Hatchet Man: How Bill Barr Broke the Prosecutor's Code and Corrupted the Justice Department
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- Author：Elie Honig
- ISBN：0063092360
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Summary
CNN legal analyst Elie Honig analyzes how Attorney General William Barr has demolished norms and destroyed faith in the Department of Justice， turning one of the most apolitical and respected American institutions into a private law firm supporting and protecting its client: Donald Trump。
America’s top law enforcement official， William Barr is different from his predecessors at the Justice Department。 During his tenure， Barr has done profound and pervasive damage， trampling the two core virtues that have long defined the department and its mission across both Democratic and Republican administrations: credibility and independence。 Barr has bent the truth， distorted the law， and undermined his Department’s own prosecutions， with one consistent outcome: to protect and advance the political interests of Donald Trump。
Barr’s first act as AG was distorting the findings of Special Counsel Robert Mueller， earning a public rebuke for his dishonesty from Mueller himself and， later， from a federal judge。 Barr tried to manipulate the law to squash a whistleblower’s complaint about Trump’s dealings with Ukraine—the report that eventually led to Trump’s impeachment。 Barr intervened in the prosecutions of Michael Flynn and Roger Stone， undermining the work of his own prosecutors to aid the loyal Trump advisers。 He got caught lying about his late-night effort to displace the U。S。 Attorney for the Southern District of New York， whose office was investigating the Trump family and its business。 Barr has denigrated Democrats and Trump opponents and has amplified baseless theories about massive mail-in ballot fraud， bolstering the possibility of an ugly battle over the 2020 election results。
Working at the Justice Department， Elie Honig was taught that the two most important assets a prosecutor has is credibility and independence; without them， a prosecutor is lost。 While he and his colleagues fought hard to do justice， to charge well-supported and righteous cases， and to convict serious lawbreakers， they knew that nothing was worth sacrificing character or integrity。 To America’s detriment， Barr has relinquished both。
Hatchet Man examines Barr’s unprecedented abuse of power as Attorney General and the lasting structural damage done to the Justice Department through his callous， almost gleeful， politicization of his position and his vast power。
America’s top law enforcement official， William Barr is different from his predecessors at the Justice Department。 During his tenure， Barr has done profound and pervasive damage， trampling the two core virtues that have long defined the department and its mission across both Democratic and Republican administrations: credibility and independence。 Barr has bent the truth， distorted the law， and undermined his Department’s own prosecutions， with one consistent outcome: to protect and advance the political interests of Donald Trump。
Barr’s first act as AG was distorting the findings of Special Counsel Robert Mueller， earning a public rebuke for his dishonesty from Mueller himself and， later， from a federal judge。 Barr tried to manipulate the law to squash a whistleblower’s complaint about Trump’s dealings with Ukraine—the report that eventually led to Trump’s impeachment。 Barr intervened in the prosecutions of Michael Flynn and Roger Stone， undermining the work of his own prosecutors to aid the loyal Trump advisers。 He got caught lying about his late-night effort to displace the U。S。 Attorney for the Southern District of New York， whose office was investigating the Trump family and its business。 Barr has denigrated Democrats and Trump opponents and has amplified baseless theories about massive mail-in ballot fraud， bolstering the possibility of an ugly battle over the 2020 election results。
Working at the Justice Department， Elie Honig was taught that the two most important assets a prosecutor has is credibility and independence; without them， a prosecutor is lost。 While he and his colleagues fought hard to do justice， to charge well-supported and righteous cases， and to convict serious lawbreakers， they knew that nothing was worth sacrificing character or integrity。 To America’s detriment， Barr has relinquished both。
Hatchet Man examines Barr’s unprecedented abuse of power as Attorney General and the lasting structural damage done to the Justice Department through his callous， almost gleeful， politicization of his position and his vast power。
Reviews
Beth
，
I'm glad we have this legal analysis of Bill Barr's abuses as Attorney General， even though nothing will be done about it， we still need records like this for our historical record。 Especially since there is such a strong desire by many who are tangled within these awful webs， to rewrite history and change the facts。。 I'm glad we have this legal analysis of Bill Barr's abuses as Attorney General， even though nothing will be done about it， we still need records like this for our historical record。 Especially since there is such a strong desire by many who are tangled within these awful webs， to rewrite history and change the facts。。 。。。more
