Months after being sworn in, Barr had emerged as the most feared, criticized, and effective member of Trump’s cabinet. Like no attorney general since the Watergate era, he acted as the president’s political sword and shield. Both men believed that any constraint on presidential power weakened the United States. Both men combined the pro-business instincts of traditional Republicans with a focus on culture clash and grievance. And both men shared a sense of being surrounded by a hostile liberal insurgency.
