The attorney general of the United States lying to the American people is more than just a shiny ball. The Attorney General lying under oath to the Congress is more than a shiny ball. Only in the context of the Trump administration do these things seem trivial. I don’t think we should lower the bar of expectations for the behavior of people holding high office and high positions in our government.

The purpose of the Mueller report was not an attempt at changing voters’ minds. It was to investigate Russian meddling into our most sacred democratic process — voting. In the course of investigating that important matter, the president obstructed justice. The Attorney General of the United States has attempted to bury that reality. He created the illusion that there was uncertainty on that point where there was none.

I think that’s a big deal. I’m also capable of multi-tasking and multi-thinking. So you’ll forgive me if I don’t buy your premise that we can’t focus on this because there are other issues that are more pressing. Nor do I think we should ignore it because in the grand scheme of things it may not be Trump’s biggest indiscretion.

I also don’t think we should excuse Barr’s lying and undercutting his own agencies by saying every AG protects their president. That seems like a poor reason to turn a blind eye.