Donald Trump needs a good grudge like the rest of us need air. But from time to time, those who wrong him debase themselves and shred their own dignity so thoroughly to get back in his good graces that he makes an exception. Lindsey Graham is a good example. So is Ted Cruz.
Not so with his former Attorney General Bill Barr, one of the handful of his former allies who made the unforgivable mistake of questioning the premise of his election-overturning efforts — and has had to pay the price within the MAGAfied Republican Party. While Barr spent the entirety of his tenure letting Trump hijack the Justice Department for his various whims and grievances, he did ultimately refuse to pursue baseless investigations into Trump’s mass voter fraud claims.
That, much like then-VP Mike Pence’s refusal to go along with Trump’s pressure campaign to not certify the election results, crossed a line. It’s one thing to not like Trump’s style. It’s another entirely to stand in the way of his couping.
Since then Trump has treated Barr like a punching bag, regularly calling him a liar and even mocking his testimony before the Jan. 6 committee. Barr, for his part, hasn’t done much to suck up to the former president in the years since either. Until last week. During an interview on Fox News, Barr was asked if he would support Trump in the fall, despite their history.
“I’ve said all along, given two bad choices, I think it’s my duty to pick the person I think would do the least harm to the country. And in my mind, I will vote the Republican ticket,” he said, adding, “Trump may be playing Russian roulette, but a continuation of the Biden administration is national suicide in my opinion.”
(What, exactly, is the issue that makes him willing to endorse the man who he witnessed attempt to overthrow American democracy? Why, its the “thugs” on the “far-left” and the “drift that’s been occurring toward really a socialistic system.” Of course.)
Trump caught wind of the supposed “endorsement” last night and posted on Truth Social relentlessly mocking his former toadie for doing it.
“Wow! Former A.G. Bill Barr, who let a lot of great people down by not investigating Voter Fraud in our Country, has just Endorsed me for President despite the fact that I called him ‘Weak, Slow Moving, Lethargic, Gutless, and Lazy’ (New York Post!),” he wrote on Truth Social Wednesday.
“Based on the fact that I greatly appreciate his wholehearted Endorsement, I am removing the word ‘Lethargic’ from my statement. Thank you Bill. MAGA2024!”
Only a few more adjectives to go.
The Best Of TPM Today
We published a lot of great stuff today. This morning from Josh Kovensky: Meet The Never-Christian-Nationalist Evangelicals
And Hunter Walker: The Man Behind The Jan. 6 ‘Pence Card’ Memo Is Now Pushing ‘The Mother Of All Twitter Files’
Josh was also back in court this morning: Pecker Expected Back On The Stand As Trump Trial Resumes
Catch up on Kate Riga’s live coverage of today’s grim Supreme Court immunity oral arguments: Conservative Justices Appear Poised To At Least Limit Scope Of Jan. 6 Case Against Trump
More on that here: Trump Will Be Happy With Supreme Court Arguments On Immunity
Yesterday’s Most Read Story
Trump Lawyer Loses All Credibility With Trial Judge — David Kurtz
What We Are Reading
White House seizes on Mitch McConnell saying Trump stalled action on border security — NBC News
Inside Ronna McDaniel’s Six-Figure Severance From the RNC — Daily Beast
