Letters to the Editor: Is William Barr protecting democracy or covering up for Trump?

To the editor: I do not believe that U.S. Atty. Gen. William Barr is acting like a cheerleader for President Trump. Where were the critics of Barr when Eric Holder, who described himself as President Obama’s wingman, was held in contempt of Congress when he was the attorney general?

Barr believes as I do that a group of unelected, high-ranking individuals in our intelligence community are or were actively engaged in an attempt to remove Trump from office. This is an extremely dangerous, frightening and malevolent phenomenon. The misuse of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court is just the beginning.

Thank God for Barr. He may be the savior of our democratic republic.

Nathan Post, Santa Barbara

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To the editor: The Supreme Court unanimously ordered the Nixon administration to turn over the Watergate tapes to the federal district court in Washington as evidence of President Nixon’s crimes. Rather than face indictment and prosecution, Nixon resigned.

There is no doubt that Nixon would have been convicted both in the district court and in a Senate impeachment trial. John Mitchell, Nixon’s attorney general, served 19 months in prison for trying to cover up Nixon’s activity.

The report by former Justice Department special counsel Robert S. Mueller III, disparaged by Barr, does not exonerate Trump from criminal activity associated with his 2016 campaign. The ruling in U.S. vs. Nixon establishes precedent that a sitting president can be indicted and prosecuted for abuse of power, obstruction of justice and other high crimes and misdemeanors.

If it is asked to do so, the Supreme Court should order the unredacted Mueller report turned over to the federal district court in Washington as evidence to be used potentially to indict Trump.

Craig Simmons, Northridge