# William Barr: Opposition Research Analysis ![[William Barr.png]] ## Executive Summary [[William Barr]] presents a concerning case study of institutional capture and potential conflicts of interest that undermines confidence in America's justice system. While serving as Attorney General under both [[George H.W. Bush]] and [[Donald Trump]], [[William Barr]] consistently demonstrated a pattern of protecting establishment interests, shielding controversial figures from accountability, and weaponizing the [[DOJ]] for political ends. His family connections, corporate ties, and selective application of justice standards reveal a figure more committed to institutional preservation than the rule of law. ## Background and Family Connections ### Early Life and CIA Connections Barr's trajectory was shaped early by his family's government connections. His father, [[Donald Barr]], [served in the Office of Strategic Services (OSS) during World War II](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Donald_Barr) before becoming headmaster at elite private schools, including the Dalton School from 1964-1974. This connection proves particularly troubling given [[Jeffrey Epstein]]'s hiring as a mathematics teacher at Dalton around the time [[Donald Barr]] left. While at Dalton, [[Donald Barr]] published ["Space Relations," a science fiction novel](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Space_Relations) featuring [themes of interplanetary sex slavery](https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/2986183) - a disturbing parallel to [[Jeffrey Epstein]]'s later criminal activities. [[William Barr]] followed his father's intelligence path, [working for the CIA from 1973-1977](https://www.cia.gov/resources/csi/static/4-Review-Essay-Barr-Memoir.pdf) while simultaneously attending [George Washington University Law School](https://www.britannica.com/biography/William-P-Barr). As noted in a [[CIA]] review of his memoir, [[William Barr]] initially aspired to become [[CIA]] Director. This early intelligence background established patterns of institutional loyalty that would characterize his entire career. ### Family Government Penetration [[William Barr]] systematically placed family members throughout the government apparatus. His daughter [[Mary Daly]] [served as director of Opioid Enforcement and Prevention Efforts](https://www.cnn.com/2019/02/13/politics/barr-family-justice-department-moves) in the Deputy Attorney General's office. His son-in-law [[Tyler McGaughey]] was detailed from the U.S. Attorney's office in Alexandria to the White House counsel's office. Even his grandson was jokingly predicted by [[William Barr]] to "someday be in the [[DOJ]]". This nepotistic network demonstrates a troubling pattern of treating government service as a family business. ## Corporate Connections and Conflicts of Interest ### Kirkland & Ellis Monopoly Barr's tenure at Kirkland & Ellis from 2009-2017 represents a textbook case of the revolving door between Big Law and government. During his time as Attorney General, [Kirkland lawyers achieved "extraordinary control"](https://littlesis.org/news/kirkland-ellis-the-law-firm-behind-the-trump-barr-power-grab-at-the-doj/) over the [[DOJ]]'s highest ranks. Multiple former Kirkland partners occupied key positions, creating what observers called a "revolving door monopoly". This network enabled the firm to essentially capture the [[DOJ]]'s Civil Division, particularly benefiting [[Donald Trump]] in the [[E. Jean Carroll]] case. ### Time Warner Board Service Barr's service on Time Warner's board from 2009-2018 created direct conflicts with [[DOJ]] antitrust enforcement. When the [[DOJ]] sued to block AT&T's merger with Time Warner, [[William Barr]] [filed a sworn declaration contradicting DOJ officials' accounts](https://variety.com/2018/politics/news/trumps-attorney-general-pick-questioned-dojs-motivation-in-attempt-to-block-att-time-warner-merger-1203083969/), calling their position "political" rather than substantive. He [made nearly $2 million from the AT&T-Time Warner deal](https://www.barrons.com/articles/attorney-general-nominee-william-barr-made-1-73-million-from-at-t-time-warner-deal-51547493385), demonstrating how corporate board service can compromise prosecutorial independence. ### Caterpillar Case Dismissal Perhaps most egregiously, the [[DOJ]] [dropped a billion-dollar tax fraud case against Caterpillar](https://abovethelaw.com/2020/11/bill-barr-did-what-how-is-this-not-the-biggest-story-in-the-country-right-now/) just one week after Barr's nomination as Attorney General. [[William Barr]] had [represented Caterpillar while at Kirkland & Ellis](https://finance.yahoo.com/news/kirklands-bill-barr-reports-1-110256717.html). This timing - dropping a case against his former client immediately upon his nomination - raises serious questions about corruption and conflicts of interest. ## Pattern of Institutional Protection ### Iran-Contra Cover-Up Barr's first tenure as Attorney General established his reputation as ["Coverup-General Barr"](https://thetriallawyermagazine.com/2021/07/bill-barr-is-the-master-of-covering-up-political-scandals/). He was instrumental in President [[George H.W. Bush]]'s [[Christmas Eve 1992]] pardons of Iran-Contra defendants, including [[Caspar Weinberger]]. As [[William Barr]] later admitted, he recommended pardoning not just [[Caspar Weinberger]] but "about five others," stating "in for a penny, in for a pound". This action effectively ended Independent Counsel [[Lawrence Walsh]]'s investigation into potential presidential involvement in Iran-Contra. ### Crossfire Hurricane and Durham Investigation Barr's handling of the Durham investigation represents another attempt to rewrite inconvenient history. Despite Inspector General [[Horowitz]] finding that the [[FBI]] had [adequate justification to open the Trump-Russia investigation](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Durham_special_counsel_investigation), [[William Barr]] publicly disagreed and [elevated Durham to special counsel status](https://www.politico.com/news/2020/12/01/william-barr-john-durham-special-counsel-russia-441872). After four years and over $6.5 million, [[John Durham]]'s investigation [produced no major convictions](https://www.judiciary.senate.gov/press/dem/releases/durbin-statement-on-final-report-by-special-counsel-durham) and merely "reiterated the conclusions of the IG's 2019 report". ## Selective Justice Standards ### Hillary Clinton Email Investigation While publicly claiming [[Donald Trump]] privately [wanted to drop the Clinton email investigation](https://www.businessinsider.com/bill-barr-trump-wanted-clinton-email-investigation-dropped-2016-2022-3), Barr's actions tell a different story. A newly declassified [[DOJ]] watchdog report shows the [[FBI]] ["cut corners" and failed to fully investigate Clinton's email server](https://www.judiciary.senate.gov/press/rep/releases/newly-declassified-doj-watchdog-report-shows-fbi-cut-corners-in-clinton-email-investigation). The report reveals "extreme lack of effort and due diligence" under [[James Comey]]'s leadership, yet [[William Barr]] took no action to remedy these investigative failures. ### Geoffrey Berman Firing Barr's firing of SDNY U.S. Attorney [[Geoffrey Berman]] demonstrates his willingness to [obstruct investigations threatening Trump](https://www.vox.com/2020/6/22/21298917/geoffrey-berman-sdny-fired-barr). [[William Barr]] initially lied, claiming [[Geoffrey Berman]] was "stepping down" when [[Geoffrey Berman]] had not resigned. The timing - just months before the 2020 election - and Barr's initial attempt to install his handpicked replacement rather than Berman's deputy suggests [political motivation](https://www.cnn.com/2020/06/20/politics/berman-barr-trump-rule-of-law). ### Epstein Death Investigation Barr's handling of [[Jeffrey Epstein]]'s death investigation reveals troubling patterns of institutional protection. While claiming he personally reviewed surveillance video showing ["no one entered the area"](https://www.pbs.org/newshour/nation/epsteins-death-was-a-perfect-storm-of-screw-ups-says-ag-barr), recent [[CBS News]] analysis found the video ["doesn't provide a clear view of the entrance to Epstein's cell block"](https://www.cbsnews.com/news/jeffrey-epstein-jail-video-investigation/). Barr's quick conclusion that [[Jeffrey Epstein]]'s death was suicide due to "a perfect storm of screw-ups" foreclosed more thorough investigation into potential foul play. ## January 6 and 2020 Election ### Double Standards on Election Fraud Barr's testimony that [[Donald Trump]]'s [election fraud claims were "bullshit"](https://www.politico.com/news/2022/06/09/jan-6-hearing-barr-testimony-00038729) masks his own role in promoting election fraud narratives before the 2020 election. American Oversight documented how [[William Barr]] ["promoted baseless claims about the dangers of absentee voting"](https://americanoversight.org/before-former-ag-barr-condemned-trumps-stolen-election-claims/) and created "an accelerated timeline for Justice Department investigations of election fraud". A [[DOJ]] Inspector General report found [[William Barr]] [violated department policy by briefing Trump](https://www.axios.com/2024/07/25/trump-barr-watchdog-doj-election-fraud-probe) on non-public investigative details about discarded ballots in Pennsylvania. [[William Barr]] shared information about ballots marked for [[Donald Trump]] before this became public, which [[Donald Trump]] then cited on national radio. ### Criminal Liability Analysis Barr's conduct regarding [[January 6]] and election fraud investigations presents several potential areas of criminal liability: **Federal Crimes:** - **18 U.S.C. § 1512 (Obstruction of Justice)**: Barr's premature conclusions about election fraud investigations and his firing of [[Geoffrey Berman]] could constitute obstruction - **18 U.S.C. § 371 (Conspiracy)**: Coordination with [[Donald Trump]] to undermine election integrity investigations - **5 U.S.C. § 7353 (Ethics Violations)**: Conflicts of interest regarding corporate clients while serving as AG **State Crimes:** - State attorneys general could pursue misconduct charges related to election fraud statements affecting their states - Professional misconduct complaints with state bar associations **Civil Penalties:** - [Bar discipline proceedings in D.C.](https://www.politico.com/news/2020/07/22/bill-barr-bar-association-probe-377272), where multiple former bar presidents have called for investigation - Ethics violations regarding conflicts with corporate clients - Potential civil rights violations for selective enforcement **Professional Sanctions:** - [Multiple complaints filed seeking revocation](https://www.change.org/p/district-of-columbia-bar-association-s-board-of-governors-revoke-attorney-general-william-barr-s-license-to-practice-law) of Barr's law license - [Over 2,000 former DOJ officials called for his resignation](https://www.politico.com/news/2020/05/18/barr-trump-obamagate-265037) - [New York City Bar Association declared him "unfit"](https://www.axios.com/2020/01/09/bill-barr-new-york-city-bar-association-congress) for office The likelihood of successful prosecution remains low given Barr's institutional connections and the political nature of many decisions. However, his conduct clearly violated numerous professional and ethical standards. ## Congressional Testimony and Government Reports Barr's appearances before Congress revealed consistent patterns of [evasion and misrepresentation](https://abcnews.go.com/Politics/barr-testimony-live-updates-ag-faces-questions-2020/story?id=72029139). During his contentious five-hour House Judiciary Committee hearing in [[July 2020]], [[William Barr]] repeatedly refused to answer questions about his communications with [[Donald Trump]]. He falsely claimed ignorance about basic facts, such as whether tear gas was used on protesters. Multiple Inspector General reports have criticized Barr's conduct: - [Violation of DOJ policy regarding 2020 election fraud communications](https://abcnews.go.com/Politics/trump-ag-barr-ran-afoul-doj-policy-handling/story?id=112268921) - ["Chaotic and disorganized" response to 2020 protests](https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/justice-department/watchdog-slams-ex-ag-william-barr-chaotic-response-2020-black-lives-ma-rcna164494) - [Inappropriate sharing of non-public investigative information](https://www.axios.com/2024/07/25/trump-barr-watchdog-doj-election-fraud-probe) with [[Donald Trump]] ## Current Activities and Ongoing Influence ### Torridon Law Firm Barr's post-[[DOJ]] career continues his pattern of serving powerful interests. His new firm, Torridon Law, has [stockpiled Republican lawyers and represents high-profile clients](https://news.bloomberglaw.com/business-and-practice/barr-takes-on-murdoch-ai-case-as-firm-stockpiles-gop-lawyers) including [[Rupert Murdoch]]'s news outlets. The firm's client roster reads like a who's who of conservative causes and Trump-adjacent figures. ### Media Rehabilitation Campaign Barr's memoir ["One Damn Thing After Another"](https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/one-damn-thing-after-another-william-p-barr/1140897678) and extensive media appearances represent an attempt to rehabilitate his reputation. However, his continued support for [[Donald Trump]]'s 2024 candidacy despite [calling him "detached from reality"](https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/donald-trump/former-ag-barr-says-wouldnt-prosecuted-trump-jan-6-taking-classified-d-rcna18330) demonstrates his ongoing commitment to party over principle. ## Conclusion [[William Barr]] represents everything wrong with America's current system of justice. His career demonstrates how institutional insiders can repeatedly escape accountability while ordinary Americans face the full force of the law. From Iran-Contra to [[January 6]], [[William Barr]] has consistently prioritized protecting powerful interests over seeking truth and justice. His family's government connections, corporate conflicts of interest, and selective application of justice standards make him emblematic of a two-tiered justice system. While he may escape criminal prosecution due to his institutional connections, his conduct violated numerous professional standards and seriously damaged public confidence in the [[DOJ]]. The fact that [[William Barr]] continues to practice law and influence public discourse despite this record represents a failure of our professional accountability systems. His case demonstrates why aggressive reform of [[DOJ]] hiring practices, ethics rules, and post-government employment restrictions are essential to restoring public trust in American institutions.