David Corn doesn't mince words on this one.

"Most presidential campaigns are not led by money launderers…" MoJo Reader: My colleague David Corn is rarely shocked—he's been around politics and politicians long enough to have seen it all. But what Attorney General William Barr did last week stunned him. In "[William Barr's War on Reality, Truth, and the Law](," David doesn't mince words in explaining just how dangerous the current moment is: "For rogues, scoundrels, tyrants, princes and princesses of corruption—and their henchmen—the truth is a threat. It must be crushed. It must be vanquished. Abuse of power cannot exist alongside accountability." It's essential reporting: David gives a full accounting of how the nation's top law enforcement official is constructing an alternative reality to provide cover for the president. I hope you'll read more in his email below, and if you think we need more fearless journalism like it, that you'll [support Mother Jones with a year-end gift today](. Reader support gives David and all of our reporters the independence to call a lie and lie, and like he says, we need to charge harder than we ever have heading into 2020. Thanks for reading. I'll let David take it from here. --Monika --------------------------------------------------------------- [Mother Jones] MoJo Reader: This is how it works. The big lie. The endless spin. The outright denial of facts. Again and again and again. The complete destruction and devaluation of truth for political gain. Overwhelm reality with fiction, concoctions, and false narratives. Embrace deceit and duplicity. For rogues, scoundrels, tyrants, princes and princesses of corruption—and their henchmen—the truth is a threat. It must be crushed. It must be vanquished. Abuse of power cannot exist alongside accountability. Malefactors cannot survive within an atmosphere of truth. It is a suffocating poison for them. So they must deceive. That's how I start my recent column, "[William Barr's War on Reality, Truth, and the Law](." Now that it's my turn to ask you to [support Mother Jones' journalism with a year-end donation](, I figured I'd let my reporting speak for itself. This article gets right to the heart of why it's so important for journalists to be able to call a lie a lie, what's on the line heading into 2020, and how crucial it is that readers like you [have our back](. Following the release of the Justice Department inspector general's report on the origins of the Trump-Russia investigation, Attorney General William Barr went into full Oceania, war-is-peace mode to erase the truth in order to protect and soothe his dear leader, Donald Trump. Moments after the IG report appeared—it concludes the FBI had been right to open an investigation of the interactions between Trump associates and Russia in 2016, as Moscow was attacking the US election to help Trump win the White House—he challenged the findings. He declared that he knew better than the inspector general and that the FBI had launched the probe "on the thinnest of suspicions that, in my view, were insufficient to justify the steps taken." Barr noted that his own hand-picked federal prosecutor, John Durham, would be conducting a separate review and have the final word. And the next day, Barr continued his campaign of disinformation. In an interview with NBC News, he called the FBI investigation "completely baseless." Barr depicted the probe as a "danger" to civil liberties and the American political system. He was twisting up into down. That's the honest to goodness truth: The attorney general, our nation's top law enforcement officer, is lying to cover up serious wrongdoing by the president and failing to protect our nation and its elections from attacks from a hostile foreign power. The brazenness is shocking and you can read a full accounting of the indisputable facts in [my full column](. But the bottom line is that this latest episode demonstrates why it's critical that my team in DC and I dig harder than ever in 2020—and why I hope you'll [help us do that with a year-end donation so we can reach our big $600,000 goal this month](. We can only do this work because of contributions from readers like you. Support from readers allows us to pursue kickass, independent journalism that isn't hindered by the desires or demands of advertisers or well-heeled owners. Our owners—you—want us to charge hard and refuse to back down, and that's what we do every day. Barr should be posed this query: as the United States was undergoing a Russian attack designed to undermine the election and boost Trump, should the FBI have done nothing about the possible contacts between the Trump campaign and Russia or its cut-outs? The clandestine assault on American democracy posed the most profound danger. But Barr, in service of Trump, resists recognizing this reality, the one in which Trump aided and abetted the Russian attack and was elected with assistance from Putin. To remove this stain, which is indeed a challenge to Trump's legitimacy, Barr must delegitimize the FBI's investigation. There can be no other Russia narrative other than the one in which the supreme leader is the unfair target of history's worst witch hunt, the victim of a terrible hoax. With his NBC interview, Barr demonstrated how far he will go to cast the FBI and its investigation in a nefarious light—and to dismiss the Russia scandal. He claimed that "in today's world, presidential campaigns are frequently in contact with foreign persons." Not really. Not at all. And not in the way that the Trump campaign was. Most presidential campaigns are not led by money launderers who are in contact with Putin-friendly oligarchs and meeting secretly with former business partners suspected of working with Russian intelligence. Most campaigns do not seek to set up private communications with foreign adversaries while these countries are attacking the United States. Barr also claimed "in most campaigns there are signs of illegal foreign money coming in." No, that's not true, either. But if it were, why is Barr's Justice Department not on a crusade to root out this criminal activity? Barr is a sophisticated player. He knows what he is doing. He's telling whoppers to make it seem like the FBI over-reacted, perhaps even criminally, and did so out of politically fueled malice. He's flinging falsehoods to cover for Trump. And Barr has unleashed this other investigation led by Durham—who in a highly unusual move on Monday released a statement challenging the IG's findings—to get the answers (or untruths) he wants. The shocking thing is that there is nothing shocking in the Trump era about an attorney general massacring the truth in this most unabashed fashion. Barr, who scheduled a $30,000-plus holiday party at Trump's Washington, DC, hotel, has been distorting reality for Trump throughout his tenure as attorney general. Most notably, to defend Trump and support his phony no collusion/no obstruction mantra, Barr misrepresented the findings of Mueller's report before the document was released. Proving loyalty to Trump is Barr's top mission. And this week he's earning his keep. I've been a reporter in DC long enough to know that none of this is normal partisan gamesmanship. It's treachery. It's a war on democratic norms and the truth. It's aiding and abetting a foreign power. In my DC bureau, reporters and editors are working hard every day to counter disinformation and get the facts and the real story to as many people as we can. I am no professional fundraiser—maybe you can tell that!—but I do know this fundamental truth: [We can only do this work if supporters like you have our back](. (Just ask our accountants!) And because we answer only to you—our readers—we can reject the insidious "[view from nowhere](" that enables liars, propagandists, and bad-faith actors like William Barr. We're independent and we aim to be fearless—and, like you, are on the side of accountability and truth in this ongoing battle against spinning, gaslighting, and brazen dishonesty. So if you treasure Mother Jones' fierce and kickass journalism and want us to charge ahead harder than ever in 2020, [please consider pitching in whatever you can](—$5 or $500, it all makes a difference. And you have my promise: We will put it to good use. We have a lot of work to do, and I hope you can be part of our team.  David Corn Washington, DC Bureau Chief Mother Jones [DONATE]( This message was sent to {EMAIL}. To change the messages you receive from us, you can [edit your email preferences]( or [unsubscribe from all mailings](E2%80%8B). For advertising opportunities see our online [media kit](. Were you forwarded this email? [Sign up for Mother Jones' newsletters today](. [www.MotherJones.com]() PO Box 8539, Big Sandy, TX 75755