Outgoing Barr breaks with Trump again on alleged Russia hack, voter fraud

William Barr.
(Image credit: MICHAEL REYNOLDS/POOL/AFP via Getty Images)

In what will likely be his final press conference before his resignation becomes official, Attorney General William Barr, long considered one of President Trump's closest allies, again broke with the commander-in-chief on key issues, including the alleged Russian-orchestrated hack of U.S. federal agencies and voter fraud.

Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and the general United States intelligence community believe Russia's S.V.R. intelligence agency is behind the significant security breach, but Trump, who has been known to refrain from criticizing his Russian counterpart President Vladimir Putin, has downplayed the threat while also suggesting China may be the culprit. Add Barr to the list of those who think Trump is off the mark — at Monday's press conference, he said the handiwork "certainly appears" to be the Kremlin's.

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Tim O'Donnell

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.