Donald Trump Will Likely Fire Attorney General William Barr By Tweet, Analyst Suggests

Amid reports that Attorney General William Barr is considering leaving his position, MSNBC political analyst Rick Tyler suggested that the president’s longtime ally would likely be fired by tweet.

“By now Barr is familiar with the pattern: Trump fosters speculation about firing an official he is not pleased with; Official muses about resigning; Trump asks official to not resign; Trump fires by Tweet,” he tweeted.

The comment was a response to The Washington Post’s reporting on how Barr told associates that he might resign before President-elect Joe Biden’s inauguration. As the publication noted, Barr has faced increased criticism from Trump for claiming that the Department of Justice had not seen evidence of widespread voter fraud that could overturn the results of the 2020 election. The comment came as the U.S. leader continues to claim victory and allege that the electoral process was rigged for his Democratic opponent.

Barr also faced the wrath of some of Trump’s allies for his doubt. Notably, Fox News host Jeanine Pirro suggested he was a “reptile” that had spent too much time with the Washington establishment to see the purported election cheating that influenced the outcome of the presidential race.

A DOJ employee commented on the possibility of Barr’s imminent resignation after The Washington Post story was published.

“The AG’s intention is and has been to stay as long as the president needs him.”

According to The New York Times, Barr has yet to make a final decision and might stay in the Trump administration until Inauguration Day.

“Should Mr. Barr step down before the end of the Trump administration, the deputy attorney general, Jeffrey A. Rosen, would be expected to lead the Justice Department until President-elect Joseph R. Biden Jr. is sworn in,” the publication reported.

As The New York Times noted, Barr has been a vocal supporter of Trump throughout his time in the president’s administration. He was one of the loudest proponents of the possible electoral fraud that would come from the widespread use of mail-in ballots. Nevertheless, the publication noted he often exaggerated his claims.

“I don’t have empirical evidence other than the fact that we’ve always had voting fraud,” he said in September of his worries about the integrity of the election.

The attorney general also supported Trump’s claims that he was unfairly treated by Barack Obama and his team.

Elsewhere, Barr has faced accusations of weaponizing the Justice Department for political purposes — including to help Trump win the 2020 presidential race.