Attorney General William Barr will step down from his post by the end of the year, President Donald Trump announced on Twitter.
“Just had a very nice meeting with Attorney General Bill Barr at the White House,” Trump wrote on Monday night. “Our relationship has been a very good one, he has done an outstanding job! As per letter, Bill will be leaving just before Christmas to spend the holidays with his family.”
He added, “Deputy Attorney General Jeff Rosen, an outstanding person, will become Acting Attorney General. Highly respected Richard Donoghue will be taking over the duties of Deputy Attorney General. Thank you to all!”
…Deputy Attorney General Jeff Rosen, an outstanding person, will become Acting Attorney General. Highly respected Richard Donoghue will be taking over the duties of Deputy Attorney General. Thank you to all! pic.twitter.com/V5sqOJT9PM
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) December 14, 2020
The president included a letter from Barr announcing his decision to step down on December 23, 2020.
In the letter, Barr said he is “greatly honored” to have served in the administration and to have “played a role in many successes and unprecedented achievements.”
Specifically, he noted a series of Arab-Israeli peace deals the U.S. helped broker, as well as Operation Warp Speed and the development of a COVID-19 vaccine.
The news comes amid reports of a rift between the two men after Barr told the Associated Press that the Department of Justice had not uncovered evidence of widespread voter fraud in the 2020 presidential election.
Trump was asked if he had confidence in Barr after his comments about voter fraud. He responded, “Ask me that in a number of weeks from now.”
“They should be looking at all of this fraud. This is not civil. He thought it was civil. This is not civil. This is criminal stuff. This is very bad criminal stuff,” he added.
Trump also called Barr a “disappointment” after it was reported that the attorney general knew about an investigation into President-elect Joe Biden’s son, Hunter Biden, but kept it secret.