(CNN) – United States Attorney General William Barr on Monday rejected several inflammatory and baseless statements by President Donald Trump about the election. Barr told the press conference that he has no plans to appoint a special prosecutor to investigate President-elect Joe Biden’s son or the election.
“If I thought that a special counsel is the right and appropriate tool at this stage, I would appoint one, but I don’t have and will not,” Barr said in response to a question about the presidential election. The hierarch said no widespread fraud was found in these elections.
Barr also flatly rejected suggestions from the president’s supporters who in recent days have been asking the US government to confiscate the voting machines.
“I don’t see any reason for the federal government’s seizure of machines,” Barr said Monday.
This was Barr’s last major press conference as head of the Justice Department in the Trump administration. The event underscores how much Barr has split from a president he was close to until a few weeks ago.
Trump has consulted on the need for special investigations into Hunter Biden and the so-called election fraud, and continues to spread baseless theories that he stole the presidential election.
“Unfortunately there is fraud in most elections, I think we are too tolerant,” he said. But in these elections, Barr said, he supports the finding that there was no systemic or widespread fraud, a finding the president refuses to admit.
William Barr’s Response to the Hunter Biden Study
Hunter Biden’s financial inquiry, which recently acknowledged Biden’s transfer and about which Barr is silent during election season, the attorney general gave a similar answer. He stated that it is not necessary for him to take any special measures to protect the investigation.
“As far as an investigation is ongoing, I think that this is currently being handled responsibly and professionally within the department. And so far I have not found any reason to appoint special counsel, nor do I intend to do so until I go, ”Barr said when asked about Hunter Biden. Federal prosecutors and the Internal Revenue Service are conducting the investigation, and Hunter Biden has not been charged with a crime.
Barr’s comments came after the announcement of new criminal charges against a suspected bombmaker in the 1988 terrorist attack on Pan Am Flight 103 over Lockerbie, Scotland.
Former Libyan intelligence agent Abu Agila Masud was charged with involvement in the attack.
William Barr will leave the Justice Department on Wednesday after telling the president last week that he would leave the administration before the term ends and negotiating to stay ahead of the Lockerbie announcement that took place Monday. Undersecretary to the Department of Justice Jeffrey Rosen, who was Barr’s number two for over a year and has not been in the spotlight on the ministry’s most politicized issues, will return during Trump’s last month of presidency and possibly until the Senate the designated person of Biden confirms.
Barr has no opinion on the possibility of Trump pardoning himself
Following the announcement, reporters asked Barr about a number of other controversial issues related to the Justice Department.
In response to other questions, William Barr explained why he appointed US attorney John Durham as special counsel to investigate the origins of the 2016 FBI investigation into Russia. Barr said, “I wanted to give him and his team the safety of they could finish their job,” probably during the Biden administration. Barr said they were making good progress and declined to discuss the findings.
He also declined to respond when asked if a president could pardon himself. This is another topic that has sparked much debate in legal circles as Trump’s presidency comes to an end.
“Without thinking deeply, I am not going to address a constitutional issue related to the power of grace,” Barr said at the press conference.
Regarding the SolarWinds cyberattack that hit several US government agencies, Barr said, “It certainly looks like it’s the Russians.” Barr added that he agreed with United States Secretary of State Mike Pompeo in this conclusion.
Over the weekend, Trump downplayed the massive cyber attack on government agencies. The president contradicted Pompeo’s statement, saying with no evidence that the attack could come from China.