Dale
，
A must read for every person wo wants a complete understanding of what the DOJ should be， and how Bill Barr （and Donald Trump） corrupted it。
Val Pristera
，
I appreciated the way Ellie Honig tackles this topic。 He shows in a detailed and interesting way the precepts of how prosecutors do their job and how AG Barr failed to fulfill those responsibilities。 He also discusses the basic tenets of the Department of Justice and how the actions of AG Barr contrasted。 You will learn a great deal。 Honig’s style is approachable and humble; it comes from his knowledge and experience。 Highly recommend this book。
Virginia
，
Reminder of all the things DOJ did under Bill Barr to obstruct justice and protect President Trump
Dkolacinski
，
This is an excellent examination of the political， judicial and moral deficiencies told by comparing and contrasting how he functioned in my capacity with how a professional prosecutor functions in reality。 At first the presentation of real cases a professional prosecutor conducted seemed distracting and irrelevant but ultimately was a perfect way of presenting Bill Barr。
Kacey Conn
，
I thought this was a well thought out opinion on the horror show that is Bill Barr。 I liked how Elie juxtaposed his lessons throughout his career as a prosecutor with the lessons that Barr did NOT receive because he has never prosecuted a case。 Barr's Justice Department was a sh*t show and I'm so glad he's out。 The arrogance and corruption is astonishing。 I thought this was a well thought out opinion on the horror show that is Bill Barr。 I liked how Elie juxtaposed his lessons throughout his career as a prosecutor with the lessons that Barr did NOT receive because he has never prosecuted a case。 Barr's Justice Department was a sh*t show and I'm so glad he's out。 The arrogance and corruption is astonishing。 。。。more
Scott
，
Elie Honig， currently working as a legal commentator for CNN and prominent podcaster with "Cafe Insider" along with Preet Bharara， has written a scathing indictment of former U。S。 Attorney General Bill Barr。 "Hatchet Man" may be a relatively short book， but it pulls no punches and benefits greatly from being concise。"Hatchet Man" reflects Honig's training as a federal prosecutor in many ways。 The writing is exceedingly clear。 Honig knows how to present an argument to a jury， and he's doing so he Elie Honig， currently working as a legal commentator for CNN and prominent podcaster with "Cafe Insider" along with Preet Bharara， has written a scathing indictment of former U。S。 Attorney General Bill Barr。 "Hatchet Man" may be a relatively short book， but it pulls no punches and benefits greatly from being concise。"Hatchet Man" reflects Honig's training as a federal prosecutor in many ways。 The writing is exceedingly clear。 Honig knows how to present an argument to a jury， and he's doing so here - he presents his argument clearly， and he does not wear out his welcome。 But what makes "Hatchet Man" so much fun to read is Honig's respect for the "Prosecutor's Code" - many writers have already excoriated Bill Barr for many of his pro-Trump administration of the Department of Justice， but Honig writes passionately about how Barr's sins are a particular betrayal of the proud traditions of the U。S。 prosecuting attorney culture。Honig "earned his stripes" in the Southern District of New York， the most famous （or notorious） District in the federal prosecuting attorney structure。 Honig's turf included going after the literal Mob - he's prosecuted several players in the Genovese crime family。 Along the way， Honig learned several key lessons about why U。S。 attorneys must respect the justice system， why professional ethics are so essential， and most importantly， why U。S。 attorneys must pursue justice blindly and without favor or prejudice。In Honig's telling， Bill Barr failed to live up to these ideals repeatedly - Barr chose to act as the President's lawyer， not the top lawyer for the American people。 Honig describes in withering detail how Barr lied and dissembled over and over， from his confirmation hearing to undermining the Mueller Report to authorizing the use of force on American protestors to designating American cities as "anarchist" even though there is no legal basis for doing so。 Barr even went so far as to funnel money into Trump's personal pockets by hosting lavish parties at Trump's hotels and lied about his inability to find an alternate venue。 Barr even undermined the entire U。S。 attorney team by comparing them to a Montessori elementary school。 And Barr did all of this to suck up to a craven American President who cared not a fig for the pursuit of justice。Honig lays a lot of Barr's sins at the altar of lack of qualifications。 Barr has unquestioned academic and governmental chops。 But he has never actually tried a case as a lead prosecutor。 This， in Honig's telling， is fatal， because Barr simply never learned anything about the Department or the attorneys he is in charge of。 