William Barr, on shaky ground with Trump, might resign as attorney general before Biden takes office


Attorney General William Barr has been telling associates he may resign before President-elect Joe Biden takes office on Jan. 20, The New York Times and The Washington Post reported Sunday, citing at least three people familiar with Barr's thinking. Barr has been one of President Trump's most loyal and acquiescent Cabinet members, but Trump and his allies have increasingly disparaged Barr since the attorney general said last week he has seen no evidence of significant voter fraud, and Trump has reportedly been telling allies he might fire Barr.
Barr first brought up his slightly early resignation after it became clear Biden won, soon after Election Day, one person told Post, and another insisted to the Times this isn't a you-can't-fire-me-because-I-quit situation. "Given the many controversial decisions he has made, it's unclear that a resignation, as opposed to a firing or uneventful departure, would much alter public perception of his tenure," the Post notes. If Barr leaves, Deputy Attorney General Jeff Rosen would be expected to replace him until Biden is sworn in.
Barr echoed Trump by raising concerns about mail-in voting and fraud before the election, citing "common sense" rather than evidence, and he changed Justice Department policy after the election to allow federal prosecutors to investigate "specific allegations" of voter fraud before states certified the results. But after Trump told Fox News the Justice Department and FBI may have been "involved" with some sort of massive voter fraud, Barr broke with Trump, reportedly enraging the president.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

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.
"When Barr first served as attorney general under President George H.W. Bush, he stayed in the position until the administration's final week," the Post reports, but "it is not uncommon for Cabinet secretaries to leave their positions before the end of a lame-duck term, or contemplate doing so." Barr became a "millionaire many times over" after leaving the Bush White House and joining GTE, which became Verizon, the Times adds, so it's "unlikely that he will take another full-time job after he leaves the department."
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Peter has worked as a news and culture writer and editor at The Week since the site's launch in 2008. He covers politics, world affairs, religion and cultural currents. His journalism career began as a copy editor at a financial newswire and has included editorial positions at The New York Times Magazine, Facts on File, and Oregon State University.
-
George Floyd: Did Black Lives Matter fail?
Feature The momentum for change fades as the Black Lives Matter Plaza is scrubbed clean
-
National debt: Why Congress no longer cares
Feature Rising interest rates, tariffs and Trump's 'big, beautiful' bill could sent the national debt soaring
-
Why are military experts so interested in Ukraine's drone attack?
TODAY'S BIG QUESTION The Zelenskyy government's massive surprise assault on Russian airfields was a decisive tactical victory — could it also be the start of a new era in autonomous warfare?
-
Nationalist wins tight Polish presidential election
speed read Karol Nawrocki beat Rafal Trzaskowski in Poland's presidential runoff election
-
Ukraine hits Russia's bomber fleet in stealth drone attack
speed read The operation, which destroyed dozens of warplanes, is the 'biggest blow of the war against Moscow's long-range bomber fleet'
-
Starving Gazans overrun US-backed food aid hub
speed read Israeli troops fired warning shots at the Palestinians
-
Israel's Western allies pull back amid Gaza escalation
speed read Britain and the EU are reconsidering allegiance with Israel as the Gaza siege continues
-
Trump drops ceasefire demand after Putin call
speed read Following a phone call with Russia's president, Trump backed off an earlier demand that Putin agree to an immediate ceasefire with Ukraine
-
Pro-EU centrist beats Trump acolyte in Romania vote
speed read The mayor of Bucharest, Nicusor Dan, defeated hard-right nationalist George Simion in the race for Romania's presidency
-
Israel-US 'rift': is Trump losing patience with Netanyahu?
Today's Big Question US president called for an end to Gaza war and negotiated directly with Hamas to return American hostage, amid rumours of strained relations
-
Kurdish PKK militia to disband for Turkey talks
speed read The Kurdistan Workers' Party will disarm after four decades of armed conflict with Turkey, putting an end to 'one of the longest insurgencies in the Middle East'