Former AG Barr said Trump became enraged after being told election fraud claims were nonsense

Former Attorney General William Barr said then-President Donald Trump became livid when Barr told him there was no proof that the 2020 election was fraudulent.

“I told him that every one these things was bulls— … about election fraud. And, you already know, it was incorrect to be shoveling it out the way in which his group was,” Barr said in an interview with NBC News’ Lester Holt that’s scheduled to air Sunday night time. First highlights of the interview aired Thursday on MSNBC’s “Andrea Mitchell Reports.”

The televised interview was Barr’s first since he stepped down as lawyer normal in late December 2020. Barr is publishing a e book about his time within the Trump administration, which has prompted criticism from some those that he remained silent about Trump till he may revenue from e book gross sales.

More of Holt’s interview will air tonight on “NBC Nightly News” at 6:30 ET and tomorrow on “TODAY,” with the prime-time one-hour particular airing Sunday at 9 p.m. ET on NBC.

Barr pushed again in opposition to allegations that he abused his place as lawyer normal by basically performing as Trump’s private lawyer, concentrating on Trump’s political enemies whereas reducing breaks for allies like Michael Flynn and Roger Stone.

“The narrative was I used to be a toady to Trump and I’d do Trump’s bidding. And the media continually went out with that story,” Barr says in a clip airing Thursday night time on “NBC Nightly News.” Asked by Holt whether or not he had been a toady, Barr responded, “Well, I feel no, as a result of I attempted to take each problem that got here to me and resolve it what I believed was the fitting factor.”

Barr acknowledged that Trump contributed to the picture of him because the president’s lackey, together with by bringing his name up within the 2019 cellphone dialog with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy that led to Trump’s first impeachment. In the call, which Trump would later describe as “good,” he told Zelenskyy that he would have Barr attain out to him or his “folks” regarding two investigations he needed: one associated to an e mail server tied to Trump’s former political rival Hillary Clinton and the opposite associated to Joe Biden and his son Hunter.

Barr told Holt he hadn’t been conscious of the scheme and was “furious” when he discovered about what Trump had said. “This complete maneuver of making an attempt to get the Ukrainians to analyze Biden — that was a harebrained scheme. It was ridiculous,” Barr said.

Trump, he said, “by no means actually had a good suggestion of, you already know, the position of the Department of Justice [and] to some extent, you already know, the president’s position.”

Barr pointed to his publicly talking out in opposition to Trump’s election fraud claims for instance of his standing as much as the president. He said Trump was so enraged that he thought it will be his final day on the job. 

Barr said Trump summoned him to a gathering within the White House on Dec. 1, 2020, after The Associated Press revealed an interview through which Barr said there was no evidence of any widespread voter fraud within the election, regardless of Trump’s claims on the contrary.

“To date, we have now not seen fraud on a scale that might have effected a unique final result within the election,” Barr told the AP.

Barr said Trump referred to as him in to a gathering that day in his non-public eating room and questioned him about his feedback.

Barr said he told Trump the Justice Department had investigated and located no proof to assist the assorted conspiracy theories that Trump and his authorized group were pushing.

“He was asking about completely different theories, and I had the solutions. I used to be capable of inform him, ‘This was incorrect due to this,'” Barr recounted.

Trump listened, however “he was clearly getting very offended about this.”

Barr said he told Trump: “I perceive you are upset with me. And I’m completely completely satisfied to tender my resignation.” 

Barr said Trump then slapped his desk and said: “Accepted. Accepted.”

“And then — growth. He slapped it once more. ‘Accepted. Go dwelling. Don’t return to your workplace. Go dwelling. You’re accomplished,'” he said.

In a letter responding to Barr’s interview, Trump said he was the one who requested Barr to resign that day and said his account was a fabrication.

Barr said Trump had White House legal professionals cease him earlier than he left the premises to inform him he wasn’t fired, however Trump continued to take pictures at him in public.

“He hasn’t accomplished something. He hasn’t seemed” for voter fraud, Trump complained at an occasion on the White House on Dec. 3. “This is legal stuff. This could be very dangerous, legal stuff.”

Barr submitted his formal resignation Dec. 14.

“I’m proud to have performed a job within the many successes and unprecedented achievements you may have delivered for the American folks,” Barr told Trump in his resignation letter.

Trump then tweeted praising Barr. “Our relationship has been an excellent one, he has accomplished an excellent job!” Trump wrote.

In a wide-ranging interview, Holt challenges Barr, whose e book, “One Damn Thing After Another: Memoirs of an Attorney General,” goes on sale Tuesday, about his document as lawyer normal. The interview is scheduled to air in a prime-time particular Sunday at 9 p.m. ET on NBC.