On the question of whether Barr should have recused himself from supervising the Mueller probe, it is notable that opinions were split even over at Lawfare, a site where MAGA hats are generally absent. Law professor Barbara McQuade argued that, given Barr’s prior opinions on the matter, he should have committed himself to follow the advice of Justice’s ethics officials. Chuck Rosenberg, a former U.S. attorney, senior FBI official, and chief of the Drug Enforcement Administration, argued against advance deference to ethics advice before knowing the reasons and arguments supporting it.

Former independent counsel Ken Starr, writing in the New York Times, also argued against recusal, observing Barr’s memo was “sounding a clear warning against prosecutorial overreach.”