>I'm completely lost on this entire drop
Sounds to me like there were indictments filed as threats to Trump just before Whit took over. That's the "insurance policy" to be used via the talking point of 'it's only Trump retaliation' if Trump did the DECLAS.
Barr is there to get Mueller to walk it back. Barr is Mueller's friend. It would be like if you fucked up; would you want a stranger on your ass about it or a friend who could talk you down from the ledge. Sometimes you need a trusted person to get a more positive result from a bad situation.