On his last day on the job, Attorney General William Barr is praising his colleagues at the Department of Justice (DOJ) for their “professionalism and outstanding work.”
In a letter to his colleagues, Barr wrote, “As I told the president in my departure letter and reiterated in my final press conference on Monday, it has been a great honor to serve once again in this role.”
“Over the past two years, the dedicated men and women of this department — including its operational components — have risen to meet historic challenges and upheld our vital mission to enforce the rule of law. I have been continually inspired by your professionalism and outstanding work,” he continued.
Finally, he added, “As I did almost 30 years ago, I leave his office with deep respect for you, and I will always be grateful for your devoted service to the nation we love.”
Read the letter below:
Today is William Barr’s final day as Attorney General of the United States.
— Gary Grumbach (@GaryGrumbach) December 23, 2020
Here is his farewell note to colleagues, via NBC’s Mike Kosnar. pic.twitter.com/mkFIbEQlXr
President Donald Trump announced Barther’s resignation earlier this month. In a tweet, he wrote, “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.”
He added that Deputy Attorney General Jeff Rosen will be the acting attorney general.
Trump reportedly became frustrated with Barr after he publicly stated that the department had not found evidence of widespread voter fraud in the 2020 presidential election.
In an interview with the Associated Press, Barr said, “To date, we have not seen fraud on a scale that could have effected a different outcome in the election.”
When asked if he still has confidence in Barr after that interview, Trump said, “Ask me that in a number of weeks from now.”
“They should be looking at all of this fraud. This is not civil. He thought it was civil. This is not civil. This is criminal stuff. This is very bad criminal stuff,” he added.
Trump also called Barr a “disappointment” after it was reported that the attorney general kept an investigation into President-elect Joe Biden’s son, Hunter Biden, secret ahead of the election.
Additionally, he told reporters during his last press conference that he would not appoint special counsels to look into Trump’s allegations of voter fraud or to continue the investigation of Hunter Biden.
While Barr has faced charges of politicizing the department, he has maintained that he was simply trying to uphold the rule of law.
