion: He’s bat shit crazy? Yup. He’s pure evil? Yes.
May karma find him quickly.
It’s gonna be a long road back to normal.
Four stars.
November 29, 2021
When Bill Barr was nominated as AG it seemed pretty clear that he had auditioned for the job with his “unitary executive” memo. I was dumbfounded that the guy that had never once set foot in a courtroom could be considered by POTUS to serve as the USAG. But, I figured, surely, he would surround himself with top-quality talent. He didn’t.
But for me, there were two incidents that told me more than anything else about his character. First, was his treatment of Robert Mueller and his report. He represented to Congress in his confirmation hearing that he and Mueller were friends. It was an attempt to assuage his detractors that he wasn’t really as crazy as his writings would suggest. Barr essentially suppressed the Mueller Report by massive redactions that Mueller himself disagreed with. Second, what really told me more about Barr was a story in the NYT about how Barr and his brother had repeatedly for years bullied a classmate in their private Catholic school. Even reading it with a grain of salt showed what a depraved young person he was. And as an adult never once exhibited remorse for his behavior, or apologized.
Honig’s book is a full-body takedown of Barr. Barr violated Justice Department norms to benefit President Trump and waged war against the “evils of secularism (like that has anything to do with law enforcement). Honig accuses Barr of deliberately distorting the conclusions of the Mueller Report on Russian interference in the 2016 election and intervening on behalf of Trump loyalists Michael Flynn and Roger Stone to overrule charging and sentencing decisions authorized by the Justice Department lawyers. Honig also delves into Barr’s controversial ouster of the interim U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York, Geoffrey Berman, whose office was reportedly investigating Rudy Giuliani’s “business interests in Ukraine and other shady financial dealings.”
Honig draws heavily on his experience as a prosecutor. But in a book about Barr, there is an awful lot of Honig. Too much in fact. He should have saved much of that for his memoirs. At times it just felt too self-promoting. Though Honig doesn’t break much new ground for those that were paying attention to Barr’s escapades, the book is a comprehensive list of Barr’s legacy of enabling a President that undoubtedly will not be treated kindly by history.
But for me, there were two incidents that told me more than anything else about his character. First, was his treatment of Robert Mueller and his report. He represented to Congress in his confirmation hearing that he and Mueller were friends. It was an attempt to assuage his detractors that he wasn’t really as crazy as his writings would suggest. Barr essentially suppressed the Mueller Report by massive redactions that Mueller himself disagreed with. Second, what really told me more about Barr was a story in the NYT about how Barr and his brother had repeatedly for years bullied a classmate in their private Catholic school. Even reading it with a grain of salt showed what a depraved young person he was. And as an adult never once exhibited remorse for his behavior, or apologized.
Honig’s book is a full-body takedown of Barr. Barr violated Justice Department norms to benefit President Trump and waged war against the “evils of secularism (like that has anything to do with law enforcement). Honig accuses Barr of deliberately distorting the conclusions of the Mueller Report on Russian interference in the 2016 election and intervening on behalf of Trump loyalists Michael Flynn and Roger Stone to overrule charging and sentencing decisions authorized by the Justice Department lawyers. Honig also delves into Barr’s controversial ouster of the interim U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York, Geoffrey Berman, whose office was reportedly investigating Rudy Giuliani’s “business interests in Ukraine and other shady financial dealings.”
Honig draws heavily on his experience as a prosecutor. But in a book about Barr, there is an awful lot of Honig. Too much in fact. He should have saved much of that for his memoirs. At times it just felt too self-promoting. Though Honig doesn’t break much new ground for those that were paying attention to Barr’s escapades, the book is a comprehensive list of Barr’s legacy of enabling a President that undoubtedly will not be treated kindly by history.
October 4, 2021
Bill “I’m grappling with the word ‘suggest’” Barr is a jackass. I think everyone knows this. This book was really insightful. Mr. Honig interspersed and illustrated the points he was making about Barr with vignettes of his time prosecuting folks in the mafia. Aside from the all crap Jabba the Barr did for Conald - the most disgusting thing, which I had forgotten, was that he thinks he is a warrior in a fight against secularism. And Mr. Catholic’s most disgusting act, to me - amping up and bringing back federal executions the last 6 months he was Attorney General. Actually rushing the last three, EXECUTIONS OF HUMANS, to make sure they happened before Conald left office. Always love that Christian righteousness.
July 12, 2021
In this devastating take-down of Bill Barr, rather than simply itemizing his multitude of faults as Attorney General, Elie Honig, a former prosecutor, first puts things into glaring perspective by showing, from real-world, (often personal) examples, how things SHOULD be done and why. Highly recommended!
September 4, 2021
Seeing what Barr did to the Justice Department as it happened was startling. But to see it through the eyes of a prosecutor and former SDNY prosecutor made it more eye opening. Having the repercussions and consequences pointed out, made me realize there was even more damage that Bill Barr did to the department and to our democracy. There is so many things that need to be investigated further on that damage that man did.
I did enjoy the ending where the author lists his recommendation for going forward, recommendations to implement so that a "future Bill Barr" can be thwarted before he/she can do much damage. The more Congress can do to strength the DOJ, preventing another "Barr" AG, the better we will be.
I did enjoy the ending where the author lists his recommendation for going forward, recommendations to implement so that a "future Bill Barr" can be thwarted before he/she can do much damage. The more Congress can do to strength the DOJ, preventing another "Barr" AG, the better we will be.
