Attorney General's Job

While Roger Starr (1/17/19 A25) may be sincere in his belief that William Barr is a fine lawyer and a man of integrity, his analysis of Mr. Barr’s widely discussed memo is legally flawed. Just because a president acts within his constitutional job description does not render him unaccountable if he acts corruptly. So, hypothetically, if it were proven that Putin directed President Trump to fire James Comey, because the FBI investigation threatened to embarrass Russia, and Trump exercised his authority to take that action it would seem obvious that such an act would constitute both obstruction of justice and an unlawful conspiracy. Indeed, it is well-settled law that an otherwise legal act if performed with criminal intent is unlawful and does not excuse the wrongdoer.
Thus, Mr. Barr’s unsolicited advice to the Justice Department hierarchy (which might more appropriately have been written as an Op-Ed piece) is not merely wrong but makes his appointment as Attorney-General suspect.