BARR SAID WHAT??

BARR SAID WHAT???
by
Julio Gonzalez, M.D., J.D.

I am writing this piece, not in defense of Attorney General William Barr, but in contraposition to the press.

On Monday, social media went ablaze with the news that Attorney General Barr had said he had not uncovered evidence of widespread election fraud sufficient to change the outcome of the 2020 election. Those on the Left leapt with joy when they learned that President Donald J. Trump's staunch ally seemed to have abandoned him. On the other hand, those on the Right went on the attack, already annoyed by the AG's protracted silence on the matter.

My reaction was decidedly different. I simply asked, where's the video? My inquiry led to a vigorous search for the source of the story. I learned that Barr's comments had been allegedly made to the Associated Press in "an interview." However, all the AP provided was its report on the AG's comments and not the comments themselves. Search YouTube, Twitter, Facebook, Parler, Google, and you will find neither an audio nor a video of the Attorney General's comments. Instead, you will find the AP story reporting the comments while all other stories in the press refer to the AP story. Thus, as far as can be told, there is only one source: an unsubstantiated story from the AP without any verification.

I'm sorry, but I'm not biting.

It's not that I trust the Attorney General. I don't. Like countless other Trump supporters, I have marveled at Barr's disappearance since the election. Rather, it's that I distrust the press even more. Think about it. If you had a recording of this incredibly juicy, potentially treasonous, comment against the President of the United States from one of his greatest allies, wouldn't you, as a reporter, publish it? So why isn't the AP sharing the recording of this most fascinating comment? I suspect it doesn't have one.

I wouldn't go as far as to say the exchange never happened. The media lying machine has not yet evolved to such a level of unadultered fabrication. What I am saying is that I strongly suspect that Barr's comment was manipulated by the press so that it is made to appear to express something he didn't really mean.

You demand support for my position? But of course!

First, there is the absence of a published recording. That immediately raises flags. Second, is the AP article itself. Let's recall that the AP along with the rest of the mainstream media wants nothing more than to get Trump out. It will do anything to disrupt him, shame him, and belittle him; and his followers. Written by Michael Balsalmo the "interview" took place while the Attorney General "was headed to the White House later for a previously scheduled meeting." What "interview" takes place when someone is headed anywhere? Is it possible that Balsalmo simply bumped into Barr as he was making his way to the White House? Is the word "interview" an embellishment of what actually was a quick exchange in passing? Normally, I would not be this suspicious of the media, but their performance over the past four years has been so appalling as to merit such distrustful scrutiny.

Next, the article itself reveals the author's and the AP's hostility to the President, raising further questions regarding their veracity. Immediately after reporting Barr's statement, Balsalmo then writes, "[Barr's] comments in an interview with the Associated Press come despite President Donald Trump's repeated baseless claims that the election was stolen, Trump's efforts to subvert the 2020 presidential election and his refusal to concede his loss to President-Elect Joe Biden." This statement does not belong to a reporter, but to an opinion writer. Describing President Trump's claims as "baseless" passes judgment on the story and reveals the writer's bias. His credibility as a reporter is now destroyed. The President's claims are anything but baseless as there is much evidence to support it. Even Barr, the subject of the piece, does not say the President's claims are "baseless." He merely reports, if we are to believe the AP's opinion writer, that he has not found fraud on a scale that could have effected a different outcome in the election. That's not baseless. That's insufficient. Additionally, President Trump is not trying to "subvert the election," as all indications are that he honestly believes it is Biden who is trying to subvert the election. That makes the President the one who is trying to prevent the subversion of the election. And finally, so long as the election is contested, Biden is not the "President-Elect," no matter how many times the press repeats the claim.

So, in light of all the judgmental comments and bias injected by Mr. Balsalmo, forgive me if I don't believe a word he writes, including when he misreports what he selectively heard the Attorney General to have said. The whole thing is so tainted, that I must demand the AP produce the unedited recording of the exchange with the Attorney General, if such an exchange occurred, and I'll judge his comments for myself, thank you. Tragically, we have gotten to a point in our dealings with the media where we must demand nothing less.

Dr. Julio Gonzalez is an orthopaedic surgeon and lawyer living in Venice, Florida. He served in the Florida House of Representatives. He is the author of numerous books including The Federalist Pages, The Case for Free Market Healthcare, and Coronalessons. He is available for appearances and book signings, and can be reached through www.thefederalistpages.com.






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