— Jeb Bush (@JebBush) December 14, 2020. Attorney General Barr is leaving and I have mixed feelings about him. Joe was lying on the debate stage that nothing was wrong, or going on - Press confirmed" Trump tweeted over the weekend. Market data provided by Factset. By early December, Barr was considering leaving his post before January 20, the day Trump leaves office, a source with knowledge of the matter told CNN days after he buffed the President's election fraud claims. ... Barr is the most reputable person in the DOJ for the last 15 years, so he has no reason to resign and in fact he has far more reasons to bring stability to our justice system including the DOJ, FBI, CIA, DNI, and the State Department. (CNN)Attorney General William Barr on Monday said he would resign next week, ending a tenure in which the President Donald Trump loyalist carried the administration's "law and order" message but ultimately dealt the most credible blow to Trump's unfounded claims that the 2020 election was littered with fraud. But it is a clear effort to pander to Trump. Sen. Mitt Romney, R-Utah, reacts to Attorney General William Barr's resignation and updates on the status of a bipartisan Covid relief bill. Earlier in the day, White House press secretary Kayleigh McEnany said in an interview on Fox News that Trump had been frustrated with Barr in recent days. Despite escalating tensions between Trump and Barr that had burst recently into public view, the President framed Barr's departure as amicable. And he ordered his prosecutors to dismiss charges against Trump's first national security advisor Michael Flynn, who has since been pardoned by the President. “The nadir of this campaign was the effort to cripple, if not oust, your Administration with frenzied and baseless accusations of collusion with Russia,” Barr continued. …Deputy Attorney General Jeff Rosen, an outstanding person, will become Acting Attorney General. Bush, wrote in his resignation letter that he is ”greatly honored that you called on me to serve your Administration and the American people once again as Attorney General.”. Bill Barr Makes Resignation Announcement. “At a time when the country is so deeply divided, it is incumbent on all levels of government, and all agencies acting within their purview, to do all we can to assure the integrity of elections and promote public confidence in their outcome,” Barr wrote. But Barr, amazingly, did submit his resignation Tuesday, and that tells us a … Fox News Flash top headlines are here. WATCH: U.S. Attorney General Bill Barr resigns from Trump administration as Joe Biden confirmed by Electoral College – Dec 14, 2020 comments Leave a comment facebook Share this item on Facebook Highly respected Richard Donoghue will be taking over the duties of … On Monday, Trump announced the resignation of his Attorney General, Bill Barr, via a tweet that included an image of Barr’s resignation letter. Read William Barr's resignation letter to President Trump. or redistributed. In his resignation letter – which Trump posted on Twitter – Barr praised the outgoing president's "many successes," "unprecedented achievements" and slammed the "partisan onslaught" against him. February 20, 2020. You have advanced the rule of law by appointing a record number of judges committed to constitutional principles.”, Barr also praised the administration for Operation Warp Speed, saying the president “delivered a vaccine for coronavirus on a schedule no one thought conceivable,” calling it a “feat that will undoubtedly save millions of lives.”, BARR: DOJ YET TO FIND WIDESPREAD VOTER FRAUD IN 2020 ELECTION, Barr said that during his time at the Justice Department, officials have worked “tirelessly to protect the public from violent crime; worked closely with leaders in Mexico to fight drug cartels; cracked down on China’s exploitation of our economy and workers; defended competition in the marketplace, especially the technology sector; and supported the men and women of law enforcement who selflessly—and too often thanklessly—risk their lives to keep our communities safe.”. Barr said he "decided to appoint Mr. Durham as a Special Counsel to provide him and his team with the assurance that they could complete their work, without regard to the outcome of the election” and that he appointed Durham with “the powers and authority of a Special Counsel” on Oct. 19. He is now out as Attorney General one month early.”, But Republicans, like Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., whose panel is also investigating the origins of the Trump-Russia probe, praised Barr calling him “the right man at the right time in overseeing highly political investigations.”, Graham said he has “nothing but total respect and admiration” for Barr and his work as attorney general, and said he has “much to be proud of.”