Revelations about former U.S. Attorney General Bill Barr's actions following the 2020 presidential election sparked outrage from Democrats this week.
A new report from the Department of Justice (DOJ) Office of the Inspector General detailed an investigation into the DOJ's handling of an investigation into an incident involving nine mail-in ballots allegedly "marked for Trump" that were thrown out in Luzerne County, Pennsylvania, following the 2020 election.
The report was critical of Barr for allegedly disclosing non-public information to former President Donald Trump, though it noted that he was not in violation of department policy.
The investigation found that Barr briefed Trump about the investigation and Trump revealed the information on a radio show the next day.
The DOJ concluded that there was "insufficient evidence" to prove criminal intent over the ballots, but the incident added fuel to the former president's unproven claims that widespread voter fraud was to blame for his loss to President Joe Biden.
Investigators were "troubled by the investigative facts about the Luzerne County matter that Barr relayed to President Trump in the briefing," according to the report.
However, they did not determine that Barr engaged in misconduct, as DOJ policy "appears to leave it to the Attorney General's discretion to determine precisely what information can be shared with the President where a communication is permissible under the policy," the report says.
The report sparked a wave of backlash against Barr on X, formerly Twitter. Newsweek reached out to Barr for comment via his law firm's contact form.
Politico reporter Kyle Cheney described the report as a "bad look" for Barr.
Mark Joseph Stern, a writer for Slate, posted: "Bill Barr enthusiastically abetted Trump's false claims over voter fraud before, during, and after the 2020 election. He stopped only after it became clear that Trump had no viable way to remain in power, then pretended he had opposed the Big Lie all along."
Former NPR correspondent Pam Fessler wrote: "One of the more deceptive episodes in the 2020 elections....with Barr and Trump turning the actions of one temporary poll worker into a national scandal, to promote the false claim of widespread voter fraud. And they violated the secrecy of the ballot in the process."
Following the election, Barr publicly criticized Trump over the January 6, 2021, riot at the U.S. Capitol, but he told CNN he still intends to vote for Trump in 2024.
"I think Trump would do less damage than Biden, and I think all this stuff about a threat to democracy—I think the real threat to democracy is the progressive movement and the Biden administration," Barr said in April.
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About the writer
Andrew Stanton is a Newsweek weekend reporter based in Maine. His role is reporting on U.S. politics and social issues. ... Read more
