Thank you! Your submission has been received!
Oops! Something went wrong while submitting the form.
“President Trump said Friday he will nominate William P. Barr as attorney general and Heather Nauert as ambassador to the United Nations.” AP News
The left is divided on Barr and critical of Nauert’s lack of diplomatic experience.
Many are skeptical of Barr’s expansive view of presidential authority. “If the past two years have taught the nation anything... it’s that the Trump administration needs an attorney general who welcomes more, not less, transparency and accountability for its actions — a legal officer who can provide assurances that the federal government works for the American public and not for any one person.”
New York Times
Others note, “no doubt [he] champions a strong presidency, and he has publicly endorsed the controversial idea of the ‘unitary executive’... Barr sees the president’s power as wide-ranging and reposed in the president alone; but he does not see it as limitless... In our current straits — with an abominable acting attorney general and the real concern that the president might have selected a crusading, unqualified loyalist to head the department — Bill Barr is a big step in the right direction.”
Washington Post
It’s worth noting that as attorney general, “Barr pushed an aggressive ‘law and order’ agenda on both immigration and street crime... Whether or not Trump knows it, he’s picked an attorney general who knows how to run the kind of immigration policy Trump likes: one that cracks down first and asks questions later.”
Vox
Regarding Nauert, “early on in his presidency, Trump’s eclectic mix of deputies often appeared to be executing multiple foreign policies at once. But Nauert’s appointment is an indication that Trump is now seeking out advisers who, no matter their personal views, cohere to the agenda of a president who seems to increasingly know what he wants and how he wants it done.”
The Atlantic
“With no policymaking or negotiating experience, and after 20 months as a spokeswoman for the state department, Nauert will take her seat on the security council alongside counterparts with decades of experience...
“Nauert is not expected to be given cabinet status, downgrading the role to being largely a mouthpiece for the secretary of state, Mike Pompeo, and the national security adviser, John Bolton – both of whom are deeply sceptical of the UN’s usefulness... [Her appointment] is widely being interpreted as bad news for the UN.”
The Guardian
The right praises Barr and Nauert.
The right praises Barr and Nauert.
“Barr set the gold standard for the job when he served as attorney general from 1991 to 1993 during the administration of President George H.W. Bush... He is a man whose career in the law demonstrates professionalism, keen judgment and fealty to the Justice Department’s core mission of equal enforcement of the law without regard to any political considerations.”
Fox News
Trump has nominated “a well-respected establishment lawyer whose legacy is bound up with a different president, the quintessential establishmentarian (and very un-Trump-like) George H.W. Bush... [in 1991] the majority-Democrat Judiciary Committee approved Barr unanimously.”
Hot Air
“Barr brings much-needed experience and instant credibility to the task. After all, he has already been the nation’s chief federal law-enforcement officer... Importantly, when Barr was attorney general, the chief of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division was a fellow by the name of Robert Mueller...
“Barr and Mueller had a fine working relationship... where Mueller has real evidence of a crime, Barr will be his strongest prosecutorial ally; and where Mueller lacks evidence, Barr will expect him to close the case the way prosecutors close cases — without fanfare.”
National Review
Regarding Nauert, many posit that “in her time as the State Department's chief spokeswoman, Nauert has learned the ins and outs of the State Department bureaucracy. She's also learned the three keys to being a successful U.N. ambassador: being a team player, understanding U.S. foreign policy interests, and understanding the interests and nuances of other international actors.”
Washington Examiner
“Ninety percent of her job will be done if she only stands tall in the face of all the globalized hand-wringers of the world... what Beyond-the-Beltway Americans want in their ambassador to the United Nations is [simple]: Just be boldly, outspokenly, unabashedly, unapologetically pro-America and pro-Israel.”
Washington Times
In response to criticism of Nauert’s background at Fox News, it’s worth noting that “by September 2013, only [slightly over] halfway through Obama’s tenure, his administration had hired at least 24 reporters.”
Daily Wire
Man spends $4,000 on giant statue to give town the middle finger. It’s art, officials say.
Miami Herald
