This interview with NPR and Bill Barr is a classic case if innuendo and gotcha questions. The reporter states things as fact when they are not, he actually out and out lies. This part is about mail in voting and elections

—Q: What instruction, if any, has the president given you about assuring a secure election in 2020? About assuring a secure election in 2020?

Barr: Well, our main focus has been obviously trying to ensure against foreign influence. And so we have a very strong program, interagency program, trying to monitor efforts by foreign countries to influence the election. And, you know, we're committed to trying to prevent that or if we can't prevent it, at least alert the American people as to what's going on. Other than that, the Department of Justice always is concerned about election fraud. And on every election, we're very attentive to whether there's election fraud

—Q: Some people noticed when you raised concerns about the security of mail-in ballots, as the president also has very loudly and said without evidence that there is a lot of fraud or can be a lot of fraud, you raised a specific concern about foreign entities counterfeiting ballots and mailing them in..

Barr: Well, I think there's a range of concerns about mail-in ballots. And let me just clarify here. I'm not talking about a mail-in ballot for a limited number of cases where somebody, you know, is going to be traveling around the world, and the way that the state has provided for that is, you mail in your ballot. I'm talking about a comprehensive rule where all the ballots are essentially mail-in, and there's so many occasions for fraud there that cannot be policed. I think it would be very bad. But one of the things I mentioned was the possibility of counterfeiting.

—Q: Did you have evidence to raise that specific concern?

Barr: No, it's obvious

—Q: It's obvious that it can be done.

Barr: Of course, we got to a lot of, why do you think we go to the problems we do in crafting single dollar bills? Q: Sure. Barr: Because, make it hard to counterfeit. Now–

—Q: Do they not also go through procedures like that with mail-in ballots?Barr: You've seen them. They're pretty primitive

—Q: Are you able to share any evidence that intelligence agencies have gathered that any foreign entities have targeted this area? Barr: I think foreign entities are — I have specific reason to believe that there are a number of foreign countries that do want to sow discord in the United States by undermining confidence in the results of the election. And I think if we do adopt programs of mail-in, that will be an area which they will exploit. And I think you don't have to be a rocket scientist to figure that one out.

—Q: Do you believe that an election conducted mainly by mail can be secure? Barr: Personally, no. I mean, we just mailed out checks under this program. And what is it? I heard something like 20 percent or something were misdirected.

-Q: You think the same thing could happen with millions of mail-in ballots? Barr: I know things can happen like that. Because I know people move, a very high percentage in the United States, people move all the time. And I also know that you can easily take things out of mailboxes

https://www.npr.org/2020/06/25/883273933/transcript-nprs-full-interview-with-attorney-general-william-barr

More on NPR with Barr!!!

One other thing, Attorney General, regarding the recent protests. You made statements raising concerns about left-wing extremists in the protests and your named Antifa, specifically. One of our correspondents looked earlier this month. I believe it was June 9. And while a number of people have been arrested in connection with the protests, and a good number of crimes were committed, as a matter of fact, there was no record of someone connected with any Antifa organization, and it's not really an organization, who had been named up to that point in prosecutions. You did say around that time that there had been not public information regarding Antifa. Are you able to say now, a couple of weeks later, that anyone has been arrested in connection with that activity you named

Barr: Yes, but…[crosstalk]

Q: Someone with Antifa? Someone with some antifascist organization?

Barr: Yes, but when we arrest people and charge them at this stage anyway, we don't charge them for being a member of Antifa. We charge them for throwing a Molotov cocktail, or we charge them for possession of a gun, or possession of gasoline and things to make bombs with. Those are the kinds of charges that are filed. Even less sensational charges, such as battery. But we are building, we are obtaining information and intelligence about the operations of these people. Do you really? I mean, do watch the videotapes of these demonstrations?

Q: I've watched the videotapes [crosstalk].

Barr: You don't see agitators in hoodies with earpieces, you know, distributing things to throw and things like that? You don't see that? You don't see people walking through districts with high-end stores, methodically breaking out the windows with sledgehammers or skateboards? Who are they?

Q: Saw lots of break ins. Absolutely.

Barr: Not break-ins and looting. This was not looting. No, no. You obviously haven't been watching these videos as we have been watching them. [crosstalk]

Q: I've been out on the streets. And there have been specific crimes that seem to have been committed under the cover of the protests, as well as any kind of engineered violence. But wouldn't you have, if you had somebody who was a member of an extremist group, wouldn't you have mentioned that, and your prosecutors would have mentioned that, in the bail hearing? Like there'd be a public record, that you had evidence of extremists?

