A-G Barr to step down as Trump's defeat is confirmed
His deputy, Jeff Rosen, will take over as acting attorney-general before Christmas
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Attorney-General William Barr (right) had angered President Donald Trump by not supporting his incorrect claims that the results of the Nov 3 presidential election had been tainted by widespread fraud. Mr Barr's resignation letter was released after he briefed the President about the Justice Department's review into the Trump campaign's voter fraud claims.
PHOTO: REUTERS
WASHINGTON • United States Attorney-General William Barr will step down next week, he said on Monday, after the Electoral College confirmed President Donald Trump's loss to President-elect Joe Biden.
Mr Barr, who had angered Mr Trump by not supporting his incorrect claims that the Nov 3 election result had been tainted by widespread fraud, said he would leave office on Dec 23, before Mr Biden is sworn in on Jan 20.
Deputy Attorney-General Jeff Rosen will take over as acting attorney-general after Mr Barr's departure, Mr Trump said.
"Our relationship has been a very good one, he has done an outstanding job!" the President said of Mr Barr on Twitter.
A White House official said Mr Barr resigned of his own accord.
Mr Trump lashed out at Mr Barr on Twitter over the weekend after The Wall Street Journal reported that Mr Barr knew earlier this year about an investigation into Mr Biden's son Hunter's taxes.
Mr Trump retweeted a comment from radio host Todd Starnes saying Mr Barr should be fired for not disclosing the probe during the campaign.
Mr Barr's fate in the waning days of the Trump administration had been in question since he said this month that a Justice Department investigation had found no sign of major fraud in the election, contradicting Mr Trump's claims.
Mr Trump's legal team accused Mr Barr of failing to conduct a proper inquiry into the allegations.
Mr Barr's resignation letter was released after he briefed the President about the Justice Department's review into the Trump campaign's voter fraud claims.
In it, Mr Barr pledged the allegations "would continue to be pursued". He also praised what he called Mr Trump's historic record, saying he had helped boost the economy, strengthen the military and curb illegal immigration.
"I am proud to have played a role in the many successes and unprecedented achievements you have delivered for the American people," Mr Barr wrote.
Mr Barr has long been a staunch Trump ally, drawing scorn from Democrats and many of the department's own career prosecutors who have accused him of putting Mr Trump's personal interests ahead of those of the country.
"William Barr was willing to do the President's bidding on every front but one. Barr refused to play along with President Trump's nonsensical claims to have won the election," House of Representatives Judiciary Committee chairman Jerrold Nadler said.
Prior to the election, Mr Barr repeated Mr Trump's unfounded claims that mail-in ballots could be subject to fraud. He also intervened in several high-profile criminal cases in ways that benefited Mr Trump's political allies, such as Michael Flynn and Roger Stone.
Mr Barr last year tapped federal prosecutor John Durham to investigate Obama-era officials for possible crimes in connection with their probe into whether Mr Trump's 2016 presidential campaign colluded with the Russian government.
On Dec 1, Mr Barr disclosed he had elevated Mr Durham to the role of special counsel in October so that he could continue his investigation - a move that will make it hard for Mr Biden to remove him until the probe has concluded.
Mr Noah Bookbinder, a former federal prosecutor who is now executive director for the progressive advocacy group Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics, said on Monday that Mr Barr "has done tremendous damage to the Department of Justice and to the American people's very faith in our justice system".
"It is beyond ironic that Barr seems to have been pushed out for not going quite far enough to abuse his position for Trump's benefit, however unconscionably far he did go," Mr Bookbinder said.
REUTERS
