The attorney general contradicted the ideas put forward by President Trump.
Attorney General William Barr said Monday that he saw no reason for a special lawyer to investigate possible fraud in the November election, contradicting an idea proposed by President Donald Trump.
Barr, who is due to resign on Wednesday, said: “If I thought a special lawyer was right, I would name one and I didn’t.”
“I said there is not enough fraud to affect the election and I agree with that,” he said, citing what he said in an AP interview shortly before informing Trump during a House meeting. White that she will resign.
Barr also said he did not intend to appoint a special lawyer to investigate the president-elect’s son, Joe Biden, Hunter, while the president and others thought.
Barr said he saw no basis for the federal government to seize the voting machines used in key states, as suggested by Trump’s personal lawyer, Rudy Giuliani.
He did not answer directly whether the President had the authority to issue this order.
“I don’t see any basis now for the federal government to confiscate cars, you know, a wholesale confiscation of cars by the federal government,” he said.
During a meeting with Trump at the White House on Friday, a source said, Guiliani, lawyer Sydney Powell and retired General Michael Flynn discussed an executive order for the confiscation and examination of voting machines across the country.
Trump called on Powell to consider appointing a special adviser and granting him high-level security clearances to investigate the 2020 election. The meeting was highly controversial, sources told ABC News. full of screams and demands from Powell, who called other Trump aides “giving up” because they gave up the fight.
The meeting ended with White House chief of staff Mark Meadows, White House attorney Pat Cipollone and other Trump lawyers talking to the president to make the offer, sources said. Giuliani, who joined the meeting over the phone, opposed the idea, according to sources.
Powell did not respond to ABC News’ request for comment. He was at the White House on Sunday, but the reason was not clear.
Barr’s sincere comments came when he answered reporters’ questions at an unrelated press conference.
The attorney general was also asked about the potential for a president to be forgiven, saying he did not want to “comment on the constitutional issue.”
Barr was also asked about the SolarWinds cyber hack of key federal agencies and private companies and said he agreed with Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, who attributed the hack to the Russians.
“Looks like they’re Russians,” Barr said, adding that he could no longer comment.
Over the weekend, President Trump contradicted Pompeo, suggesting that China could be responsible for the hack. He did not speak out against Russia.
“Cyber Hack is much bigger in Fake News Media than in reality. I was fully informed and everything is well under control. Russia, Russia, Russia is the priority song when anything happens, because Lamestream is , for most financial reasons, petrified by … discussing the possibility that this is China (maybe!), “Trump wrote on Twitter.
John Santucci, Katherine Faulders, Matt Mosk, Olivia Rubin and Alexander Mallin of ABC News contributed to this report.