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

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.

Barr also said he won't appoint a special counsel to investigate either President-elect Joe Biden's son, Hunter, or the Trump campaign's allegations of voter fraud, despite the president's apparent desire for one.

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Barr's stance on the election results isn't surprising at this point, since the rift between him and Trump seemingly began when the attorney general said his office had found no evidence of widespread voter fraud.