Days before he steps down as the head of the Justice Department, Attorney General Bill Barr told reporters that there is no reason to appoint a special counsel to investigate Hunter Biden or unsubstantiated claims of voter fraud.
Speaking at a Justice Department press conference on Monday, Barr told reporters, that Hunter Biden’s investigation was being handled “responsibly” and there was no need for a special counsel as Donald Trump and others in his circle have been requesting.
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“I think to the extent that there’s an investigation I think that it’s being handled responsibly and professionally currently within the department. To this point, I have not seen a reason to appoint a special counsel and I have no plan to do so before I leave,” Barr said.
The outgoing AG also broke with Donald Trump on the issue of appointing a special counsel to investigate unsubstantiated claims of voter fraud. The New York Times reported that Trump discussed tapping conspiracy lawyer Sidney Powell to lead the investigation. He also floated the idea of seizing voting machines for inspection, but Barr said there’s “no basis” for doing that.
“If I thought a special counsel at this stage was the right tool and was appropriate I would name one, but I haven’t and I’m not going to,” Barr told reporters according to The Hill.
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Barr told the Associated Press last month that the Justice Department saw no evidence of widespread election fraud as Trump and his team of lawyers were alleging. On Monday he told reporters that he “stand by that statement.”
Trump announced last week that Barr would resign effective December 23. He claimed that the two had a “very good” relationship despite reporting that their relationship turned sour after Barr’s AP interview and got worst when it was reported the Hunter Biden was under investigation since spring and Barr didn’t publicly announce this before the election.
