As Twitchy told you Thursday evening, the DOJ’s Barr/Durham investigation has reportedly shifted to a criminal inquiry. Here’s how the New York Times set the scene:
Breaking News: The Justice Dept. is said to have opened a criminal inquiry into its own Russia investigation, which is likely to raise alarms of political paybackhttps://t.co/KiveN3iVHC
— The New York Times (@nytimes) October 25, 2019
The MSM can always be counted on to question the investigators’ motives if those being investigated are Democrats:
Without a shred of evidence, the NYT is feeding the conspiracy theory that Barr and Durham are engaged in a political witch hunt.
The greatest political scandal in the history of our country could soon be exposed and the media is laying the groundwork to defend the perpetrators. https://t.co/XBz0CPnc4O
— Matt Wolking (Text TRUMP to 88022) (@MattWolking) October 25, 2019
Taking the Times’ lead, Rep. Eric Swalwell and lefty law professor Laurance Tribe were among the first to run with the Times’ alert about “political payback”:
Yes, Barr must be disBarred. But let’s stay focused: all evidence suggests @realDonaldTrump used your money to extort Ukraine. Nothing matters more than holding him — and him first — accountable. Stunts like this are Trump-directed distraction devices. https://t.co/UOMcBzaaf3
— Rep. Eric Swalwell (@RepSwalwell) October 25, 2019
This looks like yet another abuse of power by Trump and Barr. No coincidence that it was unveiled right after the devastating Taylor testimony on Ukrainegate. Seems like a politically driven stratagem to distract attention from the impeachment inquiry. https://t.co/dlw2zsWhkz
— Laurence Tribe (@tribelaw) October 25, 2019
Update: Jerrold Nadler and Rachel Maddow have also joined in:
These reports, if true, raise profound new concerns that the Department of Justice under AG Barr has lost its independence and become a vehicle for President Trump’s political revenge. https://t.co/0xxZ8se4Yp via @nytimes
— (((Rep. Nadler))) (@RepJerryNadler) October 25, 2019
A administrative review into the Russia probe's origins is now a criminal inquiry, a person familiar with the review tells @NBCNews. @Maddow explains how this fits into conspiracy theories seeking to exonerate Russia's role in 2016 election interference. https://t.co/Di8ViqIpV6
— MSNBC (@MSNBC) October 25, 2019
What a shocker.
Hahahahaha! I KNEW they would play this angle! Dems caught wind that Barr was close to hitting the target so this “Ukrainegate” nonsense was thrown out there to try to get ahead of what’s coming. Classic ? pic.twitter.com/QqPusaMAts
— ShredderGirl (@ShredderBabe) October 25, 2019
The rest of the MSM will no doubt remain totally predictable and help the Democrats keep that approach going.
