Former Attorney General Bill Barr: ‘Orchestrating a Mob to Pressure Congress Is Inexcusable’

Former Attorney General William Barr criticized President Trump on Thursday, stating that his conduct was a “betrayal of his office and supporters.”

Barr, a former ally of the president, added that “orchestrating a mob to pressure Congress is inexcusable” in a statement to the Associated Press.

The former attorney general resigned last month, with Trump noting that the two had a “very good” relationship and praising him for doing an “outstanding job”:

…Deputy Attorney General Jeff Rosen, an outstanding person, will become Acting Attorney General. Highly respected Richard Donoghue will be taking over the duties of Deputy Attorney General. Thank you to all! pic.twitter.com/V5sqOJT9PM

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) December 14, 2020

Prior to his resignation, Barr said that the Justice Department had not uncovered evidence of widespread voter fraud in the 2020 presidential election.

Barr, at the time, told the Associated Press, “to date, we have not seen fraud on a scale that could have effected a different outcome in the election.”

Barr appears as the latest in a growing list of political figures to blame President Trump for the protests that dominated the U.S. Capitol on Wednesday as lawmakers convened for a joint session of Congress to count and certify the electoral votes from the 2020 presidential election.

Protesters breached the U.S. Capitol, resulting in clashes with law enforcement, evacuations, and lockdowns. The chaos delayed the certification of the election by several hours, but Congress ultimately certified the electoral votes in the early hours of Thursday, making Joe Biden president-elect.

House Democrats have since drafted articles of impeachment against Trump as over two dozen lawmakers call for his swift removal.

“He also willfully made statements that encouraged — and foreseeably resulted in — imminent lawless action at the Capitol,” the articles of impeachment, drafted by Reps. David Cicilline (D-RI), Ted Lieu (D-CA), and Jamie Raskin (D-MD), read, deeming Trump a “threat to national security, democracy, and the Constitution.”

Trump has “acted in a manner grossly incompatible with self-governance and the rule of law,” the articles read. “President Trump thus warrants impeachment and trial, removal from office, and disqualification to hold and enjoy any sort of office of honor, trust, or profit under the United States.”