Revelations have ignited a firestorm of controversy surrounding former U.S. Attorney General Bill Barr. A new report from the Department of Justice (DOJ) Office of the Inspector General has scrutinized Barr’s actions related to an investigation into an election-related incident in Luzerne County, Pennsylvania, following the 2020 presidential election.
The report, which surfaced on July 26, 2024, details an incident involving nine mail-in ballots allegedly marked for Donald Trump that were subsequently discarded. The crux of the controversy lies in Barr’s disclosure of non-public information about this case to Trump.
Although the DOJ’s Inspector General found Barr’s actions questionable, the report did not conclude that Barr violated any department policies. According to DOJ policy, the Attorney General has substantial discretion regarding what information can be shared with the President, and Barr’s actions were deemed to fall within this discretion.
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The uproar began when it was revealed that Barr briefed Trump on the investigation into the discarded ballots. Trump discussed this information on a radio show the following day. Although the DOJ found “insufficient evidence” of criminal intent concerning the ballots, the information Barr shared with Trump was instrumental in shaping Trump’s broader narrative of widespread voter fraud.
This narrative claimed that Trump’s defeat to Joe Biden was not a legitimate outcome but rather the result of electoral manipulation. The report’s findings have fueled a significant backlash against Barr, particularly on social media platforms.
Politico reporter Kyle Cheney described the report as a “bad look” for Barr, while Slate writer Mark Joseph Stern offered a harsh critique. Stern suggested that Barr actively supported Trump’s false claims of voter fraud and only distanced himself from Trump as Trump’s chances of remaining in power waned. Stern argued that Barr’s subsequent criticisms of Trump were a superficial attempt to salvage his own credibility rather than a genuine opposition to Trump’s claims.
Former NPR correspondent Pam Fessler also weighed in, labeling the episode as one of the more deceptive moments of the 2020 election cycle. Fessler criticized both Barr and Trump for using the incident to create a sensationalized scandal, which she argued misled the public and compromised ballot secrecy.
Despite these criticisms, Barr has defended his actions and expressed his intention to vote for Trump in the upcoming 2024 presidential election. Barr contends that Trump would be less damaging to the country than President Biden, asserting that the real threat to democracy is not Trump but the progressive movement and the current Biden administration.
The debate over the integrity of the 2020 election continues to intensify, with key figures like Barr playing crucial roles in shaping public perception and political discourse.
