“(It) was infuriating to watch him publicly undermine an independent inspector general report — based on an exhaustive review of the FBI’s conduct — using partisan talking points bearing no resemblance to the facts his own department has uncovered,” he wrote.
“To me, his attempts to vilify the President’s critics sounded more like the tactics of an unscrupulous criminal defense lawyer than a U.S. attorney general,” Holder wrote, adding that in his comments, Barr “exposed himself as a partisan actor, not an impartial law enforcement official.”
“Virtually since the moment he took office, though, Barr’s words and actions have been fundamentally inconsistent with his duty to the Constitution,” Holder wrote. “Which is why I now fear that his conduct — running political interference for an increasingly lawless president — will wreak lasting damage.”
CNN has reached out to the Justice Department for comment.
The former attorney general also went after Barr for “bizarre” comments he made at an event last week about the need for people to show “respect and support” for law enforcement or they risk finding “themselves without the police protection they need.”
“It is antithetical to the most basic tenets of equality and justice, and it undermines the need for understanding between law enforcement and certain communities and flies in the face of everything the Justice Department stands for,” Holder wrote.
