Bob Barr - WikiHQ

Robert Laurence Barr Jr. (born November 5, 1948) is an American attorney and politician. He served as a U.S. Representative from 1995 to 2003, representing Georgia's 7th congressional district as a Republican. He later became the Libertarian Party's nominee in the 2008 United States presidential election and served as president of the National Rifle Association (NRA) from 2024 to 2025.

Barr was born in Iowa and raised in a military family, spending much of his childhood overseas. He holds degrees from the University of Southern California, George Washington University and Georgetown University Law Center. Prior to entering politics he worked as a CIA analyst and attorney, before serving as U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Georgia from 1986 to 1990. Barr won election to the U.S. House of Representatives in 1994. During his time in the House of Representatives, he authored the Defense of Marriage Act, which was later overturned by the Supreme Court in 2013 and repealed by the 117th Congress through a bill supported by Barr. He also attained national prominence as one of the leaders of the impeachment of President Bill Clinton. and served on its National Committee. He was the party's presidential nominee in 2008, running alongside Wayne Allyn Root. Barr announced his return to the Republican Party in 2011 and was defeated in a Republican primary for Georgia's 11th congressional district in 2014. He was named president of the NRA in 2024, serving for one year, and had previously served on the organisation's board from 2001 to 2007.

Early life

Barr was born in Iowa City, Iowa, His father, a career military officer who had graduated from West Point, was stationed in various locations around the world while pursuing his career in civil engineering.

The second of six children, Bob Jr. lived as a boy in Malaysia, Pakistan, Panama, Peru, Baghdad, and finally Tehran, Iran, where he graduated from Community High School in 1966.

During college, Barr's mother introduced him to the work of writer Ayn Rand. from the University of Southern California (USC) in 1970. from George Washington University's Elliott School of International Affairs in 1972. He next earned his J.D. from Georgetown University Law Center (attending at night) Gail and Bob Barr divorced in 1986.

After leaving the CIA, Barr moved to northern Georgia. He practiced law and became active in the Republican Party, serving as county chair. Barr's website stated in 2008 that he and Jeri have four children and six grandchildren. who ultimately served a year in prison on the charges. From 1990 to 1991, Barr was president of the Southeastern Legal Foundation., an Atlanta-based law firm and policy center that litigates in support of "limited government, individual economic freedom, and the free enterprise system".

Congressional career

thumb|Barr during the [[107th United States Congress|107th Congress (2001–2003)]]

thumb|right|Barr listening during a House Judiciary Committee hearing about the investigation of President Bill Clinton's relationship with Monica Lewinsky in 1998

thumb|right|Barr greeting [[President of the United States|President George W. Bush in 2002]]

Barr sought the Republican Party nomination for U.S. Senate in 1992, but lost the primary election to Paul Coverdell. The primary was very close, with Barr losing by fewer than 1,600 votes in a runoff election. The election became known as the "Republican Revolution" because it resulted in the first Republican House majority in 40 years – since the 1955 adjournment of the 83rd Congress.

After a Federal Election Commission audit of his 1994 and 1996 campaigns, Barr paid a $28,000 fine for illegal campaign payments.

Barr was later re-elected three times, serving from 1995 to 2003. He later explained "I don't consider politicians who smile to be worth a heck of a lot... all things considered, it doesn't make a dime's worth of difference if the politicians in Washington smile or not, what matters is how much of your hard-earned dollars they take to spend in pure pork." Barr said in 2010, "I can see a situation where the federal government is going to bring an entire suitcase of San Francisco values to the American family, and while I would love to explain all the things that are wrong with that, the fact is that this is a corrupting, left-leaning, influence on a section of society that so many liberal elites want to see taken out of the 'red state' column. The only solution to this kind of behavior is dour and austere social conservatism, like my own."

Georgia's congressional districts were reorganized by the Democratic-controlled Georgia legislature ahead of the 2002 elections for the 108th Congress. As part of the legislature's effort to get more Democrats elected from the state, Barr's district was renumbered as the 11th District and made significantly more Democratic. A large slice of his base was drawn into the same district as fellow Republican John Linder. The new district was numerically Barr's district – the 7th – but contained most of the territory from Linder's old 11th District. This move profited Democrats by leading to the inevitable defeat of an incumbent Republican (i.e., either Barr or Linder). Recognizing Barr's precarious situation, the Libertarian Party seized on the opportunity to oust one of the federal drug war's most vocal proponents (Barr), and ran TV ads criticizing Barr's opposition to medical marijuana during the Republican primaries. Barr was soundly defeated by a 2-to-1 margin. Before the medical marijuana ads were aired, and Pat Gartland, southeastern director of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, called it "too close to call". Ron Crickenberger, the Libertarian Party's political director and producer of the TV ads, was quick to warn other supporters of the war on drugs: and libertarian causes in general. In 2002, he was described by Bill Shipp in an OnlineAthens.com article as "the idol of the gun-toting, abortion-fighting, IRS-hating hard right wing of American politics". and "Libertarian".

During the 2002 race, a supporter handed Barr an antique pistol during a fundraiser at a private home. The gun went off in Barr's hands, though no one was injured.