. https://www.cnn.com/2020/12/14/politics/william-barr-out-as-attorney-general ©2021 FOX News Network, LLC. Powered and implemented by FactSet Digital Solutions. There is no reason on Earth that Mr. Barr could not have provided status reports on the Durham investigation. Barr’s resignation comes after reports that he was considering stepping down, possibly before the end of the year. Barr repeatedly and unapologetically prioritized Trump's political goals while furthering his own vision of expansive presidential power. The President seemed to find a compromise way of seeing Barr out by tweeting about his "very good" relationship with him. “As per letter, Bill will be leaving just before Christmas to spend the holidays with his family.”, BARR APPOINTS JOHN DURHAM AS SPECIAL COUNSEL TO INVESTIGATE ORIGINS OF TRUMP-RUSSIA PROBE. The move left a political bomb ticking for Trump's successor and his new attorney general. He lashed out against the attorney general before the election, complaining he had not indicted Obama-era officials for their role in the Russia investigation. Trump added: “Deputy Attorney General Jeff Rosen, an outstanding person, will become Acting Attorney General. Mueller objected -- first in a letter to Barr, then in a public statement and again when he testified to Congress last year. Powered and implemented by FactSet Digital Solutions. By Allie Malloy, Devan Cole, Christina Carrega and Kevin Liptak, CNN, Updated 0930 GMT (1730 HKT) December 15, 2020. But the decision from the former attorney general to rebuke the President's false claims of widespread fraud in his loss to Democrat Joe Biden represented. Just had a very nice meeting with Attorney General Bill Barr at the White House. "No tactic, no matter how abusive and deceitful, was out of bounds," Barr went on. The tension suggested that for all of Barr's apparent moves to placate Trump and his clear sympathy with the President over the Russia investigation in particular, he remained within the lines of evidence and legal procedure on the issue of election interference. Attorney General William Barr Resignation Letter Contributed by NPR Politics (NPR) p. 1. Our relationship has been a very good one, he has done an outstanding job! "He wasn't asked to resign," the official said, insisting there were no fireworks during the meeting between Trump and Barr on Monday afternoon. Fox News Flash top headlines for December 14, Antony Blinken: What to know about Biden's secretary of state pick, Kate Bedingfield: What to know about the White House communications director, Russia welcomes Biden's proposal to extend nuclear arms control treaty, Pence touts time as VP, including Hoosier Justice Barrett, in return to Indiana: 'There's no place like home'. ... “Bill Barr… “When it came to the law, he played it straight,” Graham said. In his letter, though, Barr went on to tout Trump’s record, calling it “all the more historic because you accomplished it in the face of relentless, implacable resistance.”. (Washington, DC) – Judicial Watch President Tom Fitton made the following statement in response to the resignation of Attorney General William Bar: Attorney General William Barr, after getting off to an excellent start by shutting down the corrupt Mueller investigation, failed to restore public confidence in the fair administration of justice by … Over the past several months aides have discouraged Trump from firing Barr. ©2021 FOX News Network, LLC. Highly respected Richard Donoghue will be taking over the duties of Deputy Attorney General. Attorney General Bill Barr has announced his resignation from the Justice Department effective Dec. 23. This story has been updated with additional reporting on Monday. Attorney General William Barr is resigning from the Justice Department before Christmas, President Donald Trump tweeted Monday evening. Attorney General Bill Barr has resigned, President Donald Trump tweeted mere minutes after the Electoral College certified that Joe Biden will be sworn in as the 46th President of the United States. Trump also tweeted a copy of Barr’s resignation letter, in which the attorney general praised the president and made the comments about Trump's constant opposition. He also praised the President for persisting despite what he described as relentless political opposition. In one dramatic scene in June, Barr ordered authorities to disperse a large crowd of peaceful protesters near the White House so Trump could walk to the nearby historic St. John's Church, where a fire had been set in the basement the previous night during unrest sparked by the police killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis. “You have curbed illegal immigration and enhanced the security of our nation’s borders. "To date, we have not seen fraud on a scale that could have effected a different outcome in the election," he said. https://www.cnn.com/2020/12/14/politics/ag-barr-resignation-letter/index.html A senior Justice Department official, though, told Fox News last week that Barr intended to stay at his post “as long as the president needs him.”, His resignation also comes less than a week after President-elect Joe Biden's son Hunter Biden confirmed he was under federal investigation for his "tax affairs.". Barr told CNN's Wolf Blitzer at the time that authorities were tracking people who had flown from city to city to stir up violence, but did not give examples and said he didn't know specifically what Trump was describing. In … "Big disadvantage for Republicans at the polls!”. By Elizabeth Dye. Mutual Fund and ETF data provided by Refinitiv Lipper. Barr's rollout "did not fully capture the context, nature, and substance of this Office's work and conclusions" of the report, Mueller said. Bill Barr's resignation letter heaps praise on Trump despite reports that the president was increasingly displeased with him cdavis@insider.com (Charles Davis) 12/15/2020. Thank you to all!”, Barr, who served as attorney general for former President George H.W. Attorney General Bill Barr resigned Monday touting President Trump’s record and accomplishments, despite what he called a “partisan onslaught” and “relentless, implacable resistance.”