Attorney General William Barr began his tenure as the US’s top law enforcement official by putting a positive spin on the Mueller Report for his boss, Donald Trump. The report, compiled over months by Special Counsel Robert Mueller, found that Donald Trump’s presidential campaign had ties to Russian nationals and conspired with Russian officials in order to sway the outcome of the 2016 election. Mueller stropped short of recommending legal action be taken against the president… but also failed to exonerate the president of wrongdoing.
This initial public introduction of William Barr as AG painted him as another Trump loyalist who would ask “how high?” if the president said “jump.” However, as time went on, the president’s extreme rhetoric and national unpopularity seem to have weighed on Barr. Small breaks between the AG and the president appeared over the last two years, culminating in Barr publicly confirming that the Department of Justice was unable to corroborate the White House’s insistence that there had been widespread voter fraud in the general election in 2020.
Resignation During Chaotic Interim
The interregnum, the period between the general election and the inauguration of the new president, is often a dreamlike and bizarre stretch of time. This year, it has been characterized by the escalating coronavirus pandemic set against the backdrop of Donald Trump insisting that voter fraud robbed him of his reelection chances. Now, with the Attorney General announcing he’ll be resigning next week, the interregnum has become even more chaotic.
Earlier in November, a shakeup of top-level Pentagon leadership signaled alarms for many lawmakers who worried that Trump’s insistence on voter fraud could escalate to something more intense. However, the specter of violence or a military coup has remained conjecture: such a development would be truly unprecedented. Then again, 2020 has been an unprecedented year, and Trump has been an unprecedented president.
Public Relations
While it’s no secret that Barr and Trump were not on good terms as of late, the president framed Barr’s departure in a positive light. Trump announced the news on Twitter, saying “Just had a very nice meeting with Attorney General Bill Barr at the White House. Our relationship has been a very good one, he has done an outstanding job! As per letter, Bill will be leaving just before Christmas to spend the holidays with his family.”
Those close to the president believe he was considering firing Barr. However, even Trump’s confidants don’t think he was planning to do so as quickly as Barr’s resignation might suggest. “Deputy Attorney General Jeff Rosen, an outstanding person, will become Acting Attorney General,” Trump added.
“Highly respected Richard Donoghue will be taking over the duties of Deputy Attorney General. Thank you to all!”
