Conservatives have long argued that the Obama administration used Clinton-campaign-financed opposition research — in the form of the Steele dossier — to improperly initiate the investigation and obtain Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court, or FISA court, approval for wiretaps of Trump campaign officials. Barr’s investigation is meant to find out whether there is any truth to these allegations.
We don’t yet know the scope of Barr’s investigation, nor do we know what specific crime is being investigated. But if the reports that the investigation has moved into a criminal phase are true, then there could be more fire underneath that smoke than Democrats want to admit.
If so, Democrats face the prospect of an election year heavily influenced by regular news events that cannot help them. The Trump administration has, thus far, faced frequent news cycles dominated by investigations focused on alleged Trump wrongdoing — the Mueller and Schiff investigations. The Barr investigation would use the same powers and could produce the same results: indictments and news leaks that reveal a powerful tale of official, politically motivated corruption.
The truth is out there, and Barr is determined to find it. Democrats should be afraid.