May 19, 2022
I'll ignore the obvious false dichotomy presented in this book for the sake of this review - Barr bad; rank-and-file prosecutors upstanding and noble - when in fact both Barr and most federal prosecutors have a pronounced streak of despicability (while Barr looked down on his department's minions, USA's and AUSA's most certainly tend to look down on everybody else). I'll say that this book is a decent compendium of Barr's sins of omission and commission, but it's doubtful that anybody who followed the four years of Trump's presidency closely will learn much new here.
November 1, 2023
I listened to this book, read by the author, and definitely gained a new understanding of the perfidy of Bill Barr. Glad to have read it.
September 3, 2022
Oh, the fairy tales to keep the slaves compliant and working! So the Justice Department was a perfect institution, not at all a corrupt assembly of people ready to serve whomever is in power, say someone like Barr. And this Satan comes and breaks the purity. And now the workers have horns, and you should believe it is not the same actions and papers they were doing a few years before. And all it takes is to bring in someone Honig's approves. Democratically that is. Democratically in the sense that if you don't vote for the people Honig wants in power, you are against the democracy and they should build a special gulag for people like yourself.
June 13, 2024
Superb Job!!
Despite Trump's tendency to leave chaos in his wake, Bill Barr agreed to serve as his Attorney General, raising questions about his legacy. Former federal prosecutor and CNN commentator Elie Honig critically analyzes Barr's performance, highlighting his lack of prosecutorial experience and controversial actions, such as his unsolicited memo to Trump, his handling of the Southern District of New York, the Trump photo op at St. John's Church, and his general support for Trump's actions. Honig argues that Barr undermined the Department of Justice's integrity, turning it into a tool for Trump's personal use, and predicts history will judge Barr harshly. Honestly, I can’t say I disagree with Honig on Barr. Honig does a superb job making the case!
Despite Trump's tendency to leave chaos in his wake, Bill Barr agreed to serve as his Attorney General, raising questions about his legacy. Former federal prosecutor and CNN commentator Elie Honig critically analyzes Barr's performance, highlighting his lack of prosecutorial experience and controversial actions, such as his unsolicited memo to Trump, his handling of the Southern District of New York, the Trump photo op at St. John's Church, and his general support for Trump's actions. Honig argues that Barr undermined the Department of Justice's integrity, turning it into a tool for Trump's personal use, and predicts history will judge Barr harshly. Honestly, I can’t say I disagree with Honig on Barr. Honig does a superb job making the case!
September 5, 2021
If you love Preet Bharara's podcast Stay Tuned, and now media network, CAFE, you probably already know Elie Honig's work. He's a fantastic contributor over there.
I didn't think I'd be particularly interested in a deep dive of Bill Barr's second go-around as attorney general, but here I am giving Honig's new book 5 stars. It's only an 8-hour listen, but it felt like only a podcast or so. Hatchet Man is breathless and weirdly riveting. It felt very much like watching a documentary - lean and very well edited on just the most important beats of recent history.
A big takeaway here for me is yet another source of evidence that Trump-world was all about amassing very incompetent people to extremely important roles. And America is all the poorer for it.
I didn't think I'd be particularly interested in a deep dive of Bill Barr's second go-around as attorney general, but here I am giving Honig's new book 5 stars. It's only an 8-hour listen, but it felt like only a podcast or so. Hatchet Man is breathless and weirdly riveting. It felt very much like watching a documentary - lean and very well edited on just the most important beats of recent history.
A big takeaway here for me is yet another source of evidence that Trump-world was all about amassing very incompetent people to extremely important roles. And America is all the poorer for it.
October 12, 2021
Author Elie Honig is a former New Jersey and federal prosecutor with extensive experience leading and managing criminal trials and appeals. It is interesting to hear his professional take on Barr's performance and behavior, pointing out that Barr and other Trump DOJ leaders lacked any prosecutorial experience. He explains how Barr's dubious action began early with his unsolicited memo to Trump About obstruction. (Barr sent an unsolicited 20-page memo to the Justice Department critiquing special counsel Robert Mueller's investigation into Russian collusion with Trump's election. Honig explores in detail how Barr's actions with the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York (and its expansive and independent efforts to combat crime), the Trump photo op at St. John's Church, and general snap support Barr offered for Trump's looniest actions.
March 10, 2023
[audiobook] I really like Honig as a storyteller and narrator. I only listened to this book because the library had it available; I would usually not spend my free time listening to more about Trump and the people who surround him. Honig’s podcast is awesome, and I’ll pay money for his newer book next. Pet peeve: every now and then he makes sweeping pronouncements of opinion as if they were fact and it undermines his overall credibility. He wouldn’t let himself get away with it if he were the subject of his own book.
October 12, 2021
The author says that this book started as DM Tweets and it reads like that. I agree with his facts and views but the writing is disjointed and very taxing to read. It reads more like a prosecutor talking in court chapter by chapter. Hopefully another book on William Barr will come out. This book is written with a hatchet!
September 18, 2021
Obvious the author didn't like Barr or his tactics. I didn't either. The author breaks the book down into different incidents and how Barr helped t***p, until he wouldn't.
November 9, 2021
This book is as good as it possibly can be. I say that because it does a great job of explaining in plain language just what a liar Bill Barr was, and how much damage he did to the rule of law while using the Attorney General's office to protect the worst president this country has ever had.
At the same time, it suffers from an obvious problem, that isn't necessarily that important: Honig holds Barr to a standard that Barr never intended or wanted to measure up to. Barr accomplished what he set out to do - stabilize the Trump presidency so that the Senate could continue to confirm Federalist Society judges - and left when he could no longer do that. He had no interest in being a prosecutor, measuring up to the DOJ's standards, or doing anything that fit with their code, and so when Honig criticizes him for not doing so, it falls a bit flat.
