The whole premise of their criticism — that Barr somehow mishandled the release of the Mueller report, based on his March 24 bare-bones summary, which he offered Mueller the chance to review (an offer Mueller declined) — was so absurd that it collapsed under ridicule for anyone not hypnotized by #Resistance TV. Hysteria is a bad look. Democrats wore it better than their media boosters, but they still wore it poorly.

Barr’s critics have made much of the letter Mueller sent to him complaining about press coverage following the release of the summary, but Mueller’s complaint wasn’t about disfiguring the report’s findings or rejecting its conclusion. It was a surprising bit of kvetching from a team of wildcatters that came up dry after digging hundreds of holes and then complained about the weather.

In attacking Barr, Democrats hurt themselves. Not only did they appear desperate after their “bet everything on Mueller” wager went bust, but they proceeded to cement the alliance between President Trump and establishment Republicans in a way that had not occurred before.