From The Guardian:
An effort in recent months by Donald Trump to rewrite the history of the 2016 US presidential election and set up a 2020 re-election victory was more geographically sprawling and reliant on the day-to-day participation of top cabinet members than previously reported, it emerged on Monday.
William Barr, the attorney general, and Mike Pompeo, the secretary of state, collectively participated in contacts between Trump and leaders of at least four foreign countries, according to multiple reports.
Those contacts were variously aimed at producing stories that could damage Joe Biden, Trump’s potential 2020 opponent, or at producing stories that could undermine the US intelligence community’s assessment from 2017 of Russian election tampering in the last election, the reports said.
…snip…
Barr was previously reported to be “surprised and angry” to find his name mentioned in a summary of a call between Trump and the Ukrainian president, while Pompeo, when asked what he knew about that phone call, replied that he had not seen a copy of the whistleblower document that flagged it: “I haven’t seen the complaint,” he told ABC News.
In fact, Pompeo reportedly took part in the call, according to the Wall Street Journal, citing a senior state department official. For his part, Barr flew to Italy and to London to ask for help in “investigating” the roots of the Russia investigation, the Washington Post reported. Trump also asked the Australian prime minister Scott Morrison for help, and Morrison agreed to assist, something confirmed by the Australian government.
…snip…
“Pretty clear that Barr is working feverishly [with] Trump to produce some kind of anti-Mueller report,” tweeted the MSNBC host Chris Hayes.
The justice department defied that characterization, issuing a statement on Monday that described Barr’s work as business-as-usual to support the US attorney John Durham’s investigation of the FBI’s former inquiry into Russian election tampering.
…snip…
But it was very unusual for the attorney general, much less the president, to be personally involved at such lengths in an internal investigation, even where foreign contacts are required, former federal prosecutors said.
…snip…
When a summary appeared last week of the July phone call between Trump and the Ukrainian president, the scope of involvement by the Trump administration appeared at first to be limited. Trump had mostly used his personal lawyer, Rudy Giuliani, to pursue his project, it seemed.
But that picture has quickly changed. The release of a whistleblower report Thursday suggested an active role by Barr, and said that a dozen US officials had listened to the Trump-Ukraine phone call, and that summaries of the call had been distributed more widely – raising the question of what proportion of Trump administration energies in recent months have been devoted to Trump’s pet projects.
HYSTERICAL RAISINS 
OMG –
Listening to Al Franken’s podcasts and Walter Mondale- 91 yr old Vice President. WOW< really good and they speak on all of this.
Catching your blog posts and listening to Mondale and Franken posit on how they really feel, what is really going on, well, moments of brief respite.
Thanks.
I adore Al Franken. One of these days, I am going to have to listen to his podcast. I’ve never listened to any podcast ever, and his has to be the first.
Glad The Raisin can be a little oasis in this ocean of shit, Karen. Thanks so much for the retweets on Twitter. I appreciate it so much. ❤
Shouldn’t that be Kochroach Studios? Still glad to see Greasy Oily Films and DUD video back.
Pinocchio is always appropriate for these guys, but I don’t recognize the red and orange design on Barr’s jacket. Unless it’s a Handmaid’s Tale costume?
raising the question of what proportion of Trump administration energies in recent months have been devoted to Trump’s pet projects.
It’s a safe bet that that’s “as much as he can remotely get away with”. I’m amazed he hasn’t ordered NASA to project anti-Biden messages on the Moon.
Infidel,
The only reason I really wanted to make this poster was to change Hal Roach to Cockroach. I could have gone with Koch instead, but while Pompeo was up the Koch brothers’ asses, I don’t recall any stories of Barr being beholden to them. Besides, I got to use a cockroach for the logo.
You are correct. Barr is wearing a handmaid pin. The suits were so boring and needed a liddle’ sumpin’ sumpin’.
I’m sure that the entire focus of this administration is keeping Twitler’s ass out of a sling. Just heard on the news that the State Department Inspector General has asked to meet with senior congressional staff members immediately. 😮 Once again, the shit is going to hit the fan, and it will look like a Gallagher show when he hits the watermelon with a sledgehammer, only with poop flying instead of delicious fruit. Popcorn for everybody!
Can’t get the “like” button to work, so, Like!
Thanks, JIm. I like you, too! 😀