Former Trump Attorney General William Barr is trying to rehab his image by calling BS on the Big Lie, but where was he after the election?
“My attitude was: It was put-up or shut-up time,” Barr told me. “If there was evidence of fraud, I had no motive to suppress it. But my suspicion all the way along was that there was nothing there. It was all bullshit.”
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Barr also looked into allegations that voting machines across the country were rigged to switch Trump votes to Biden votes. He received two briefings from cybersecurity experts at the Department of Homeland Security and the FBI. “We realized from the beginning it was just bullshit,” Barr told me, noting that even if the machines somehow changed the count, it would show up when they were recounted by hand. “It’s a counting machine, and they save everything that was counted. So you just reconcile the two. There had been no discrepancy reported anywhere, and I’m still not aware of any discrepancy.”
The most telling detail about Barr’s comments is that they are occurring now. Imagine what would have happened if he had made these same remarks after the election as attorney general? Imagine Barr holding a press conference and telling the nation that he investigated Trump’s claims of fraud, and they are all BS. Instead, Barr said that the DOJ had not found evidence of election fraud, which is a much weaker statement than what he is saying now.
The Big Lie could have been killed before it ever gained traction. Trump would have immediately turned his attention from the lie to Barr, who would have given other Republicans cover for calling out the lie, but Barr stayed silent on the topic of the Big Lie.
By doing nothing, Barr allowed the lie to grow. It is from this viewpoint that one should view his current comments. Barr isn’t trying to save democracy. He is trying to wipe the Trump stank off and save himself.
Mr. Easley is the managing editor, who is White House Press Pool, and a Congressional correspondent for PoliticusUSA. Jason has a Bachelor’s Degree in Political Science. His graduate work focused on public policy, with a specialization in social reform movements.
Awards and Professional Memberships
Member of the Society of Professional Journalists and The American Political Science Association