True. Is there something preventing Barr from telling Trump to his face that he doesn't appreciate the tweets? No. Barr wanted it on the record that the thinks the tweets are unprofessional so he can deflect some of the blow back coming from within the Department of Justice over Trump's meddling. This was purely for public consumption. If Barr truly had a problem with it, he would have resigned.
I don't care who the Attorney General is. It really doesn't matter when the only criteria involves serving as Trump's "Roy Cohn". However, it is clear that Barr's interview with ABC News was purely for public consumption. It was all about spectacle. The resignations of the 4 prosecutors has created a perception that Barr wants to fight, and this interview was a part of a public relations strategy for Barr to portray himself as being independent of Trump's influence, when that doesn't appear to be the case.
Tell me why William Barr needs to use ABC News to communicate to Donald Trump to stop tweeting about cases where he has a personal interest in the outcome. He doesn't. That interview wasn't for Trump's benefit. Barr wants to fight the public perception that he wasn't acting independently of Trump's influence, when he intervened in the sentencing recommendation of Roger Stone.
That's a possible narrative, but that doesn't mean it's true. We don't really know the truth. What I do know to be true, is that based on your political leanings, you'll assume the worst and not entertain other ideas. It could be about optics, but it could also be how Barr truly feels. We just don't know.
Or he does, because putting it out in the public puts more pressure on Trump to comply. It also allowed McConnell to come out and agree, which adds to the pressure on Trump to listen. I think even the most die hard Trumpers would have to admit how stubborn Trump is. His Twitter is uncontrollable. So maybe this is a legitimate attempt to rein that in a little. Or, it could be optics.