Similarly, when Honig gives him the benefit of the doubt, it's irritating. He uses the formulation "Either he didn't know or he didn't care" even to the absurdity of Barr claiming he didn't know whether it's legal to vote twice in an election. It lets Barr off the hook to pretend that there's any chance he didn't know that; Honig is brave enough to call him a liar at the beginning of the book so I don't know why he shies away from it in specific instances.
Anyway, if you want a depressing and enraging review of what a jackass Bill Barr is and how much he did to protect Trump from the fate he deserved, you can't go wrong with this book. Plus, you get to hear some interesting stories from Honig's time as a prosecutor.
At the same time, it suffers from an obvious problem, that isn't necessarily that important: Honig holds Barr to a standard that Barr never intended or wanted to measure up to. Barr accomplished what he set out to do - stabilize the Trump presidency so that the Senate could continue to confirm Federalist Society judges - and left when he could no longer do that. He had no interest in being a prosecutor, measuring up to the DOJ's standards, or doing anything that fit with their code, and so when Honig criticizes him for not doing so, it falls a bit flat.
Similarly, when Honig gives him the benefit of the doubt, it's irritating. He uses the formulation "Either he didn't know or he didn't care" even to the absurdity of Barr claiming he didn't know whether it's legal to vote twice in an election. It lets Barr off the hook to pretend that there's any chance he didn't know that; Honig is brave enough to call him a liar at the beginning of the book so I don't know why he shies away from it in specific instances.
Anyway, if you want a depressing and enraging review of what a jackass Bill Barr is and how much he did to protect Trump from the fate he deserved, you can't go wrong with this book. Plus, you get to hear some interesting stories from Honig's time as a prosecutor.
June 13, 2021
🪓 For History Buffs, Legal Eagles, and Political Junkies
Elie Honig’s debut novel 🪓Hatchet Man is a significant historical work berating Attorney General William Pelham Barr (born May 23, 1950) under the Trump administration. As a former SDNY AG, Honig lays out a chronology with so many critically damning facts and detailed perspectives that readers are likely to highlight every page. Barr first appeared on the public scene with his now-infamous “audition memo.” “In it, Barr writes that the president has ‘complete authority to start or stop a law enforcement proceeding.’ Barr later amplifies this notion, declaring that ‘the President’s law enforcement powers extend to all matters, including those in which he has a personal stake.’”
People may wonder why Barr, a wealthy, semi-retired, and former AG under H.W. Bush, would want a second go at the job? Honig’s insights offer a pretty straightforward answer: power and Barr’s conservative, right-wing, anti-secular, anti-gay ideology. The AG holds staggering power. He can make life and death decisions, has a security detail, people stand when he walks in the room “It can get heady being a prosecutor. You hold unimaginable power, and you can do almost anything you please and go almost anywhere you want.” And “The prosecutor has more control over life, liberty, and reputation than any other person in America.”
Barr’s ultimate demonstration of his power crescendoed on June 1, 2020. After Trump’s insistence whining, Barr arranged to have unmarked law enforcement officers attack Black Lives Matter protesters in Lafayette Park. These officers cleared the streets around St. John’s church—so Trump could casually stroll over, stand in front of the church, hold a Bible, and have his picture taken. The force used was savage as they clubbed, fired flash-bangs, rubber bullets, deployed pepper bombs/tear gas against the protesting citizens.
Another example of Barr flexing his power is when he began executing death row inmates. “…no federal inmate had actually been executed since 2003. Following Barr’s orders, DOJ carried out ten executions from July 2020 through the end of Barr’s tenure in late December, all by lethal injection…” and to put a fine point on his power “…the federal government carried out three more executions after Barr left office but before the end of Trump’s presidency, on January 13, 14, and 16, 2021. These people would have been spared once Biden took office just hours later. But Barr made sure to flex the full might of his office, in the most dramatic manner, on his way out the door.”
The second reason Barr wanted the AG job was to create cultural dissonance. He actively sought to ingrain a Christian fundamentalist theocracy. According to Barr, “religion was the answer to virtually all things: its proper role was to guide public life and impose order on society, and its absence caused widespread societal ills.”
“Thus, Barr declared, ‘in the Framers’ view, free government was only suitable and sustainable for a religious people.’…only “religious people” can sustain free government. Religion, ‘gives us the right rules to live by.’”
“And in his view, it’s not so much religion itself that must prevail, but only a certain type of religion: ‘In fact, Judeo-Christian moral standards are the ultimate utilitarian rules for human conduct.’”
In short, the Barr/Trump union was a match made in Hell. Barr recognized he could use Trump as a vehicle to the power and ideological goals he deeply craved. And, Trump did get his “Roy Cohn.” Together, they were a ghoulish nightmare, a dynamic, demonic duo. Dare I say evil?
At the end of the book, Honig makes policy recommendations to stop such a Barr/Trump fiasco from ever occurring again. Honig recognizes the need for supporting legislation, but his main proposal is for additional, more strident rules and policies to the Justice Department’s manual.
I agree with Honig’s keen recommendations for rule changes. However, I take issue with that assessment too. What good are the rules, norms, and standards when the leaders simply throw the rule book out the window and spit on it?
