Barr reportedly unlikely to name special counsel to investigate voter fraud, Hunter Biden


President Trump is reportedly interested in appointing a special counsel to investigate unfounded allegations of election fraud and Hunter Biden's business and financial dealings, people familiar with the matter told The Wall Street Journal.
Trump has reportedly directed advisers to look for candidates, and he reportedly wants to act quickly as lawsuits brought by his presidential campaign and his allies have fizzled in courts at all levels.
Ultimately, though, the appointment of a special counsel would have to be made by Attorney General William Barr, and his associates told the Journal he's unlikely to name anyone to the post, especially after he tapped Connecticut U.S. Attorney John Durham to lead a separate investigation into the origins of the FBI's 2016 Russia investigation.
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.
The president already appears angry with Barr — the attorney general has recently said his department has found no evidence of widespread voter fraud, and he also prevented an existing federal investigation into Hunter Biden from being publicly exposed, which reportedly set Trump off at a meeting Friday. Trump continued to express his disappointment about the latter situation Saturday morning on Twitter, raising speculation about whether Barr's job is in jeopardy. Clashing with Trump over a special counsel appointment, if that turns out to be the case, could add to that uncertainty. Read more at The Wall Street Journal. Tim O'Donnell
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Tim is a staff writer at The Week and has contributed to Bedford and Bowery and The New York Transatlantic. He is a graduate of Occidental College and NYU's journalism school. Tim enjoys writing about baseball, Europe, and extinct megafauna. He lives in New York City.
-
July 6 editorial cartoons
Cartoons Sunday’s political cartoons include paying for school lunch by enlisting, and the banality of evil
-
5 biting editorial cartoons about 'Alligator Alcatraz'
Cartoons Artists take on dangerous green things, historical precedent, and more
-
A journey into the deep past on beautiful Arran
The Week Recommends New Unesco Global Geopark played a 'key role' in the birth of modern geological science
-
Judge blocks Trump's asylum ban at US border
Speed Read The president violated federal law by shutting down the US-Mexico border to asylum seekers, said the ruling
-
Thai court suspends prime minister over leaked call
Speed Read Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra has been suspended, pending an ethics investigation
-
Senate passes GOP megabill after Alaska side deal
The pivotal yes vote came from Sen. Lisa Murkowski, whose support was secured following negotiated side deals for her home state Alaska
-
Trump sues LA over immigration policies
Speed Read He is suing over the city's sanctuary law, claiming it prevents local law enforcement from cooperating with federal immigration authorities
-
Obama, Bush and Bono eulogize USAID on final day
Speed Read The US Agency for International Development, a humanitarian organization, has been gutted by the Trump administration
-
The last words and final moments of 40 presidents
The Explainer Some are eloquent quotes worthy of the holders of the highest office in the nation, and others... aren't
-
Senate advances GOP bill that costs more, cuts more
Speed Read The bill would make giant cuts to Medicaid and food stamps, leaving 11.8 million fewer people with health coverage
-
Canadian man dies in ICE custody
Speed Read A Canadian citizen with permanent US residency died at a federal detention center in Miami