Barr: Well, at this stage, being a member of a group, and Antifa is really sort of an umbrella term [crosstalk] used for a number of groups. There are a number of groups that have specific names that we're aware of that are Anti– that's why I've said Antifa-type groups, that some of the people that have been arrested and some of the people that have been charged and some of the people that are under investigation, we have approximately 300 investigations right now, nationwide, do identify as Antifa. So I'm not sure, you know.

Q: OK. Can I ask about one more thing that's on my mind? You were asked about systemic racism the other day in law enforcement, and you said, if I may summarize briefly, it's not really there. It was at one time. It was on the books. It was part of the law. The laws have been removed and there are still problems, but law enforcement is working on that. And I wonder…

Barr: I was talking about police departments.

https://www.npr.org/2020/06/25/883273933/transcript-nprs-full-interview-with-attorney-general-william-barr

NPR

Q: You're talking about the role of religion today.And speaking of Christians, then. Christianity has a particular view of human nature. What does it teach you that [the] president would do with completely unchecked power, with absolute power?

Barr: The president doesn't have unchecked power. All power corrupts and absolute power corrupts absolutely. As Lord [John Dalberg-] Acton famously said. So that's why we have a Constitution. And that's why, as I've given speeches about the presidency, I've pointed out that the real miracle of our, in Philadelphia was actually Article 2 of the Constitution, because many people sort of that the Cliff Notes version of our founding was that we fought against a king, and therefore we have to be very suspicious of presidential power. But actually, what happened was, after the Articles of Confederation and almost losing the Revolutionary War, the framers decided to frame a limited office of president.

That was, what most experts on the Constitution would say, is that they, what was unusual is they actually created a very strong office, but they hedged it in with a lot of limitations. It's not a king. It's four years. It's the only office elected by all the people of the United States, not just by a congressional district, but by all the people. It has inherently limited powers. Congress has most of the powers in the federal government. The president can't raise money or anything like that. So all the limitations that the Whigs, the English Whigs, wanted to put on the king have been put on the office of [the] president, it's a limited office. But in emergencies such as war, it has broad powers.

And I have to say, Steve, one of the things that perplexes me about all these people who challenged me on the idea of executive power and its nature, they seem perfectly content to sit back and let governors, who are executives and have constitutions, make the most sweeping decisions about people's livelihood. Basically, putting the entire population in home detention and telling people that they have to shut down their livelihood and their business. And they leave that to the discretionary decision of governors. And I haven't heard the media at all saying, 'Hmm this is a pretty broad use of power. Where does it say in the Constitution they have that power?'

https://www.npr.org/2020/06/25/883273933/transcript-nprs-full-interview-with-attorney-general-william-barr

Jim Banks: New York Times Damaged National Security to Hurt Trump

Rep. Jim Banks (R-IN) said in a statement on Monday that the New York Times is willing to do “anything” to hurt President Donald Trump, including compromising national security.

The New York Times reported on Saturday that a Russian military spy unit secretly offered bounties to Taliban-linked militias for killing U.S. troops in Afghanistan.

Banks, a military veteran, said that “having served in Afghanistan during the time the alleged bounties were placed, no one is angrier about this than me.”

However, the Hoosier conservative said that the federal government could not complete the investigation due to the Times story.

“Now it’s impossible to finish the investigation. All b/c the @nytimes will do anything to damage @realdonaldtrump, even if it means compromising nat ‘l security,” Banks said, adding:

Sad, but many in the media & Congress rushed to judgement before learning the whole story. We should treat anonymously sourced @nytimes stories about Russia w/ skepticism. Here’s a fact: No President in my lifetime has been tougher on Russia than @realDonaldTrump.

White House Press Secretary Kayleigh McEnany said during a press conference on Monday that the intelligence community has yet to verify information alleged in the Times report:

There is no consensus within the intelligence community on these allegations and in fact there are dissenting opinions from some within the intelligence community with regards to the veracity of what’s being reported. The veracity of the underlying allegations continue to be evaluated.

Banks continued his statement saying that the American people can see through the media’s fake news:

Americans don’t buy the phony Russia-Trump-Collusion narrative. THEY SEE President Trump’s rock solid record in support of our troops, our veterans & American exceptionalism. THEY SEE the media walk back claims of a Trump-Russia scandal over & over. So tired. Change it up!

https://www.breitbart.com/politics/2020/06/29/jim-banks-new-york-times-damaged-national-security-to-hurt-trump/