Before Barr started the job, the Justice Department’s Rule Book already had long-standing guidelines for nearly everything he bent or broke. Rules are meaningless to people like Barr and Trump. Here, in this one area, I think Honig is naive and pollyannish. On this topic, Honig shows himself to be an optimistic hero in a cape and all because he thinks rules are enough. For a good guy like Honig , honorably adhering to policy is all that is required. However, for the Barrs of the world—new laws with inescapable “you will be indicted” harsh penalties are the only deterrent available. Perhaps, in an updated version of his book, Honig will assess the laws that Congress should pass to stop this from ever happening again.
I still have at least a dozen questions I’d love to hear Honig’s response to or see discussed. Elie, would you be willing to entertain or respond to my questions? A moot for your book?
🪓Hatchet Man” is a well-written history of how Barr destroyed the Department of Justice. It is jammed with facts and filled with the outrage one would expect from a former SDNY prosecutor—one of the good guys. I highly recommend you preorder your July 6th copy right now.
Elie Honig’s debut novel 🪓Hatchet Man is a significant historical work berating Attorney General William Pelham Barr (born May 23, 1950) under the Trump administration. As a former SDNY AG, Honig lays out a chronology with so many critically damning facts and detailed perspectives that readers are likely to highlight every page. Barr first appeared on the public scene with his now-infamous “audition memo.” “In it, Barr writes that the president has ‘complete authority to start or stop a law enforcement proceeding.’ Barr later amplifies this notion, declaring that ‘the President’s law enforcement powers extend to all matters, including those in which he has a personal stake.’”
People may wonder why Barr, a wealthy, semi-retired, and former AG under H.W. Bush, would want a second go at the job? Honig’s insights offer a pretty straightforward answer: power and Barr’s conservative, right-wing, anti-secular, anti-gay ideology. The AG holds staggering power. He can make life and death decisions, has a security detail, people stand when he walks in the room “It can get heady being a prosecutor. You hold unimaginable power, and you can do almost anything you please and go almost anywhere you want.” And “The prosecutor has more control over life, liberty, and reputation than any other person in America.”
Barr’s ultimate demonstration of his power crescendoed on June 1, 2020. After Trump’s insistence whining, Barr arranged to have unmarked law enforcement officers attack Black Lives Matter protesters in Lafayette Park. These officers cleared the streets around St. John’s church—so Trump could casually stroll over, stand in front of the church, hold a Bible, and have his picture taken. The force used was savage as they clubbed, fired flash-bangs, rubber bullets, deployed pepper bombs/tear gas against the protesting citizens.
Another example of Barr flexing his power is when he began executing death row inmates. “…no federal inmate had actually been executed since 2003. Following Barr’s orders, DOJ carried out ten executions from July 2020 through the end of Barr’s tenure in late December, all by lethal injection…” and to put a fine point on his power “…the federal government carried out three more executions after Barr left office but before the end of Trump’s presidency, on January 13, 14, and 16, 2021. These people would have been spared once Biden took office just hours later. But Barr made sure to flex the full might of his office, in the most dramatic manner, on his way out the door.”
The second reason Barr wanted the AG job was to create cultural dissonance. He actively sought to ingrain a Christian fundamentalist theocracy. According to Barr, “religion was the answer to virtually all things: its proper role was to guide public life and impose order on society, and its absence caused widespread societal ills.”
“Thus, Barr declared, ‘in the Framers’ view, free government was only suitable and sustainable for a religious people.’…only “religious people” can sustain free government. Religion, ‘gives us the right rules to live by.’”
“And in his view, it’s not so much religion itself that must prevail, but only a certain type of religion: ‘In fact, Judeo-Christian moral standards are the ultimate utilitarian rules for human conduct.’”
In short, the Barr/Trump union was a match made in Hell. Barr recognized he could use Trump as a vehicle to the power and ideological goals he deeply craved. And, Trump did get his “Roy Cohn.” Together, they were a ghoulish nightmare, a dynamic, demonic duo. Dare I say evil?
At the end of the book, Honig makes policy recommendations to stop such a Barr/Trump fiasco from ever occurring again. Honig recognizes the need for supporting legislation, but his main proposal is for additional, more strident rules and policies to the Justice Department’s manual.
I agree with Honig’s keen recommendations for rule changes. However, I take issue with that assessment too. What good are the rules, norms, and standards when the leaders simply throw the rule book out the window and spit on it?
Before Barr started the job, the Justice Department’s Rule Book already had long-standing guidelines for nearly everything he bent or broke. Rules are meaningless to people like Barr and Trump. Here, in this one area, I think Honig is naive and pollyannish. On this topic, Honig shows himself to be an optimistic hero in a cape and all because he thinks rules are enough. For a good guy like Honig , honorably adhering to policy is all that is required. However, for the Barrs of the world—new laws with inescapable “you will be indicted” harsh penalties are the only deterrent available. Perhaps, in an updated version of his book, Honig will assess the laws that Congress should pass to stop this from ever happening again.
I still have at least a dozen questions I’d love to hear Honig’s response to or see discussed. Elie, would you be willing to entertain or respond to my questions? A moot for your book?
🪓Hatchet Man” is a well-written history of how Barr destroyed the Department of Justice. It is jammed with facts and filled with the outrage one would expect from a former SDNY prosecutor—one of the good guys. I highly recommend you preorder your July 6th copy right now.
July 23, 2021
Elie Honig, currently working as a legal commentator for CNN and prominent podcaster with "Cafe Insider" along with Preet Bharara, has written a scathing indictment of former U.S. Attorney General Bill Barr. "Hatchet Man" may be a relatively short book, but it pulls no punches and benefits greatly from being concise.
