Attorney General William Barr is resigning from the Justice Department before Christmas, US President Donald Trump tweeted Monday evening.
Just had a very nice meeting with Attorney General Bill Barr at the White House. 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…
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) December 14, 2020
There have been growing tensions between Barr, Trump and his allies since Election Day, after Barr said that the Department of Justice did not uncover evidence of widespread voter fraud.
However, in his resignation letter Barr praised the current president and said Trump was the victim of constant partisan attacks.
«I am greatly honored that you called on me to serve your Administration and the American people once again as Attorney General,» reads the letter. «Your record is all the more historic because you accomplished it in the face of relentless, implacable resistance.»
Despite Trump’s friendly message, it is presumed that he had been considering firing his attorney general on Sunday, according to people familiar with the matter, although officials did not believe that he would go through with dismissing Barr immediately.
On the same day, White House press secretary Kayleigh McEnany said in an interview on Fox News that Trump had been frustrated with Barr in recent days.
Still, a White House official said Barr was not expelled or fired.
«They did not ask him to resign,» the official said, insisting that Trump-Barr meeting was very amicous.
Upon Barr’s departure, Deputy Attorney General Jeff Rosen will become Acting Attorney General and Richard Donoghue will be taking over the duties of Deputy Attorney General.
It’s unknown what Barr’s next steps will be once outside of government. Prior to joining the administration, Barr had become a multi-millionaire in his position as general counsel for GTE corporation and its successor, Verizon.