Attorney General William Barr stepped down from his position in the Trump Administration on Monday, a decision the president announced on Twitter.
“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,” Trump wrote.
Trump also announced current Deputy Attorney General Jeff Rosen would be taking over Barr’s position as Acting Attorney General.
“Deputy Attorney General Jeff Rosen, an outstanding person, will become Acting Attorney General,” Trump continued. “Highly respected Richard Donoghue will be taking over the duties of Deputy Attorney General. Thank you to all!”
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
In his resignation letter, Barr praised Trump for his historic record “in the face of relentless, implacable resistance,” facilitating peace deals in the Middle East, growing the economy, and using Operation Warp Speed to encourage the creation, production, and distribution of a safe and effective COVID-19 vaccine.
Barr noted that during his tenure, the Department of Justice worked “protect the public from violent crime, worked closely with leaders from Mexico to fight the drug cartels, cracked down on China’s exploitation of our economy and workers, defend the competition in the marketplace, especially the technology sector; and supported the men and women of law enforcement who selflessly- and too often thanklessly- risk their lives to keep our communities safe.”
Barr was first nominated to replace Jeff Sessions in 2018. He officially leaves office on Dec. 23, two days before Christmas.
At the beginning of the month, Barr appointed U.S. Attorney John Durham to lead a special counsel investigation into the origins of the Russia hoax in October.
“On May 13, 2019, I directed United States Attorney John Durham to conduct a preliminary review into certain matters related to the 2016 presidential election campaigns, and Mr. Durham’s review subsequently developed into a criminal investigation, which remains ongoing,” Barr wrote in the order. “I have determined that, in light of the extraordinary circumstances relating to these matters, the public interest warrants Mr. Durham continuing his investigation pursuant to the powers and independence afforded by the Special Counsel regulations.”
Via The Federalist