John Oliver explains why William Barr could be the most dangerous part of a 2nd Trump term

Since becoming U.S. attorney general, William Barr "has been in the news constantly, and almost never for good reasons," John Oliver said on Sunday's Last Week Tonight. "In just the past few

months, he has, among other things, sown distrust in mail-in voting and also dismissed public health measures in the middle of a pandemic, in the grossest possible way."

Strikingly, when President Trump nominated Barr 18 months ago, "the news was basically greeted with relief" there would finally be an "adult in the room," Oliver said. "Look, not only is

being an adult an absurdly low bar to set for the highest levels of government, but it also implies that the main problem with Trump is that he is childish. And I know that it makes for a

fun balloon now and again, but at its core, 'I wish that white nationalist with an authoritarian streak would act his age' is sort of missing the point here."

It's also "worth remembering, some adults are a--holes, and Barr is very much one of them," Oliver said. "But he is also very much more: He is a driven, deeply moralistic man with extreme

views on executive power, actually making him one of the more dangerous figures in the Trump administration — which I know is saying something. But if Trump gets a second term, Barr is only

going to be more dangerous going forward." He ran through Barr's lifelong "veneration of authority," fervent belief "in something known as the unitary executive theory," and why he could

only "fully test his belief that the president answers to absolutely nobody" when Trump was elected.

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Peter has worked as a news and culture writer and editor at The Week since the site's launch in 2008. He covers politics, world affairs, religion and cultural currents. His journalism career

began as a copy editor at a financial newswire and has included editorial positions at The New York Times Magazine, Facts on File, and Oregon State University.