"Hatchet Man" reflects Honig's training as a federal prosecutor in many ways. The writing
is exceedingly clear. Honig knows how to present an argument to a jury, and he's doing so here - he presents his argument clearly, and he does not wear out his welcome. But what makes "Hatchet Man" so much fun to read is Honig's respect for the "Prosecutor's Code" - many writers have already excoriated Bill Barr for many of his pro-Trump administration of the Department of Justice, but Honig writes passionately about how Barr's sins are a particular betrayal of the proud traditions of the U.S. prosecuting attorney culture.
Honig "earned his stripes" in the Southern District of New York, the most famous (or notorious) District in the federal prosecuting attorney structure. Honig's turf included going after the literal Mob - he's prosecuted several players in the Genovese crime family. Along the way, Honig learned several key lessons about why U.S. attorneys must respect the justice system, why professional ethics are so essential, and most importantly, why U.S. attorneys must pursue justice blindly and without favor or prejudice.
In Honig's telling, Bill Barr failed to live up to these ideals repeatedly - Barr chose to act as the President's lawyer, not the top lawyer for the American people. Honig describes in withering detail how Barr lied and dissembled over and over, from his confirmation hearing to undermining the Mueller Report to authorizing the use of force on American protestors to designating American cities as "anarchist" even though there is no legal basis for doing so. Barr even went so far as to funnel money into Trump's personal pockets by hosting lavish parties at Trump's hotels and lied about his inability to find an alternate venue. Barr even undermined the entire U.S. attorney team by comparing them to a Montessori elementary school. And Barr did all of this to suck up to a craven American President who cared not a fig for the pursuit of justice.
Honig lays a lot of Barr's sins at the altar of lack of qualifications. Barr has unquestioned academic and governmental chops. But he has never actually tried a case as a lead prosecutor. This, in Honig's telling, is fatal, because Barr simply never learned anything about the Department or the attorneys he is in charge of. To Barr, the Department of Justice is just another arm of the Presidential administration - one that, like Treasury or Agriculture, promotes the Administration's agenda. That ignores the awesome power of the Department of Justice and its potential for abuse. Through this cultural ignorance, Barr made decision after decision that promoted Trump while undermining the DOJ and Americans' faith in their own system of justice.
Barr, of course, refused to be interviewed for Honig's book, and this is both not surprising and a disappointment. It's not surprising because Barr really has no defense for many of his decisions. Also, Honig would have subjected him to withering cross-examination. Imagine Barr trying to defend in an interview with Honig such decisions as to unleash the armed cops on D.C. protestors to grant Trump a photo op, or explaining his role in undermining the Mueller Report by selectively quoting from key sentences, conveniently leaving out critical (anti-Trump) information. Barr would have been toast.
Unfortunately for Honig, that means that his book relies just on the historic record, and for those of us who have been paying attention, there is nothing really new to tell. Barr's sins have hardly been private.
What is new and really enjoyable in this book are all the interludes Honig includes about his life as a prosecutor for the Department of justice. These stories are juicy and powerful - Honig writes about the painful lessons he learned in the trenches and also the tremendous satisfaction that comes from dispensing justice within the American system. Time and again, Honig draws these lessons back to Barr, showing in clear and convincing passages again and again that Barr simply was the wrong man for this job, even though he was the perfect choice for Trump.
Highly recommended.
"Hatchet Man" reflects Honig's training as a federal prosecutor in many ways. The writing
is exceedingly clear. Honig knows how to present an argument to a jury, and he's doing so here - he presents his argument clearly, and he does not wear out his welcome. But what makes "Hatchet Man" so much fun to read is Honig's respect for the "Prosecutor's Code" - many writers have already excoriated Bill Barr for many of his pro-Trump administration of the Department of Justice, but Honig writes passionately about how Barr's sins are a particular betrayal of the proud traditions of the U.S. prosecuting attorney culture.
Honig "earned his stripes" in the Southern District of New York, the most famous (or notorious) District in the federal prosecuting attorney structure. Honig's turf included going after the literal Mob - he's prosecuted several players in the Genovese crime family. Along the way, Honig learned several key lessons about why U.S. attorneys must respect the justice system, why professional ethics are so essential, and most importantly, why U.S. attorneys must pursue justice blindly and without favor or prejudice.
In Honig's telling, Bill Barr failed to live up to these ideals repeatedly - Barr chose to act as the President's lawyer, not the top lawyer for the American people. Honig describes in withering detail how Barr lied and dissembled over and over, from his confirmation hearing to undermining the Mueller Report to authorizing the use of force on American protestors to designating American cities as "anarchist" even though there is no legal basis for doing so. Barr even went so far as to funnel money into Trump's personal pockets by hosting lavish parties at Trump's hotels and lied about his inability to find an alternate venue. Barr even undermined the entire U.S. attorney team by comparing them to a Montessori elementary school. And Barr did all of this to suck up to a craven American President who cared not a fig for the pursuit of justice.
Honig lays a lot of Barr's sins at the altar of lack of qualifications. Barr has unquestioned academic and governmental chops. But he has never actually tried a case as a lead prosecutor. This, in Honig's telling, is fatal, because Barr simply never learned anything about the Department or the attorneys he is in charge of. To Barr, the Department of Justice is just another arm of the Presidential administration - one that, like Treasury or Agriculture, promotes the Administration's agenda. That ignores the awesome power of the Department of Justice and its potential for abuse. Through this cultural ignorance, Barr made decision after decision that promoted Trump while undermining the DOJ and Americans' faith in their own system of justice.
