Louisiana Voice

“He may not have known it, but he was stepping down.”

—William Barr, testifying before the House Judiciary Committee on Tuesday in response to Rep. Joe Neguse (D-Colorado), who asked about Barr’s initial false statement that U.S. Attorney Geoffrey Berman’s denial that he was “stepping down,” [Now that, dear readers, is a classic example of parsing words, aka dancing around the truth.]

“police are less likely to shoot at a black suspect, a little more likely to shoot at a white suspect.”

—Incredulous testimony of William Barr on Tuesday. [Blacks are actually 2.5 times more likely to be shot by police than Whites. Barr must be getting his talking points from the Trump Book of Historical Facts, coincidentally, the shortest book in the world.]

“Saddened to hear the news of civil rights hero John Lewis passing. Melania and I send our prayers to he (sic) and his family,”

“One of the greats in the history of television, Regis Philbin has passed on to even greater airwaves. He was a fantastic person, and my friend. He kept telling me to run for President. Holds the record for ‘most live television’, and he did it well. Regis, we love you. And to Joy, his wonderful wife who he loved so much, my warmest condolences!!!”

—Comparison of Trump’s reactions to two recent high-profile deaths. [From the self-described “least racist person on the planet.”]

“Directly above me, men with rifles yelling at us. Some of my colleagues who own bullet proof vests are wearing them. I have never appreciated our Sergeants-at-Arms more than today.”

–Michigan State Sen. Dayna Polehanki, responding to militia takeover of Michigan Capitol in protest of coronavirus stay-home order, April 30, 2020. [So, where were Trump’s storm troopers when these thugs took over a state capitol?]

“Members of the Michigan Liberty Militia were at the protest, armed with guns, and one member said that the group was there as a ‘security detail’ for the event organizers, The Southern Poverty Law Center, which monitors American extremist organizations, includes a “Michigan Liberty Militia” among its list of extreme antigovernment groups.”

—The Guardian, April 30, 2020. [Yet, Trump’s secret police were not sent to Michigan to restore order. Go figure.]

“When you see something that is not right, not just, not fair, you have a moral obligation to say something, to do something. From my vantage point, I saw demonstrators scattering and fleeing as the Civil Disturbance Unit charged toward them. I observed people fall to the ground as some Civil Disturbance Unit members used their shields offensively as weapons. As I walked behind the Civil Disturbance Units pushing westward on H Street, I also observed unidentified law enforcement personnel behind our National Guardsmen using ‘paintball-like’ weapons to discharge what I later learned to be ‘pepper balls’ into the crowd, as demonstrators continued to retreat.” 

—Adam DeMarco, an Iraq War veteran and a major in the D.C. National Guard, quoting Rep. John Lewis and then adding his own observations in testimony contradicting Trump and Attorney Gen. William Barr said about the effort to forcefully clear protesters from Lafayette Park last month so Trump could have his Bible photo-op.