The redacted Mueller report has been released, with Attorney General William Barr kicking off the big day at a press conference. No sense in diving right into that balance-of-powers stuff and give the report directly to Congress first, right? Barr and transparency don’t exactly go hand in hand.
Barr has given himself so much wiggle room for redactions, particularly “nothing related to ongoing investigations”— he does know we’re talking about President Trump, right? I’m betting the ongoing-investigations loophole will keep tons of material behind those black bars. And if that doesn’t do it, how about information that could “unduly infringe” on people’s privacy. Vague enough for you?
I’m getting the sinking feeling we’re in for an even longer haul and plenty of court battles in the months and years to come. I’m not too optimistic about the commitment to transparency of a potentially ethically-conflicted attorney general who inflames a conspiracy theory while prematurely declaring his boss’ innocence. Enjoy the cartoon, and come visit me on Patreon if you’re interested in prints, behind-the-scenes videos and other goodies!