Barr, of course, refused to be interviewed for Honig's book, and this is both not surprising and a disappointment. It's not surprising because Barr really has no defense for many of his decisions. Also, Honig would have subjected him to withering cross-examination. Imagine Barr trying to defend in an interview with Honig such decisions as to unleash the armed cops on D.C. protestors to grant Trump a photo op, or explaining his role in undermining the Mueller Report by selectively quoting from key sentences, conveniently leaving out critical (anti-Trump) information. Barr would have been toast.
Unfortunately for Honig, that means that his book relies just on the historic record, and for those of us who have been paying attention, there is nothing really new to tell. Barr's sins have hardly been private.
What is new and really enjoyable in this book are all the interludes Honig includes about his life as a prosecutor for the Department of justice. These stories are juicy and powerful - Honig writes about the painful lessons he learned in the trenches and also the tremendous satisfaction that comes from dispensing justice within the American system. Time and again, Honig draws these lessons back to Barr, showing in clear and convincing passages again and again that Barr simply was the wrong man for this job, even though he was the perfect choice for Trump.
Highly recommended.
August 27, 2021
What an outstanding, absolutely fabulous read. Like several books I've read lately, this is one that should be read by everyone -- adults and teens, men and women.
I saw this book come up in my library's (the fabulous Novato Library) weekly new book email and was going to bypass it. While I felt that Barr did some things that were detrimental to our country and the constitution, I didn't have a lot of interest in him. Then I heard Elie Honig speak on several news shows and was very impressed.
Having work in the legal field, both on the public and private side as well as non-sworn law enforcement for over 40 years I found his legal analysis given in a clear, understandable manner. I "got" pretty much all he said, but his words and explanations are geared toward the lay person -- he doesn't talk above anyone, but delivers a clear analysis. After hearing him speak several times I had to read his book, Hatchet Man. Frankly after reading it it's safe to say I'll read anything he writes. Like his speaking analysis and explanations, he writes in a manner that those of us in the legal field as well as the lay person can understand. His writing is not a dry non-fiction telling, but is peppered with stories from his history in the SDNY and New Jersey state courts. There are moments of some humor, particularly when he pokes fun at his early days. It is not a fake "what a goof when I was learning," but shows you his human side.
Honig draws on his background and some of his own cases to show readers where Barr made left turns that damaged the country. He explains why some things happened and at the end gives a roadmap of how these things can be prevented in the future. He would make a fantastic teacher should he be so inclined to do so. Why no law school hasn't snapped him up to teach is a mistake on their part he's that good.
As I said, this is a book everyone should read. If nothing it will inspired teens to go into the practice of law and public service as Honig shows how rewarding it can be. It is 255 pages and I pretty much sat down to read and and was so drawn in both Honig's history in and the errors Barr made that I couldn't put it down and read it in one day.
I saw this book come up in my library's (the fabulous Novato Library) weekly new book email and was going to bypass it. While I felt that Barr did some things that were detrimental to our country and the constitution, I didn't have a lot of interest in him. Then I heard Elie Honig speak on several news shows and was very impressed.
Having work in the legal field, both on the public and private side as well as non-sworn law enforcement for over 40 years I found his legal analysis given in a clear, understandable manner. I "got" pretty much all he said, but his words and explanations are geared toward the lay person -- he doesn't talk above anyone, but delivers a clear analysis. After hearing him speak several times I had to read his book, Hatchet Man. Frankly after reading it it's safe to say I'll read anything he writes. Like his speaking analysis and explanations, he writes in a manner that those of us in the legal field as well as the lay person can understand. His writing is not a dry non-fiction telling, but is peppered with stories from his history in the SDNY and New Jersey state courts. There are moments of some humor, particularly when he pokes fun at his early days. It is not a fake "what a goof when I was learning," but shows you his human side.
Honig draws on his background and some of his own cases to show readers where Barr made left turns that damaged the country. He explains why some things happened and at the end gives a roadmap of how these things can be prevented in the future. He would make a fantastic teacher should he be so inclined to do so. Why no law school hasn't snapped him up to teach is a mistake on their part he's that good.
As I said, this is a book everyone should read. If nothing it will inspired teens to go into the practice of law and public service as Honig shows how rewarding it can be. It is 255 pages and I pretty much sat down to read and and was so drawn in both Honig's history in and the errors Barr made that I couldn't put it down and read it in one day.
Read
August 13, 2024 "Aftermath Boy: (Yet Still She Rises)" by Robert E. Honig is a powerful and multifaceted novel that spans generations and continents.
The novel opens with Rozsa Gruenbaum's harrowing experiences during the Holocaust in Nazi-occupied Hungary. Alongside her sister Lili, Rozsa endures the brutal "walking transit" to the Hungarian-Austrian border, forced labor, and the horrors of Dachau and Bergen-Belsen.
The sisters' resilience and love for each other sustain them through unimaginable suffering. Their survival becomes a testament to the strength of the human spirit.
In contrast, we meet Billy Cohen, Rozsa's son, growing up in post-war America. He faces antisemitism, bullying, and ostracization due to his Jewish identity.
Billy's struggles mirror the enduring impact of history. His mother's trauma shapes his worldview, and he grapples with questions of identity, justice, and survival.
The novel deftly connects past and present. As Billy navigates the 1950s and '60s, readers witness the echoes of history in today's world.
The exploration of political divisions, civil rights movements, and the 2024 Presidential Election adds depth. Billy's involvement in protests and legal battles further intertwines his fate with historical currents.
