#House Dems accuse Barr of using federal troops as ‘prop’ in Trump’s re-election

WASHINGTON — Democrats on the House Judiciary Committee wasted no time accusing Attorney General William Barr of deploying federal troops as a “prop” in President Trump’s re-election bid when he finally appeared before them on Tuesday.

Chairman Jerry Nadler (D. NY) and Rep. Zoe Lofgren (D. Calif), two leading players in the president’s impeachment trial, blasted Barr for cracking down on what they alleged were “peaceful protests” in cities like Portland, which has been rocked by violent protests for months.

“The president wants footage for his campaign ads and you appear to be serving it up to him as ordered,” Nadler claimed, one day after he called violence from Antifa in Portland a “myth.”

“In most of these cities, the protests had begun to wind down before you marched in and confronted the protesters. The protesters aren’t mobs, they’re mothers and veterans and mayors,” he said.

“Shame on you, Mr. Barr. Shame on you,” Nadler continued, speaking over the top of Barr as he tried to respond.

Lofgren also spent her allocated time pontificating about Trump instead of probing the AG on the government’s response to protests across the country and repeated Nadler’s assertion that the protests were a “wall of moms.”

“It’s clear that the President’s playbook is to divert attention from his catastrophic failure in dealing with the COVID-19 situation,” the congresswoman said.

“The playbook is to create the impression that there is violence, that he must send in federal troops and the American people should be afraid of other Americans,” she continued.

“I would say most of them are non-violent. We’ve all heard about the wall of moms, the wall of moms who show up to make sure that people are safe,” she said.

An exasperated Barr reminded Lofgren and other Democrats on the panel that the group of activists have repeatedly tried to burn down the courthouse in downtown Portland which federal agents are defending.

He also told lawmakers that many protesters have come armed for battle with rifles, knifes and explosive devices and that several agents had been blinded by lasers.

“Since when is it okay to try to burn down a federal court?” he said. “We are at the courthouse defending the courthouse we’re not out looking for trouble.”