To Barr， the Department of Justice is just another arm of the Presidential administration - one that， like Treasury or Agriculture， promotes the Administration's agenda。 That ignores the awesome power of the Department of Justice and its potential for abuse。 Through this cultural ignorance， Barr made decision after decision that promoted Trump while undermining the DOJ and Americans' faith in their own system of justice。Barr， of course， refused to be interviewed for Honig's book， and this is both not surprising and a disappointment。 It's not surprising because Barr really has no defense for many of his decisions。 Also， Honig would have subjected him to withering cross-examination。 Imagine Barr trying to defend in an interview with Honig such decisions as to unleash the armed cops on D。C。 protestors to grant Trump a photo op， or explaining his role in undermining the Mueller Report by selectively quoting from key sentences， conveniently leaving out critical （anti-Trump） information。 Barr would have been toast。Unfortunately for Honig， that means that his book relies just on the historic record， and for those of us who have been paying attention， there is nothing really new to tell。 Barr's sins have hardly been private。What is new and really enjoyable in this book are all the interludes Honig includes about his life as a prosecutor for the Department of justice。 These stories are juicy and powerful - Honig writes about the painful lessons he learned in the trenches and also the tremendous satisfaction that comes from dispensing justice within the American system。 Time and again， Honig draws these lessons back to Barr， showing in clear and convincing passages again and again that Barr simply was the wrong man for this job， even though he was the perfect choice for Trump。Highly recommended。 。。。more
Donna Scaturro
，
Excellent ！
Misfit
，
I enjoyed this a lot， and Barr is more corrupt than I think we all realized。 Honig's writing style is a bit chatty， and might turn off some readers， but I enjoy his appearances on CNN a lot， so this was a win-win for me。 I enjoyed this a lot， and Barr is more corrupt than I think we all realized。 Honig's writing style is a bit chatty， and might turn off some readers， but I enjoy his appearances on CNN a lot， so this was a win-win for me。 。。。more
Daniel Curzon
，
Honig dismantles William Barr， thoroughly。
Pegeen
，
A detailed exploration of Bill Barr’s use and politicalization of the DOJ to provide cover for Trump and foist the authoritarian all-powerful presidency on the US。 Best description of AG Barr （ paraphrasing） is given as as man whose character is combination of “arrogance and sycophancy。” Trump could not have eroded our due process and separation of powers without the support and power of the Barr’s DOJ。 I find it a terrible irony that Sessions recused himself due to conflicts， while Barr did no A detailed exploration of Bill Barr’s use and politicalization of the DOJ to provide cover for Trump and foist the authoritarian all-powerful presidency on the US。 Best description of AG Barr （ paraphrasing） is given as as man whose character is combination of “arrogance and sycophancy。” Trump could not have eroded our due process and separation of powers without the support and power of the Barr’s DOJ。 I find it a terrible irony that Sessions recused himself due to conflicts， while Barr did not hesitate to politicize and lie to protect Trump on issues such as Mueller’s investigation， pardons of Stone and Flynn， and the firing of those who were not loyal to Trump， including his own appointed head of the NY Federal prosecutors office。 Perhaps the most chilling evidence of his arrogance was the rushed federal death penalties ordered in that last days of Barr’s tenure before the transition to the Biden administration。 。。。more
Steve Thomas
，
No punches pulledIn this important book， Elite Hong clearly articulates the serious shortcomings of William Barr。 While living through Barr's time as Attorney General， I was appalled at his blatant lies。 I am glad to see his horrible performance spelled out so clearly。 No punches pulledIn this important book， Elite Hong clearly articulates the serious shortcomings of William Barr。 While living through Barr's time as Attorney General， I was appalled at his blatant lies。 I am glad to see his horrible performance spelled out so clearly。 。。。more
Tom Blumer
，
I had high hopes for Bill Barr when he first took over the Attorney General’s job from Jeff Sessions and Matt Whitaker。 But I was quickly abused of that notion as he turned out to be as much of a disaster as the previous two， and maybe even worse。 Hoenig does a good job interweaving how the Justice Department should work with how it actually did。 Mixing in his own experiences was very instructive。 How career prosecutors stomached Barr is bit of a miracle。 They had to hold their tongues on many， I had high hopes for Bill Barr when he first took over the Attorney General’s job from Jeff Sessions and Matt Whitaker。 But I was quickly abused of that notion as he turned out to be as much of a disaster as the previous two， and maybe even worse。 Hoenig does a good job interweaving how the Justice Department should work with how it actually did。 Mixing in his own experiences was very instructive。 How career prosecutors stomached Barr is bit of a miracle。 They had to hold their tongues on many， many occasions。 Very sad。 。。。more