The tension escalates when Billy becomes embroiled in an FBI investigation related to missing Wisconsin ballots. The election's outcome hangs in the balance.
The novel grapples with the fragility of democracy, the impact of misinformation, and the weight of individual actions on collective destiny.
Billy's journey reflects the aftermath of trauma. He inherits both his mother's resilience and the scars of history.
The novel underscores how parents unwittingly pass down their angels and demons to their children a legacy that shapes generations.
In summary, "Aftermath Boy" masterfully weaves together personal narratives, historical events, and contemporary relevance. It invites readers to reflect on the enduring impact of trauma, the complexities of identity, and the choices that shape our world.
The novel opens with Rozsa Gruenbaum's harrowing experiences during the Holocaust in Nazi-occupied Hungary. Alongside her sister Lili, Rozsa endures the brutal "walking transit" to the Hungarian-Austrian border, forced labor, and the horrors of Dachau and Bergen-Belsen.
The sisters' resilience and love for each other sustain them through unimaginable suffering. Their survival becomes a testament to the strength of the human spirit.
In contrast, we meet Billy Cohen, Rozsa's son, growing up in post-war America. He faces antisemitism, bullying, and ostracization due to his Jewish identity.
Billy's struggles mirror the enduring impact of history. His mother's trauma shapes his worldview, and he grapples with questions of identity, justice, and survival.
The novel deftly connects past and present. As Billy navigates the 1950s and '60s, readers witness the echoes of history in today's world.
The exploration of political divisions, civil rights movements, and the 2024 Presidential Election adds depth. Billy's involvement in protests and legal battles further intertwines his fate with historical currents.
The tension escalates when Billy becomes embroiled in an FBI investigation related to missing Wisconsin ballots. The election's outcome hangs in the balance.
The novel grapples with the fragility of democracy, the impact of misinformation, and the weight of individual actions on collective destiny.
Billy's journey reflects the aftermath of trauma. He inherits both his mother's resilience and the scars of history.
The novel underscores how parents unwittingly pass down their angels and demons to their children a legacy that shapes generations.
In summary, "Aftermath Boy" masterfully weaves together personal narratives, historical events, and contemporary relevance. It invites readers to reflect on the enduring impact of trauma, the complexities of identity, and the choices that shape our world.
September 30, 2021
Not only is this very informative and instills a sense of trust in the source, but it’s fun to listen to. Narrated by Honig himself, he knows how and where to apply just the right tone, emphasis and emotion in the text. This is a cathartic read as it neatly connects all the dots that littered the news for 4+ years, provides perspective, and allows for clarity where for so long there was none. Oddly, none of the finer details, while shocking that they were allowed to happen, are not surprising. Still it is no less upsetting to learn that our “trusted leaders” will take corruption in this country to such an extreme. Public perception, when there’s just enough public to believe the BS, really do enable those in the highest positions of our government to use our democracy and shit all over it. We think of Hitler and say oh, no one would allow another Hitler. But really, I would not only say that it’s possible, but that it’s probable. Trump and Barr are perfect examples of how well anyone with zero conscience, just the right degree of narcissism, and the support of the voting public can manipulate the system and public perception. Seeing how far officials at the top of our power pyramid will go to incentivize an angry misinformed public to serve their personal agendas, in this country alone, is terrifying. Books like this one that shine a strong light on our the 45th is an opportunity to wake up. We really don’t have to worry about international terrorism dismantling this country - our own public servants can lead the job perfectly well.
November 13, 2021
Bill Barr: Indicted, Tried and Convicted of being a poor example of what the U.S. Attorney General should by Author Elie Honig at least in this reader’s mind.
Honig a former prosecutor lays out his case in a very readable and understanding manner by first sharing real life examples from his career and then applying them to the actions and words of AG Barr during his less than two years of doing damage to the DOJ in service of the political fortunes of Donald Trump instead of doing justice for the American people. Honig convincingly makes the case that Barr acted as an advocate for Trump in the style of a Roy Cohn or Rudy Gulliani ( Trump’s personal attorneys).
Many interesting examples and stories from Honig’s time as a prosecutor for the Southern District of New York (SDNY) make for an enjoyable read of what could be a dry topic. How interesting that a lot of his cases involved prosecuting the Mafia in light of former FBI Director Comey comparing Trump to the head of a Mafia Family.
Honig does not leave the reader without solutions as he poses a number of recommendations for the DOJ to adopt going forward. Probably the most salient point he makes though is that Barr who never prosecuted a case in all his years as a lawyer had the audacity to minimize the work of career federal prosecutors. Not what is needed in a leader in such a critical position.
Honig a former prosecutor lays out his case in a very readable and understanding manner by first sharing real life examples from his career and then applying them to the actions and words of AG Barr during his less than two years of doing damage to the DOJ in service of the political fortunes of Donald Trump instead of doing justice for the American people. Honig convincingly makes the case that Barr acted as an advocate for Trump in the style of a Roy Cohn or Rudy Gulliani ( Trump’s personal attorneys).
Many interesting examples and stories from Honig’s time as a prosecutor for the Southern District of New York (SDNY) make for an enjoyable read of what could be a dry topic. How interesting that a lot of his cases involved prosecuting the Mafia in light of former FBI Director Comey comparing Trump to the head of a Mafia Family.
Honig does not leave the reader without solutions as he poses a number of recommendations for the DOJ to adopt going forward. Probably the most salient point he makes though is that Barr who never prosecuted a case in all his years as a lawyer had the audacity to minimize the work of career federal prosecutors. Not what is needed in a leader in such a critical position.
