Trump slams Bill Barr as 'slow' and 'lethargic' in 3-page letter to NBC's Lester Holt

After former Attorney General William Barr last week sat for an interview with NBC's Lester Holt, former President Donald Trump sent Holt some comments of his own ... a whole three pages worth.

In a letter first obtained by Axios, Trump calls Barr both "slow" and "lethargic," and says he "realized early on that [Barr] never had what it takes to make a great attorney general." The single-spaced missive arrived after Holt and NBC News reportedly asked team Trump for comment on "a number of the statements Barr made during his sit-down interview," writes The Hill.

The ex-president had also, of his own accord, lashed out at Barr after portions of the interview aired last week, The Hill adds. Barr is promoting his new book, One Damn Thing After Another.

Subscribe to The Week

Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

SUBSCRIBE & SAVE

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

Sign up

"Bill Barr cares more about being accepted by the corrupt Washington media and elite than serving the American people," Trump wrote. "I would imagine that if the book is anything like him, it will be long, slow, and very boring."

"I made many great appointments during my administration," he continued, "and we accomplished more than most administrations could even dream of, but Bill Barr was not one of my better picks."

Barr, for his part, responded to the missive during a Monday morning appearance on NBC's Today, calling the letter both "childish" and "par for the course."

"I mean the president is a man who, when told something he doesn't want to hear, he immediately throws a tantrum and attacks the person personally," Barr said. "I thought the letter was childish."

Read the full letter obtained by Axios.