War on drugs

Barr was originally a strong supporter of the war on drugs, reflecting his previous experience as an Anti-Drug Coordinator for the United States Department of Justice. The task force crafted legislation specifically designed to "win the war on drugs by 2002". – the "Legalization of Marijuana for Medical Treatment Initiative of 1998" – which would have legalized medical marijuana in Washington, D.C. The "Barr Amendment" to the 1999 Omnibus spending bill not only blocked implementation of Initiative 59, but also prohibited the vote tally from even being released. Nearly a year passed before a lawsuit filed by the American Civil Liberties Union eventually revealed the initiative had received 69 percent of the vote. In response to the judge's ruling, Barr simply attached another "Barr Amendment" to the 2000 Omnibus spending bill that overturned Initiative 59 outright. The Barr Amendment also prohibited future laws that would "decrease the penalties for marijuana or other Schedule I drugs" in Washington, D.C. This preemptively blocked future attempts by Marijuana Policy Project (MPP) to reform marijuana laws in DC via the initiative process. Barr's response to the ruling was defiant:

The federal government later prevailed on appeal, reinstating the Barr Amendment just in time to thwart MPP's initiative 63 – "The Medical Marijuana Initiative of 2002" – which had already qualified for the November 2002 ballot. In 2009, both the United States Senate and House of Representatives voted to lift the ban against a medical marijuana initiative, effectively overturning the Barr Amendment.

Barr later reversed his position on medical marijuana, joining MPP as a lobbyist five years later. In a June 4, 2008, interview with Stephen Colbert on the Colbert Report, Barr confirmed that he now supports ending marijuana prohibition, as well as the war on drugs, for which he once vehemently fought. In 2009, he was hired by the MPP to lobby to overturn the amendment that he had authored, an effort which was ultimately successful.

Same-sex marriage

Barr took a lead in legislative debate concerning same-sex marriage. He wrote and sponsored the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA), a law enacted in 1996 which states that only marriages that are between a man and a woman can be federally recognized, and individual states may choose not to recognize a same-sex marriage performed in another state. At the 2008 Libertarian National Convention, he apologized for the part of DOMA which prevents the federal government from recognizing same-sex marriages.

He now supports same-sex marriage and opposed the Federal Marriage Amendment, having contended that it is a violation of states' rights. Before the United States Supreme Court mandated recognition of same-sex marriage in Obergefell v. Hodges, Barr supported the Respect for Marriage Act, which would have repealed the Defense of Marriage Act.

Terrorism

He voted for the first USA PATRIOT Act, but only after his amendments adding "sunset clauses" were added to the final bill. Barr played a similar role during the debate over Bill Clinton's Comprehensive Anti-Terrorism Act of 1995, crafting pro-civil liberties amendments to the original text. He now publicly regrets

War in Iraq

In 2002, Barr voted for the Iraq Resolution. He has since called for withdrawal of U.S. forces from Iraq, leaving no permanent military bases. A press release from Barr's presidential campaign stated: "The next president should commit to a speedy and complete withdrawal from Iraq, and tell the Iraqi people that the U.S. troops will be going home."

Religious freedom

In Congress, he also proposed that the Pentagon ban the practice of Wicca in the military.

Economic freedom

Barr advocates the repeal of the 16th Amendment, which gives the U.S. Congress the power to levy an income tax without apportionment. As an alternative, he proposes a form of consumption tax, such as the FairTax.

He also favors drastic reductions in government spending and the elimination of corporate welfare. Barr has written: "The hearing was a farce: a virtual lovefest, during which members of the Clinton Administration responded to softball questions from their colleagues in the House with superficial answers, and Republican queries were ignored or glossed over with disdain, if not outright contempt." Barr called for Congress to reopen investigations, but senior House Republicans refused. In 2003 testimony submitted to the U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee, Barr wrote: "[T]here remains time to turn back the constitutional clock and roll back excessive post-9/11 powers before we turn the corner into another Japanese internment or, closer to our own experiences, before we witness a legally sanctioned Ruby Ridge or Waco scenario."

Controversies over Barr's personal conduct

In the early 1990s, Barr was photographed at a fundraising event licking whipped cream off a woman. According to The Washington Post, "Two people who observed the act say it wasn't exactly a bosom lick but more like a neckline lick, at the sort of event where business and civic leaders perform dares to raise money. 'Not exactly Mr. Effusive,' says Matt Towery, the former chairman of Newt Gingrich's political organization, who observed the brief and awkward licking. 'You can hardly get the guy to smile.

Role in Clinton impeachment

Barr is best known for his role as one of the House managers during President Bill Clinton's impeachment trial.

In the spring of 1997, Republican, Bob Barr wrote House Committee on the Judiciary chairman Henry Hyde, encouraging him to open an impeachment inquiry. Hyde responded that such an action would be premature. This resolution, introduced in November 1997 did not specify any charges or allegations. Barr argued that Clinton had been "systematically operating outside the bounds" of the law.

After the Lewinsky scandal broke, Barr was the first lawmaker in either chamber to call for Clinton's resignation. After the Clinton–Lewinsky scandal came to light, Barr ramped up his efforts to push for Clinton's impeachment, appearing regularly on television, as well as even publishing a scholarly article in the Texas Law Review on the subject.

During debate on the 1998 impeachment resolution on the House floor, Barr argued that Clinton's attempt to interfere with Lewinsky's testimony in the Paula Jones case endangered the Constitution. In doing so, Barr said, Clinton violated what Barr called a "fundamental right" of any American citizen – "the unshakable right each one of us has to walk into a courtroom and demand the righting of a wrong."

In 1999, during Clinton's impeachment trial, Hustler publisher Larry Flynt offered money to anyone who could provide evidence about prominent Republicans who had engaged in an extramarital affair. According to the American Journalism Review, investigators for Flynt said that Barr was "guilty of king-size hypocrisy." Flynt subsequently paid a sum of money to Barr's second wife, Gail Barr, after she had sworn an affidavit stating Barr had not dissuaded her from having an abortion, and Barr drove her to the abortion clinic for the procedure. Investigators reported that Bob Barr then "invoked a legal privilege from his 1985 divorce proceeding so he could refuse to answer questions on whether he'd cheated on his second wife with the woman who is now his third" (Jerilyn).

Criticism of Bush Administration