. The attorney general also faced criticism for saying that systemic racism is not an issue in US law enforcement agencies, comments that came as throngs of people took to the streets across the country to protest police violence and racism. “On May 13, 2019, I directed John Durham, U.S. Attorney for the District of Connecticut, to investigate certain intelligence and law-enforcement activities surrounding the 2016 presidential election,” Barr wrote in a letter to the Senate and House Judiciary Committees dated Dec. 1. In a written statement, Barr said President Donald Trump had been "met by a partisan onslaught ... in which no tactic, no matter how abusive and deceitful was out of bounds" and lamented what he called an effort to "cripple, if not oust [the Trum ': Burnett presses GOP lawmaker, WH press secretary vows transparency and honesty on first day, Pences share a laugh with Vice President Harris and her husband, See Trump's final message as President as his family looks on, ending a tenure in which the President Donald Trump, a final failure of Trump's often successful attempt. Still, a White House official said Barr was not forced out or fired. Career Prosecutor Torches Bill Barr In Epic Resignation Editorial Ouch, that's gonna leave a mark. But the two men's relationship was not, by aides' estimations, very good. All rights reserved. His extraordinary decision to use force on the protesters underscored his commitment to Trump's law and order message, and in the days following the incident, he defended his actions and claimed there was no connection between his order and a photo-op Trump staged at the church. The special counsel had documented multiple links between Trump campaign officials and Russian government-linked people. I understand the distrust, however, of the African American community given the history in this country," he said in an interview with CBS in June. “From misleading the American public about the Mueller report to his dangerous efforts to overturn COVID safety measures, from his callous disregard for civil rights to his rampant politicization of the Justice Department, William Barr was willing to do the President’s bidding on every front but one,” Nadler said in a statement. — John Aravosis ️ … In his letter, Barr said that allegations of voter fraud would continue to be reviewed, despite affirming earlier this month there had been no widespread evidence of widespread fraudulent voting. Follow her on Twitter at @BrookeSingman. Quotes displayed in real-time or delayed by at least 15 minutes. It’s weird how Bill Barr’s resignation letter can say he’s leaving — while at the same time making clear his lips will always be attached to Trump’s ass. He later defended the comment, saying he made it "off the cuff" and that he wasn't using the word "spying" pejoratively. Trump tweets about Bill Barr's departure from White House, Loyal Texas Trump voters want Biden to be less divisive, Chuck Schumer announces timeline for Trump impeachment, Biden zeroes in on the teetering economy in first week, Ex-Trump official who supports Biden stimulus plan speaks out, Sen. Durbin: We can't pass anything without bipartisanship, Former top administration officials lobby to convict Trump, Photos show National Guard confined to parking garage, Ocasio-Cortez: We still don't feel safe around other members of Congress, McCarthy contradicts himself on Trump's role in insurrection, 'Do you feel you were duped? The US attorney that Bill Barr used to bridge evidence to Sidney Powell announces his resignation. Attorney General William Barr Resignation Letter. Wow, Bill Barr’s resignation letter sounds like someone needs a pardon. Earlier this month, Barr said that the Justice Department had not yet found widespread evidence of voter fraud. "Just had a very nice meeting with Attorney General Bill Barr at the White House. In an echo of the appointment of Mueller, Barr in early December appointed Connecticut US Attorney John Durham to act as special counsel investigating the 2016 election. Barr, who will leave the Justice Department next week, had his departure announced by President Trump on Twitter Monday evening. as a personal and potent political weapon. Our relationship has been a very good one, he has done an outstanding job!” Trump tweeted. “Just had a very nice meeting with Attorney General Bill Barr at the White House. He made headlines last year when he suggested during testimony before the House Appropriations Committee that Trump's campaign was spied on, saying he would be looking into the "genesis" of the FBI's counterintelligence investigation that began in 2016 of potential ties between the campaign and the Russian government. He actually praised Trump for developing the coronavirus vaccine! “Why didn’t Bill Barr reveal the truth to the public, before the Election, about Hunter Biden. Barr has been an ally of the president's with regard to the origins of the investigation into the Trump-Russia probe. