Snubbing Donald Trump, William Barr says ‘no reason’ for special counsel on US election or Hunter Biden
- The outgoing US attorney general also says Russia is likely to be behind a hack on US agencies, contradicting the president, who suggests it may have been China
- Barr, who has said he will step down on Wednesday, was speaking at what may be his final public appearance as the administration’s top lawyer
US Attorney General William Barr said he sees no reason to appoint a special counsel to oversee an investigation of President-elect Joe Biden’s son, Hunter Biden, a statement sure to frustrate President Donald Trump and his closest advisers.
Barr said on Monday that a probe into the younger Biden, believed to be linked to tax-related issues over his business dealings in China, is being handled “responsibly” by Justice Department prosecutors. In what may be his final public briefing before stepping down on Wednesday, Barr said he has no plans to appoint a special counsel.
“To this point I have not seen a reason to appoint a special counsel and I have no plan to do so before I leave,” Barr told reporters at what may have been his final public appearance before stepping down.
Barr also said he sees no reason to appoint a special counsel to look into election fraud, standing by his previous statement that there’s been no evidence of widespread fraud that would overturn Joe Biden’s November 3 election win. Trump continues to claim without evidence that the vote was “rigged”.
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“If I thought a special counsel at this stage was the right tool and was appropriate, I would name one, but I haven’t and I’m not going to,” Barr said. The attorney general said he also sees “no basis now for seizing machines by the federal government”, something Trump has reportedly inquired about.
Senate Judiciary Chairman Lindsey Graham – a confidant of Trump – last week called for a special counsel to be named to see if Hunter Biden “presents a conflict for the Biden administration regarding his business dealings in Ukraine, which is overrun with Russian agents, and any activity he had with the Chinese government.”
