Hatchet Man audiobook

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.

I like to read history books. I like to see how a time period is viewed and I like to see everything written in a concise nugget in a way that I can understand. One of the biggest problems I've had with the past 4 years is that there was so much every single day, that I couldn't consume it and make sense of it. What I did know is that Bill Barr crossed lines that were unethical. I knew that he lied. What I didn't know is the way his actions and words would fit into the big picture. Elie Honig takes his own experiences as a prosecutor and attorney and overlays this with how Bill Barr conducted himself. I'm not going to lie. It was incredibly enlightening. Contrary to the title, the purpose is not to criticize Barr and spit him out for consumption. The subtext is that the criminal justice system is not what Barr created as his time as A.G. It works based on the implicit and explicit rules that Barr ignored. I was an ardent follower of what was happening in the Judicial Branch of our government while Donald Trump was President. It alarmed me greatly to see the Attorney General become the President's protector rather than part of an independent branch of government that is supposed to be untouched by partisan politics. Based on Barr's behavior, I was beginning to believe that the Department of Justice is partisan and our country is going to Hell in a handbasket. Partisan politics has become such a ubiquitous part of every day life and had bled into all arenas, I was losing hope. The author of this book gives a wonderful background on the justice system pre-Barr and pre-Trump. Although the President nominates A.G. and federal judges, they are still expected to honor the idea that justic is blind. In the Southern District of New York where Honig cut his prosecutorial teeth, there was no room for politics. Nobody knew what leanings another prosecutor had. They prosecuted openly Republicans and Democrats alike. Crimes were crimes. Prosecutors wielded a great deal of power but there were expectations and norms that were not only implicit but also explicit and written into codes of conduct. A few rules that should never be crossed include; be impartial, never use your title for special favors, money stays out of the office and out of the justice system, know that your role is to prosecute - not police, medical examine, or judge. Take the facts as they are, always tell the truth, never lie, stay within your given role, respect the process and your colleagues, don't undermine them. There are many others but the gist is that Bill Barr has never prosecuted a case. He has never been a prosecutor. He made mistakes from faux pas to ethical to possibly criminal. He grew fat on the power he wielded, pushed his own agenda, and abused the power he was given without giving the norms and codes a second thought. The point to the book is that, based on the abuses Barr committed, the judicial system is broken. It can't stay broken. Bill Barr allowed the Executive Branch to have power over the Judicial Branch. Anybody who knows the Constitution and respects it knows that Barr committed acts that damaged the fabric of our nation. The branches of government are supposed to be a built in way for checks and balances. Because of Barr, the lines were blurred horribly. But, thanks to Barr's poor character (my words, not the author's), how the office of A.G. can be abused were brought to light. Thanks to Barr, we have an opportunity to close those loopholes in order to protect the independence of the Judicial Branch. I found the book incredibly enlightening and concise. Besides the fact that the author is writing about Barr (supporting his stance with facts), he is mostly non-partisan. He is critical of the way Barr behaved as the AG. He is critical of the way Barr shifted to protect the President rather than the Constitution and the people. By the way, the President already has attorneys. He doesn't need our AG. I highly recommend this book to anybody who is interested in the way the legal system is supposed to work and has worked. Thanks to Edelweiss and the publisher for this ARC in return for an honest review.

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.

If you love Preet Bharara's podcast Stay Tuned, and now media network, CAFE, you probably already know Elie Honig's work. He's a fantastic contributor over there.I didn't think I'd be particularly interested in a deep dive of Bill Barr's second go-around as attorney general, but here I am giving Honig's new book 5 stars. It's only an 8-hour listen, but it felt like only a podcast or so. Hatchet Man is breathless and weirdly riveting. It felt very much like watching a documentary - lean and very well edited on just the most important beats of recent history.A big takeaway here for me is yet another source of evidence that Trump-world was all about amassing very incompetent people to extremely important roles. And America is all the poorer for it.

Author Elie Honig is a former New Jersey and federal prosecutor with extensive experience leading and managing criminal trials and appeals. It is interesting to hear his professional take on Barr's performance and behavior, pointing out that Barr and other Trump DOJ leaders lacked any prosecutorial experience. He explains how Barr's dubious action began early with his unsolicited memo to Trump About obstruction. (Barr sent an unsolicited 20-page memo to the Justice Department critiquing special counsel Robert Mueller's investigation into Russian collusion with Trump's election. Honig explores in detail how Barr's actions with the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York (and its expansive and independent efforts to combat crime), the Trump photo op at St. John's Church, and general snap support Barr offered for Trump's looniest actions.

