“Bill was just an attack dog that was loosed on us”
The WSJ today has a story about what Bill Barr, Trump's nominee for Attorney General, has been doing since leaving DoJ in 1994: Trump’s Attorney General Pick Earned a Reputation as a Fighter in the Corporate World (originally published as 'Aggressive Tactics Mark Attorney General Nominee Attorney General Nominee Known for Assertiveness.' ). The short answer is that Barr has been very busy. He became a central figure in the Wild West world of telecommunications deregulation between 1996 and 2008, renowned for his pugnacity. I'm not taking sides on the merits of the Telecommunications Act of 1996 and its aftermath, but anyone who thinks Barr is simply a lapdog for the Washington Establishment who will not be a match for Mueller or Rosenstein will probably want to reconsider. What he clearly is, is a very aggressive advocate for his clients. As AG he will be an advocate, most broadly, for the Constitution and laws of the United States, but in that capacity he has a well established record as an aggressive defender of the Executive Branch.
President Trump’s attorney general pick spent more than 25 years in the corporate world, where his forceful arguments and dogged approach to litigation at times put him at odds with the Justice Department he is expected to lead for a second time.
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His aggressive style may appeal to his new boss, who has regularly attacked the Justice Department, Special Counsel Robert Mueller’s Russia probe, FBI officials and former Attorney General Jeff Sessions.
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Mr. Barr spent much of his post-government career as top lawyer for GTE, the telecommunications company that became today’s Verizon Communications Inc. He was widely credited with leading the industry’s charge against the federal government’s implementation of the Telecommunications Act of 1996.
“He isn’t going to wilt in the face of heavy fire,” said Theodore Olson, a prominent Washington attorney who has known Mr. Barr since they worked together in the Reagan administration.
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“The telecommunications industry had really never seen anyone like Bill Barr,” said former Time Warner general counsel Paul Cappuccio.
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One former competitor said he couldn’t fault Mr. Barr for his aggressive tactics. “Bill was just an attack dog that [was] loosed on us,” the former rival said.
The article goes on to note that the current DoJ is very familiar with Barr, who has aggressively challenged DoJ on several occasions, including in their case against Caterpillar Corp. From the article one gathers that current DoJ denizens view the return of Barr with considerable trepidation.
Commenter dfp21 recently advocated in favor of "fighting fire with fire" -- in favor of appointing a new Special Counsel to take on Team Mueller and the rest of the DoJ cabal. I have argued that Barr is unlikely to do that, because of principled opposition to the institution of Special Counsel on constitutional grounds, but that any AG has ample legal and investigative firepower at his disposal. If setting an attack dog lawyer on one's antagonists--and an active AG can be that on steroids--counts as "fighting fire with fire," then the Swamp may be in for an unpleasant experience when they come face to face with Barr.