AG Barr Considers Early Resignation Before End of Trump's Term
Attorney General William Barr is reportedly pondering an early resignation before the end of President Donald Trump's current term.
According to New York Times, "three people familiar with this thinking" said Barr might announce his resignation before the end of the year.
As The Hill noted, Barr had been generally supportive of Trump throughout his tenure in the White House.
But the news of his possible resignation came a week after Barr said the Justice Department did not see any evidence of widespread voter fraud during the latest election.
In a report from The Associated Press last week, Barr said the Justice Department did not see "fraud on a scale that could have effected a different outcome in the election."
It was a notable statement coming from Barr, who had been a loyal ally to the president for years. It also drew immediate criticism from Trump's legal team.
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In addition to this, Trump declined to issue a public support of confidence to his "one-time lockstep head of the Justice Department" on multiple occasions, said a report from Newsmax.
It's not clear when this supposed resignation might be handed in but the report said Barr is at least preparing for it to happen by inauguration day.
Barr's Resignation Not Influenced by Trump Campaign
One of the sources said the attorney general's thoughts on resigning were not influenced by the president's refusal to concede defeat during the 2020 election.
They said Barr had begun considering the decision even before he made his statement on the voter fraud case consistently pushed by the Trump administration.
This might indicate that the nation's top law enforcement official had been uncomfortable with the recent legal challenges regarding the election or the pressure from the GOP to investigate on their suspicions, added Newsmax.
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Another source told the Times that Barr might think his work with the Justice Department had been completed already.
But with the timing of the president's public complaints, some are still casting doubt on the true reason behind Barr's early departure from his post.
Barr to Avoid Confrontation with Trump Over Fraud Allegations
According to New York Times, Barr could avoid a confrontation from the president over the allegations of an unfair election on November 3 if he decided to leave his office before the end of Trump's term.
It's clear that the president has grown frustrated and impatient over the lack of action in investigations of voter fraud.
Some Trump allies had already called for the AG to step down because of his inaction in overturning the election results, so Barr's decision to resign might please them.
Some sources also said Trump might actually be considering firing Barr not just for his inaction on this year's election but also 2016 FBI investigation into the Trump campaign.
But some officials also reportedly advised the president not to do so since, as The Hill put it, Barr could serve the president's political agenda than any other AG in recent history.
A spokesperson for the Justice Department declined to comment on the news and the White House did also refused to comment.
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