🪓 For History Buffs, Legal Eagles, and Political JunkiesElie Honig’s debut novel 🪓Hatchet Man is a significant historical work berating Attorney General William Pelham Barr (born May 23, 1950) under the Trump administration. As a former SDNY AG, Honig lays out a chronology with so many critically damning facts and detailed perspectives that readers are likely to highlight every page. Barr first appeared on the public scene with his now-infamous “audition memo.” “In it, Barr writes that the president has ‘complete authority to start or stop a law enforcement proceeding.’ Barr later amplifies this notion, declaring that ‘the President’s law enforcement powers extend to all matters, including those in which he has a personal stake.’”People may wonder why Barr, a wealthy, semi-retired, and former AG under H.W. Bush, would want a second go at the job? Honig’s insights offer a pretty straightforward answer: power and Barr’s conservative, right-wing, anti-secular, anti-gay ideology. The AG holds staggering power. He can make life and death decisions, has a security detail, people stand when he walks in the room “It can get heady being a prosecutor. You hold unimaginable power, and you can do almost anything you please and go almost anywhere you want.” And “The prosecutor has more control over life, liberty, and reputation than any other person in America.”Barr’s ultimate demonstration of his power crescendoed on June 1, 2020. After Trump’s insistence whining, Barr arranged to have unmarked law enforcement officers attack Black Lives Matter protesters in Lafayette Park. These officers cleared the streets around St. John’s church—so Trump could casually stroll over, stand in front of the church, hold a Bible, and have his picture taken. The force used was savage as they clubbed, fired flash-bangs, rubber bullets, deployed pepper bombs/tear gas against the protesting citizens.Another example of Barr flexing his power is when he began executing death row inmates. “…no federal inmate had actually been executed since 2003. Following Barr’s orders, DOJ carried out ten executions from July 2020 through the end of Barr’s tenure in late December, all by lethal injection…” and to put a fine point on his power “…the federal government carried out three more executions after Barr left office but before the end of Trump’s presidency, on January 13, 14, and 16, 2021. These people would have been spared once Biden took office just hours later. But Barr made sure to flex the full might of his office, in the most dramatic manner, on his way out the door.”The second reason Barr wanted the AG job was to create cultural dissonance. He actively sought to ingrain a Christian fundamentalist theocracy. According to Barr, “religion was the answer to virtually all things: its proper role was to guide public life and impose order on society, and its absence caused widespread societal ills.”“Thus, Barr declared, ‘in the Framers’ view, free government was only suitable and sustainable for a religious people.’…only “religious people” can sustain free government. Religion, ‘gives us the right rules to live by.’”“And in his view, it’s not so much religion itself that must prevail, but only a certain type of religion: ‘In fact, Judeo-Christian moral standards are the ultimate utilitarian rules for human conduct.’”In short, the Barr/Trump union was a match made in Hell. Barr recognized he could use Trump as a vehicle to the power and ideological goals he deeply craved. And, Trump did get his “Roy Cohn.” Together, they were a ghoulish nightmare, a dynamic, demonic duo. Dare I say evil?At the end of the book, Honig makes policy recommendations to stop such a Barr/Trump fiasco from ever occurring again. Honig recognizes the need for supporting legislation, but his main proposal is for additional, more strident rules and policies to the Justice Department’s manual. I agree with Honig’s keen recommendations for rule changes. However, I take issue with that assessment too. What good are the rules, norms, and standards when the leaders simply throw the rule book out the window and spit on it?Before Barr started the job, the Justice Department’s Rule Book already had long-standing guidelines for nearly everything he bent or broke. Rules are meaningless to people like Barr and Trump. Here, in this one area, I think Honig is naive and pollyannish. On this topic, Honig shows himself to be an optimistic hero in a cape and all because he thinks rules are enough. For a good guy like Honig , honorably adhering to policy is all that is required. However, for the Barrs of the world—new laws with inescapable “you will be indicted” harsh penalties are the only deterrent available. Perhaps, in an updated version of his book, Honig will assess the laws that Congress should pass to stop this from ever happening again.I still have at least a dozen questions I’d love to hear Honig’s response to or see discussed. Elie, would you be willing to entertain or respond to my questions? A moot for your book? 🪓Hatchet Man” is a well-written history of how Barr destroyed the Department of Justice. It is jammed with facts and filled with the outrage one would expect from a former SDNY prosecutor—one of the good guys. I highly recommend you preorder your July 6th copy right now.

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.

