During an appearance on Rush Limbaugh’s radio show Friday, President Donald Trump ripped into Attorney General William Barr , The Washington Examiner reported.
Limbaugh told the commander-in-chief that media reports stated that U.S. Attorney John Durham won’t complete his review of Robert Mueller’s Russia probe by November 3. Durham was appointed to investigate whether Mueller and his associates were biased against Trump. Republicans have long claimed that Mueller’s probe was orchestrated by former Barack Obama administration officials, who supported Hillary Clinton four years ago.
Trump and his allies hoped that Durham would complete the process and release a damning report right before the election, but it seems that the investigator has decided to take his time.
Upon hearing the news, Trump slammed Barr.
“If that’s the case, I’m very disappointed. I think it’s a terrible thing, and I’ll say it to his face.”
“That’s a disgrace. I think it’s a disgrace. It’s an embarrassment,” he continued, noting that he had to “beat off” numerous investigations led by Democrats and fight against their impeachment efforts.
Trump told Limbaugh that Durham should have released his report “two years ago.”
Trump has repeatedly accused Obama and Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden of trying to sabotage his presidency from the outset.
In September, federal prosecutor Nora Dannehy , who was a top aide to Durham, resigned from her position. She allegedly quit over concerns that Barr was trying to influence the inquiry. Still, Barr has stressed that neither Obama nor Biden are under criminal investigation, insisting that Durham’s investigation will not affect the results of the 2020 election.
In recent weeks, Trump has reportedly grown increasingly frustrated with Barr, blaming him for Durham’s apparent reluctance to release the findings before the election. Trump has repeatedly aired his grievances publicly. During an interview with Fox Business earlier this week, he suggested that Barr’s reputation hinges on Durham’s impending review of the Russia probe.
“Bill Barr’s going to go down either as the greatest attorney general in the history of the country, or he’s going to go down as a very sad, sad situation,” he argued.
Barr has previously expressed frustration with Trump’s meddling in the Justice Department’s internal affairs. In February, after Trump spoke out about the sentencing of his longtime adviser Roger Stone, Barr said that he won’t cave in to pressure, no matter where it’s coming from.
“I think it’s time to stop the tweeting about Department of Justice criminal cases. I’m not going to be bullied or influenced by anybody… whether it’s Congress, a newspaper editorial board, or the president,” he hit back.