President Donald Trump would not say whether he plans to keep William Barr as U.S. attorney general if he wins re-election in November.
Trump said in aninterview with the conservative outlet Newsmax expected to air Wednesday that it is “too early” to tell if he would ask Barr to remain at the Justice Department. The president has recentlyexpressed frustration with Barr for not doing more to prosecute his political enemies ahead of the Nov. 3 election.
“I have no comment. Can’t comment on that. It’s too early,” Trump said in the interview when asked about Barr’s future. “I’m not happy with all of the evidence I have, I can tell you that. I’m not happy.”
A federal prosecutor tapped by Barr to investigate whether Obama-era officials improperly requested the names of Americans in intelligence reports related to the Russia investigation didn’t find any major instances of wrongdoing, The Washington Postreported on Tuesday. Trump called that finding “a disgrace.”
“I think it’s really a horrible thing that they’re allowed to get away — when they say no indictments, they actually said no indictments before the election,” Trump said.
Barr Warns About ‘Blood and Mayhem’ If Police Budgets Get Cut
Another U.S. attorney selected by Barr to look into the Russia probe, John Durham, is not expected to release his findings until after the election.
Barr has generally been seen as one of the president’s most loyal aides. Trump in late 2018picked Barr to replace Jeff Sessions, who was ousted over his decision to recuse himself from the federal investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 election.
Barr was in New Mexico on Wednesday, where he took the president’s law-and-order message and spoke out against efforts to cut local police budgets.
“If you want to be safe, if you are tired of the blood and mayhem on the streets, then you have to start paying attention to who you vote for,” Barr said.
Wading into the controversy over cutting police budgets, he added, “people will get what they pay for in law enforcement.”
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