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. Market data provided by Factset. Updated Dec 14, 2020 at 6:13 PM EST. "I think there's racism in the United States still but I don't think that the law enforcement system is systemically racist. And twice he has proven to be a … Click here to download if the document isn't … Quotes displayed in real-time or delayed by at least 15 minutes. Bill Barr: Attorney general’s resignation letter in full ‘It is incumbent on all levels of government, and all agencies acting within their purview, to do … Bill Barr's Resignation Letter Perfectly Reflects His Entire Career Twice, William Barr has been Attorney General of the United States. A source told Fox News, though, that the president did not ask for Barr's resignation. “I am proud to have played a role in the many successes and unprecedented achievements you have delivered for the American people,” Barr wrote. HUNTER BIDEN UNDER FEDERAL INVESTIGATION FOR 'TAX AFFAIRS;' LINKS TO CHINA FUNDS EMERGE, SOURCES SAY, In a scope order, obtained by Fox News, Barr stated that Durham “is authorized to investigate whether any federal official, employee, or any other person or entity violated the law in connection with the intelligence, counter-intelligence, or law-enforcement activities directed at the 2016 presidential campaigns, individuals associated with those campaigns, and individuals associated with the administration of President Donald J. Trump, including but not limited to Crossfire Hurricane and the investigation of Special Counsel Robert S. Mueller, III.”, Under U.S. code, the special counsel would produce a “confidential report” and is ordered to “submit to the Attorney General a final report, and such interim reports as he deems appropriate in a form that will permit public dissemination.”. As per letter, Bill will be leaving just before Christmas to spend the holidays with his family… — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) December 14, 2020 ‘Bill Barr’s Christmas Resignation’ is the worst holiday movie I’ve ever seen A 70-year-old man who feels no guilt about his past deeds and seems deficient in … Check out what's clicking on Foxnews.com. The President was frustrated with his attorney general's comments to the AP and had a "contentious," lengthy meeting at the White House the day they were published, according to a person familiar with the meeting. In his most notorious move, Barr delivered a misleading summary of special counsel Robert Mueller's report, essentially clearing Trump in the Russia probe, which drew a sharp rebuke from Mueller himself. Trump on Friday again told officials in a meeting he wanted to fire Barr, and over the weekend did not seem moved off his position. I also think he puts the political establishment ahead of regular folks. As a civil servant, he has to know that millions of Americans are … "Your record is all the more historic because you accomplished it in the face of relentless, implacable resistance," Barr wrote. Despite offering such service to the President, there had been signs that Trump has been becoming ever more frustrated with Barr. Attorney General Bill Barr is resigning, President Donald Trump announced on Twitter Monday evening.His last day will be December 23. Highly respected Richard Donoghue will be taking over the duties of Deputy Attorney General. Barr had also infuriated Democrats when he took two days after Mueller gave him his probe's findings in March 2019 to announce in a letter that the special counsel "did not find" that any Trump campaign associates coordinated with Russian interference in the election, and that Mueller "did not draw a conclusion -- one way or the other" about whether the President obstructed justice. Barr told the Associated Press in an interview on December 1. Trump said in a series of tweets on Monday, sharing a copy of Barr’s resignation letter while adding: “Bill will be leaving just before Christmas to spend the holidays with his family.” Deputy Attorney General Jeff Rosen, an outstanding person, will … By brokering historic peace deals in the Mideast you have achieved what most thought impossible,” Barr wrote. CNN's Stephen Collinson, Katelyn Polantz, Evan Perez, Caroline Kelly, Paul LeBlanc, David Shortell, Jamie Gangel and Jim Acosta contributed to this report. Barr did not make the Durham appointment public until earlier this month. "The nadir of this campaign was the effort to cripple, if not oust, your administration with frenzied and baseless accusations of collusion with Russia.". Barr noted that he discussed the Justice Department’s review of voter fraud allegations in the 2020 election with the president on Monday, and “how these allegations will continue to be pursued.”. Barr has done lasting harm to the Department of Justice and the rule of law. He remained steadfast in his support of the President heading into Election Day, including by launching various operations across the country to combat violence and drug trafficking and reiterating Trump's message not to participate in mail-in voting prior to the presidential election. DECLASSIFIED TRUMP-RUSSIA PROBE DOCUMENTS TO DATE: WHAT TO KNOW. In October, Barr appointed Durham as special counsel to ensure that his investigation could continue into the next administration. Legal Statement. Another person familiar with the matter described the meeting as "cordial." Oct 15, 2020 at 3:15 PM Shares 1 … He’s the Attorney General, that’s not his area. I appreciate his misunderstood leadership. U.S. Attorney General William Barr's fawning resignation letter to President Donald Trump was excruciating to read, painfully revealing.