What an outstanding, absolutely fabulous read. Like several books I've read lately, this is one that should be read by everyone -- adults and teens, men and women. I saw this book come up in my library's (the fabulous Novato Library) weekly new book email and was going to bypass it. While I felt that Barr did some things that were detrimental to our country and the constitution, I didn't have a lot of interest in him. Then I heard Elie Honig speak on several news shows and was very impressed. Having work in the legal field, both on the public and private side as well as non-sworn law enforcement for over 40 years I found his legal analysis given in a clear, understandable manner. I "got" pretty much all he said, but his words and explanations are geared toward the lay person -- he doesn't talk above anyone, but delivers a clear analysis. After hearing him speak several times I had to read his book, Hatchet Man. Frankly after reading it it's safe to say I'll read anything he writes. Like his speaking analysis and explanations, he writes in a manner that those of us in the legal field as well as the lay person can understand. His writing is not a dry non-fiction telling, but is peppered with stories from his history in the SDNY and New Jersey state courts. There are moments of some humor, particularly when he pokes fun at his early days. It is not a fake "what a goof when I was learning," but shows you his human side. Honig draws on his background and some of his own cases to show readers where Barr made left turns that damaged the country. He explains why some things happened and at the end gives a roadmap of how these things can be prevented in the future. He would make a fantastic teacher should he be so inclined to do so. Why no law school hasn't snapped him up to teach is a mistake on their part he's that good. As I said, this is a book everyone should read. If nothing it will inspired teens to go into the practice of law and public service as Honig shows how rewarding it can be. It is 255 pages and I pretty much sat down to read and and was so drawn in both Honig's history in and the errors Barr made that I couldn't put it down and read it in one day.

This book is as good as it possibly can be. I say that because it does a great job of explaining in plain language just what a liar Bill Barr was, and how much damage he did to the rule of law while using the Attorney General's office to protect the worst president this country has ever had.At the same time, it suffers from an obvious problem, that isn't necessarily that important: Honig holds Barr to a standard that Barr never intended or wanted to measure up to. Barr accomplished what he set out to do - stabilize the Trump presidency so that the Senate could continue to confirm Federalist Society judges - and left when he could no longer do that. He had no interest in being a prosecutor, measuring up to the DOJ's standards, or doing anything that fit with their code, and so when Honig criticizes him for not doing so, it falls a bit flat.Similarly, when Honig gives him the benefit of the doubt, it's irritating. He uses the formulation "Either he didn't know or he didn't care" even to the absurdity of Barr claiming he didn't know whether it's legal to vote twice in an election. It lets Barr off the hook to pretend that there's any chance he didn't know that; Honig is brave enough to call him a liar at the beginning of the book so I don't know why he shies away from it in specific instances.Anyway, if you want a depressing and enraging review of what a jackass Bill Barr is and how much he did to protect Trump from the fate he deserved, you can't go wrong with this book. Plus, you get to hear some interesting stories from Honig's time as a prosecutor.

Bill Barr: Indicted, Tried and Convicted of being a poor example of what the U.S. Attorney General should by Author Elie Honig at least in this reader’s mind.Honig a former prosecutor lays out his case in a very readable and understanding manner by first sharing real life examples from his career and then applying them to the actions and words of AG Barr during his less than two years of doing damage to the DOJ in service of the political fortunes of Donald Trump instead of doing justice for the American people. Honig convincingly makes the case that Barr acted as an advocate for Trump in the style of a Roy Cohn or Rudy Gulliani ( Trump’s personal attorneys).Many interesting examples and stories from Honig’s time as a prosecutor for the Southern District of New York (SDNY) make for an enjoyable read of what could be a dry topic. How interesting that a lot of his cases involved prosecuting the Mafia in light of former FBI Director Comey comparing Trump to the head of a Mafia Family. Honig does not leave the reader without solutions as he poses a number of recommendations for the DOJ to adopt going forward. Probably the most salient point he makes though is that Barr who never prosecuted a case in all his years as a lawyer had the audacity to minimize the work of career federal prosecutors. Not what is needed in a leader in such a critical position.

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.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 whistle-blower'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.I enjoyed this book, hearing from a Justice Department prosecutor about the behind the scenes thought process of what went on. How, on the outside looking in we knew it was a mess and how behind the scenes it actually was as well. There was nothing we didn't know in the book, nothing that wasn't in the news, but it did offer a prosecutors thought process. If you need a refresher on what Bill Barr did this is a good book, if you want to read a prosecutors thoughts on how the Justice Department was lead, read this book. If you want yet more information on how Trump surrounded himself with "yes men" read this book. You'll like it.

This is a very important book. It was obvious from the beginning of his tenure as Attorney General of the United States that William Barr did not appreciate the unique role and responsibility of the Attorney General. Although part of the president’s cabinet, the Attorney General is not the president’s attorney. The Attorney General is the chief prosecutor and protector of the Constitution in the administrative branch. Elie Honig, who began as a low level prosecutor and advanced to more senior positions in the SDNY learned from his earliest days that federal prosecutors must be outside the political realm, handling referrals and prosecutions with scrupulous impartiality. Barr was clumsy, stupid, partisan, imprecise in explaining his decisions, and a complete and total failure. His malfeasance bled into corruption when he attempted to bury the whistle blower referral that ultimately led to Trump’s first impeachment and his support of the lie that mail-in ballots were risky and dangerous led directly to Trump’s actions that led to his second impeachment. Honig explains all this with attention to detail and supporting facts. Barr will undoubtedly be harshly judged by history. It is unfortunate that he will face no consequences for his dishonesty while in office.