UPDATED: Barr's New USA in the District Of Columbia
H/T commenter EZ.
Jessie Liu was on the way out, but the big question was: Who would Barr--woops--Trump appoint to the hugely important DC USAO?
We've got the answer, which is a combination of very good news and, well, decide for yourself.
First the good news, via AP :
WASHINGTON (AP) — Attorney General William Barr on Thursday named Timothy Shea, one of his closest advisers, to be the next top prosecutor in the nation’s capital.
Shea will lead the largest U.S. attorney’s office in the country, which has been historically responsible for some of the most significant and politically sensitive cases the Justice Department brings in the U.S.
He is a senior counselor to the attorney general ...
As the U.S. attorney in the District of Columbia, Shea would oversee some of the lingering cases from special counsel Robert Mueller’s Russia investigation, along with a number of politically charged investigations. The office is also generally responsible for handling potential prosecutions if Congress finds a witness in contempt.
And here's that other bit:
[Shea] was Barr’s right-hand man helping institute reforms at the federal Bureau of Prisons after Jeffrey Epstein’s death at the Metropolitan Correctional Center in New York City.
...
In the wake of Epstein’s death, Barr and Shea worked hand-in-hand to manage the crisis and investigation into the circumstances surrounding the wealthy financier’s death. Shea visited the jail days after Epstein’s suicide and helped advise the attorney general as Barr shook up the agency’s leadership, removing its acting director.
Overall, it's probably very good news.
Here are some excerpts:
The timing of this and the choice is interesting.
One can’t help but wonder if this is a move made to support possible indictments and whatnot down the road pertaining to #SpyGate.
Just a few weeks ago William Barr sat down with NBC Today and said in no uncertain terms that the FBI acted in “bad faith” in regards to the Russia investigation.