Government

Bill Barr Knew Election Legal Theory Was 'Bullsh*t' On His Way Out The Door

Now the truth matters, I guess.

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(Photo by Win McNamee/Getty Images)

Bill Barr’s tenure as Attorney General of the United States ended mid-December and it’s unlikely to be remembered in a positive light, seeing the laundry list of crap he pulled and lies he told in furtherance of his political agenda. But in the wake of his resignation, we are learning there’s at least something that’s over the line for him.

That bridge that’s just too far for Barr is the legal theory trotted out in the days and weeks after the 2020 election that there was some sort of massive voter fraud and that Donald Trump was the rightful winner of the election. As reported by Axios, in a December 10th meeting between Donald Trump, Bill Barr and others things came to a head as the president’s hopes for a second term were pinned on a wild legal theory that had no basis in fact — something Barr went on the record with to AP reporter, Michael Balsamo shortly before the fateful meeting:

“These things [election fraud claims] aren’t panning out,” Barr told the president, standing beside his chief of staff Will Levi. “The stuff that these people are filling your ear with just isn’t true.” Barr explained that if Trump wanted to contest the election results, the president’s internal campaign lawyers would have to do it.

The Justice Department, he continued, had looked at the major fraud allegations that Trump’s lawyers had leveled. “It’s just bullshit,” Barr told the president. [White House Counsel Pat] Cipollone backed up Barr by saying the DOJ was investigating these claims.

Trump pointed at the TV and asked if Barr had been watching the hearing. Barr said he hadn’t. “Maybe you should,” the president said. Barr reiterated that the Justice Department was not ignoring the allegations, but that Trump’s outside lawyers were doing a terrible job.

“I’m a pretty informed legal observer and I can’t fucking figure out what the theory is here,” he added. “It’s just scattershot. It’s all over the hill and gone.”

“Maybe,” Trump said. “Maybe.”

And that break between Trump and Barr would signal the end of their working relationship. Barr was out of the position by Christmas.

In what is likely an attempt to retcon his role in enabling a dangerous president, Barr had his first interview since the January 6th insurrection. Of the lie that the 2020 was fraudulent, he said that “was the thing that precipitated the riots on the Hill.” No shit, Sherlock.

But no matter how he tries to distance himself from Trump now, we’ll remember what he did along the way.

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headshotKathryn Rubino is a Senior Editor at Above the Law, and host of The Jabot podcast. AtL tipsters are the best, so please connect with her. Feel free to email her with any tips, questions, or comments and follow her on Twitter (@Kathryn1).

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