Steve Peifer
，
If your fear that this will be a partisan screech， it is quite the opposite。 Honig methodically builds his case like the former prosecutor he is and shows time after time that Barr deliberately abandoned best practices and precedent to protect Trump。 He does give Barr credit for pushing against the Big Lie， but it’s an absolutely devastating takedown of someone who sullied the office。
Jo Ann
，
Easy read， super interesting as I continue to be astonished at the criminal institution that was the Trump administration！
Kathy
，
Very well written， informative， and understandable to the layman and would be prosecutors （me， if I could push myself to go to law school）。
Lindsay King
，
I read this book on my Kindle。 It’s not often that I reach the end of an eBook and think to myself， “its over already？” This was that book for me。
Myron Moskowitz
，
Fun read！While most of the facts were widely known it I good to have them gathered in one place。 It is an easy read and the authors personal anecdotes lent a ifferent perspective。 I was left with a big question， however。 Didn’t any of this behavior reach the level of illegality？
Janis Bobrin
，
A fascinating， horrifying， and illuminating journey through Bill Barr’s tenure， enlivened by anecdotes from Honig’s prosecutorial career。 It brings home once again how fragile our democracy is in the hands of arrogant， amoral， self righteous and self justifying individuals like Barr， whose ability to ignore or redefine the laws of the land is jaw-dropping。 Hong is absolutely the perfect narrator for the audiobook， and must have been a superb trial lawyer。
Ted
，
Honig's style is pretty straight forward。 It's refreshing to have books about other members or the Trump administration profiled in literature as well。 It's an easy read and laid out as a case not against Barr， but defending the integrity of the Justice Department。 Honig's style is pretty straight forward。 It's refreshing to have books about other members or the Trump administration profiled in literature as well。 It's an easy read and laid out as a case not against Barr， but defending the integrity of the Justice Department。 。。。more
Mary
，
In this devastating take-down of Bill Barr， rather than simply itemizing his multitude of faults as Attorney General， Elie Honig， a former prosecutor， first puts things into glaring perspective by showing， from real-world， （often personal） examples， how things SHOULD be done and why。 Highly recommended！
vaderbird
，
5 star - Perfect4 star - i would recommend3 star - good2 star - struggled to complete1 star - could not finish
Miguel
，
Not much was being revealed about Barr that I didn't already know （or want to know） about him， and not sure how many future published Trump books I'll be able to get through。 Not much was being revealed about Barr that I didn't already know （or want to know） about him， and not sure how many future published Trump books I'll be able to get through。 。。。more
HBalikov
，
Hatchet Man is an examination of William Barr’s tenure as Attorney General of the United States。 This is a position that Honig believes necessitates some experience in criminal prosecution。 One of the themes that runs through this book is that only criminal prosecutorial experience can provide a solid foundation for the decisions that the Attorney General will be called upon to make。 He recounts how his professional experience shaped his perspective and moral code。Honig faults President Trump an Hatchet Man is an examination of William Barr’s tenure as Attorney General of the United States。 This is a position that Honig believes necessitates some experience in criminal prosecution。 One of the themes that runs through this book is that only criminal prosecutorial experience can provide a solid foundation for the decisions that the Attorney General will be called upon to make。 He recounts how his professional experience shaped his perspective and moral code。Honig faults President Trump and Barr for staffing the top positions at the Department of Justice with people who lacked even a modicum of that experience。Here is the essence of why Honig calls out Barr for his efforts to subvert one of the USA’s most respected and apolitical institutions。First， for not respecting the “prosecutor’s code”Second， he excoriates Barr for being a “liar。”Third， he notes that Barr was a political partisan who used the power of the office politically。Fourth， he digs into how Barr chose to foist his view of the Presidency as the pre-eminent branch （not an equal branch with the judiciary and the legislature） to upset the Constitutional balance in favor of a President who was untouchable and unaccountable。 Honig characterizes this as a dystopian view where a small group of “men of faith” enforce their chosen social order。Hatchet Man is an important and thought-provoking book for this period in America。 At its heart is a plea for balance and restraint that should be part of a national discussion。 。。。more
