William Barr
Photographer: Michael Reynolds / EPA / Bloomberg
Photographer: Michael Reynolds / EPA / Bloomberg
President Donald Trump again asked for a special attorney to investigate the election fraud, and demanded the last day of Attorney General William Barr.
“After seeing the massive electoral fraud in the 2020 presidential election, I don’t agree with anyone who thinks that no strong, fast, and fair special advice is needed, IMMEDIATELY,” Trump posted Wednesday night. “This was the most corrupt election in the history of our country and must be examined closely!”
The tweet, like many that Trump has posted about the 2020 vote, contained a Twitter warning: “This claim about election fraud is debated.”
Barr, who has been a staunch loyalist loyalist to Trump since taking office last year, said this week that he saw no reason to appoint a special attorney to examine allegations of election fraud, reiterating an earlier statement that there was no evidence of widespread fraud that would top Joe Biden’s victory.
“If I thought a special advisor at this stage was the right and appropriate tool, I would appoint one, but I won’t and I won’t,” Barr said Monday.
Wednesday was Barr’s last day at the Justice Department. Last week he sent Trump a letter saying he was stepping down and at the time he was praised by the president.
But Trump’s tweet Wednesday night is a sign that Barr’s deputy, Deputy Attorney General Jeffrey Rosen, will be under pressure to bow to the president’s will before his January 20 term ends.
Before: Barr Snubs Trump sues, sees no lawyer Biden box
Trump, who continues to deny his loss even after the Electoral College confirmed last week that Biden had won, has turned to a dwindling circle of advisers who have debated ideas, such as the confiscation of voting machines, which even longtime confidants have rejected as extremes.
The president has sometimes suggested that Sidney Powell, a lawyer who filed numerous failed lawsuits on behalf of his campaign, be named special counsel, according to a person familiar with the conversation who asked for anonymity to describe the discussion. internal.
Any effort to further put Powell in that position would invite questions about the legality of the president’s personal appointment by a special counsel, a decision that is usually left to the attorney general.
Powell was disenfranchised by the campaign last month after accusing Republican elected officials of engaging in a complicated plot to disrupt election results.
This week the president this week thwarted Barr’s comments that he saw no reason to appoint a special lawyer to oversee the investigation of Biden’s son, Hunter Biden. Justice Department prosecutors investigating Biden handle the case “responsibly,” Barr said.
– With the assistance of Chris Strohm and Justin Sink