Dems finally had their chance to grill Bill Barr. They blew it.

Throughout the day, when Democratic representatives questioned Barr about specific allegations of abuse of power, they either quickly stepped over their own lines of questioning or interrupted Barr. This tactic may have been effective in preventing Barr from filibustering, but it did nothing to get any answers whatsoever from him…

Democrats wasted a rare opportunity to get Barr on the record, under penalty of perjury, specifically explaining the mechanics of his many alleged abuses of power. When, for instance, precisely did he learn about Trump’s photo-op? When also did he order federal forces to clear Lafayette Square, whom did he give the order to, and what specifically did he tell them? The answers to these would put him on the record under oath with facts that could be contradicted by other sources if they were misleading. They would almost certainly undermine his sworn claim that it was a complete “coincidence” that the effort to clear the park happened to occur right before Trump’s photo-op. On this, and other specific questions regarding his firing of former U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York Geoffrey Berman and the pressure campaigns to protect Stone and Flynn, Democrats faltered. Barr apparently felt that it went so well that he gave a Republican congressman a wrist bump when it was all over.