Kevin
，
This book was nothing more than another partisan hit job in what seems to be the next installment in the string of endless hit pieces about the previous administration。 While I have a tremendous amount of respect for the legal expertise of Honig for his role in mob prosecutions， some of his anecdotes come across from my perspective as having a tone unbearable arrogance due to expertise as a prosecutor。 To label AG Barr as nothing more than a bureaucrat is a bit much for my taste。 Lastly it seeme This book was nothing more than another partisan hit job in what seems to be the next installment in the string of endless hit pieces about the previous administration。 While I have a tremendous amount of respect for the legal expertise of Honig for his role in mob prosecutions， some of his anecdotes come across from my perspective as having a tone unbearable arrogance due to expertise as a prosecutor。 To label AG Barr as nothing more than a bureaucrat is a bit much for my taste。 Lastly it seemed to me that Honig was towing the line of liberal narrative when detailing the “role” of Bill Barr in the clearing of Lafayette Square Park in June of 2020 which has gone on to be disputed and disproven by an OIG report that came out in June of 2021。 I still gave this book two stars however as I do believe there is value in reading this book even though I didn’t agree with many of his conclusions。 。。。more
Sandra Armor
，
4。5 stars。This is a great compilation of everything I’ve heard in the news about Barr。 A few new things， but mostly a prosecutor’s view on what Barr did wrong and why。 The biggest thing for me was the discussion of Barr’s intense anti secular views， which were very frightening。 It’s a great book and Elie does a great job with the audiobook。
Josie Cosentino
，
Everything you want to know about Bill Barr: No good， only bad and uglyAlways trust your instincts， but verify with facts。 Elite Honig presents Barr as honestly and fairly as an author could， with verifiable facts and brutal candor。 I couldn't put it down， but now am left with feelings of anger， betrayal and disdain for a person who swore an oath to be apolitical， honest and apply the law。 What a disgrace 。 Everything you want to know about Bill Barr: No good， only bad and uglyAlways trust your instincts， but verify with facts。 Elite Honig presents Barr as honestly and fairly as an author could， with verifiable facts and brutal candor。 I couldn't put it down， but now am left with feelings of anger， betrayal and disdain for a person who swore an oath to be apolitical， honest and apply the law。 What a disgrace 。 。。。more
Dan Deneen
，
Ordinarily， I’m not one to delve into political reads。 But my local store happened to display this one a week early。 I perused it for a few minutes and HAD to purchase。 Finished it 3 days later。 Being a registered Independent， I had few pre-conceived leanings about Mr。 Barr。 I read this as an outsider looking through a window into a point in living US history。 AND A FASCINATING VIEW IT WAS！！Elie Honig， an esteemed prosecutor and TV analyst， does not bog us down with legalese or history lesson de Ordinarily， I’m not one to delve into political reads。 But my local store happened to display this one a week early。 I perused it for a few minutes and HAD to purchase。 Finished it 3 days later。 Being a registered Independent， I had few pre-conceived leanings about Mr。 Barr。 I read this as an outsider looking through a window into a point in living US history。 AND A FASCINATING VIEW IT WAS！！Elie Honig， an esteemed prosecutor and TV analyst， does not bog us down with legalese or history lesson detours。 He writes in laymen’s terms， and let’s the text flow at a smooth pace， keeping the sparks of interest lit throughout。 Honig takes a no-bullshit approach。 Events are what they are。 There’s definitely a， “Decide For Yourself，” tone。 Some will consider Mr。 Barr to be a Patriot by the last page。 Others will shake their heads， wondering， “What。 The。 Actual。 F**k？？”Read this one， folks… No matter what side of the aisle you may find yourself on - or NOT on。 。。。more
Lynne Perednia
，
Excellently organized， cogent dissection of Barr's actions at the Department of Justice that shattered prosecutorial standards to serve his political and cultural beliefs。 A well-written primer on what happened that includes Honig's recommendations for how to restore integrity at DOJ。 The book resonates because his interest is in supporting the work at DOJ as far more important than making political points。 Excellently organized， cogent dissection of Barr's actions at the Department of Justice that shattered prosecutorial standards to serve his political and cultural beliefs。 A well-written primer on what happened that includes Honig's recommendations for how to restore integrity at DOJ。 The book resonates because his interest is in supporting the work at DOJ as far more important than making political points。 。。。more
Evan Fields
，