October 7, 2022
CNN legal analyst Elie Honig analyzes how Attorney General William Barr has demolished norms and destroyed faith in the Department of Justice, turning one of the most apolitical and respected American institutions into a private law firm supporting and protecting its client: Donald Trump.
Barr’s first act as AG was distorting the findings of Special Counsel Robert Mueller, earning a public rebuke for his dishonesty from Mueller himself and, later, from a federal judge. Barr tried to manipulate the law to squash a whistle-blower's complaint about Trump’s dealings with Ukraine—the report that eventually led to Trump’s impeachment. Barr intervened in the prosecutions of Michael Flynn and Roger Stone.
I enjoyed this book, hearing from a Justice Department prosecutor about the behind the scenes thought process of what went on. How, on the outside looking in we knew it was a mess and how behind the scenes it actually was as well. There was nothing we didn't know in the book, nothing that wasn't in the news, but it did offer a prosecutors thought process.
If you need a refresher on what Bill Barr did this is a good book, if you want to read a prosecutors thoughts on how the Justice Department was lead, read this book. If you want yet more information on how Trump surrounded himself with "yes men" read this book. You'll like it.
Barr’s first act as AG was distorting the findings of Special Counsel Robert Mueller, earning a public rebuke for his dishonesty from Mueller himself and, later, from a federal judge. Barr tried to manipulate the law to squash a whistle-blower's complaint about Trump’s dealings with Ukraine—the report that eventually led to Trump’s impeachment. Barr intervened in the prosecutions of Michael Flynn and Roger Stone.
I enjoyed this book, hearing from a Justice Department prosecutor about the behind the scenes thought process of what went on. How, on the outside looking in we knew it was a mess and how behind the scenes it actually was as well. There was nothing we didn't know in the book, nothing that wasn't in the news, but it did offer a prosecutors thought process.
If you need a refresher on what Bill Barr did this is a good book, if you want to read a prosecutors thoughts on how the Justice Department was lead, read this book. If you want yet more information on how Trump surrounded himself with "yes men" read this book. You'll like it.
August 15, 2021
This is a very important book. It was obvious from the beginning of his tenure as Attorney General of the United States that William Barr did not appreciate the unique role and responsibility of the Attorney General. Although part of the president’s cabinet, the Attorney General is not the president’s attorney. The Attorney General is the chief prosecutor and protector of the Constitution in the administrative branch.
Elie Honig, who began as a low level prosecutor and advanced to more senior positions in the SDNY learned from his earliest days that federal prosecutors must be outside the political realm, handling referrals and prosecutions with scrupulous impartiality. Barr was clumsy, stupid, partisan, imprecise in explaining his decisions, and a complete and total failure. His malfeasance bled into corruption when he attempted to bury the whistle blower referral that ultimately led to Trump’s first impeachment and his support of the lie that mail-in ballots were risky and dangerous led directly to Trump’s actions that led to his second impeachment. Honig explains all this with attention to detail and supporting facts. Barr will undoubtedly be harshly judged by history. It is unfortunate that he will face no consequences for his dishonesty while in office.
Elie Honig, who began as a low level prosecutor and advanced to more senior positions in the SDNY learned from his earliest days that federal prosecutors must be outside the political realm, handling referrals and prosecutions with scrupulous impartiality. Barr was clumsy, stupid, partisan, imprecise in explaining his decisions, and a complete and total failure. His malfeasance bled into corruption when he attempted to bury the whistle blower referral that ultimately led to Trump’s first impeachment and his support of the lie that mail-in ballots were risky and dangerous led directly to Trump’s actions that led to his second impeachment. Honig explains all this with attention to detail and supporting facts. Barr will undoubtedly be harshly judged by history. It is unfortunate that he will face no consequences for his dishonesty while in office.
October 27, 2025
5-
Elie Honig's account of Bill Barr's time as the Attorney General during Donald Trump's first term is clear and compelling. I paid close attention to what was going on during that period, and from my perspective this is an accurate description of Barr's time in office. I am not trained in the law but was able to follow and understand Honig's characterizations of Barr's behavior. Unlike many books by lawyers, this one can be easily understood by laymen.
The book itself came out in 2021 after Trump had lost the 2020 election but before he was reelected in 2024. Sadly, Honig's suggestions for reforms to limit Executive power were not enacted, and our situation in terms of overreach and rule of law are far worse today than in 2021. So far there have been minimal restraints on power of this administration, and Barr appears almost moderate when compared to the person serving today in his former role.
However, I am glad that this book exists. Perhaps its warnings will be heeded and acted upon before it is too late. If not, it will at least serve as a historical record of how our democratic republic was lost.
Elie Honig's account of Bill Barr's time as the Attorney General during Donald Trump's first term is clear and compelling. I paid close attention to what was going on during that period, and from my perspective this is an accurate description of Barr's time in office. I am not trained in the law but was able to follow and understand Honig's characterizations of Barr's behavior. Unlike many books by lawyers, this one can be easily understood by laymen.
The book itself came out in 2021 after Trump had lost the 2020 election but before he was reelected in 2024. Sadly, Honig's suggestions for reforms to limit Executive power were not enacted, and our situation in terms of overreach and rule of law are far worse today than in 2021. So far there have been minimal restraints on power of this administration, and Barr appears almost moderate when compared to the person serving today in his former role.
However, I am glad that this book exists. Perhaps its warnings will be heeded and acted upon before it is too late. If not, it will at least serve as a historical record of how our democratic republic was lost.
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