William Barr

Barr was born in New York City in 1950. His father, Donald Barr, was an educator and writer who taught English literature at Columbia University before becoming headmaster of the Dalton School in Manhattan and later the Hackley School in Tarrytown, New York, both members of the Ivy Preparatory School League. Barr's mother, Mary Margaret (née Ahern), also taught at Columbia.{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2004/02/10/nyregion/donald-barr-82-headmaster-and-science-honors-educator.html|title=Donald Barr, 82, Headmaster And Science Honors Educator|first1=Wolfgang|last1=Saxon|date=February 10, 2004|access-date=December 7, 2018|website=The New York Times }} Barr's father was raised Jewish but later converted to the Roman Catholic Church. His mother is of Irish Catholic ancestry. Barr was raised as a Catholic.{{cite news|date=December 7, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181209124239/https://www.businessinsider.com/who-is-william-barr-former-attorney-general-could-get-old-job-back-2018-12 |archive-date=December 9, 2018 |url=https://www.businessinsider.com/who-is-william-barr-former-attorney-general-could-get-old-job-back-2018-12 |url-status=live |title=Meet William Barr: What you need to know about the possible once and future attorney general |first1=John |last1=Haltiwanger |website=Business Insider |access-date=December 20, 2018 }}{{cite news |first1=Judith |last1=Miller |author-link=Judith Miller |url=https://www.city-journal.org/william-barr-attorney-general-nominee |title=Stepping Into the Fire |date=January 11, 2019 |website=City Journal |access-date=March 25, 2019 }} Barr was the second of four sons, and his younger brother Stephen Barr is a professor of physics at the University of Delaware.{{Cite news |access-date=June 24, 2020 |first1=Mike |last1=Berardino |date=December 15, 2019 |url=https://www.indystar.com/story/sports/college/notre-dame/notre-dame-insider/2019/10/11/u-s-attorney-general-william-barr-decries-attacks-religious-freedom/3945636002/|title=U.S. Attorney General William Barr decries attacks on religious freedom in Notre Dame speech|website=The Indianapolis Star}}

Barr grew up on New York City's Upper West Side. As a child, he attended a Catholic grammar school, Corpus Christi School, and then the non-sectarian Horace Mann School. After high school, he attended Columbia University, where he majored in government and graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in 1971. Barr was also an active member in the Sigma Nu fraternity. He did two additional years of graduate study at Columbia, receiving a Master of Arts in government and Chinese studies in 1973. While at Columbia, Barr opposed anti-Vietnam War occupation protests by students on campus.{{Cite news|last1=Schwartz|first1=Mattathias|date=June 1, 2020|title=William Barr's State of Emergency|language=en-US|work=The New York Times|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2020/06/01/magazine/william-barr-attorney-general.html|access-date=July 14, 2020|issn=0362-4331}}

After moving to Washington, D.C., to work as an intelligence analyst for the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA), Barr entered the evening student program at George Washington University Law School. He graduated in 1977 with a Juris Doctor with highest honors.{{cite news |last1=LaFraniere |first1=Sharon |author-link=Sharon LaFraniere |last2=Savage |first2=Charlie |author-link2=Charlie Savage (author) |last3=Benner |first3=Katie |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2019/06/09/us/politics/who-is-william-barr.html |title=People Are Trying to Figure Out William Barr. He's Busy Stockpiling Power.|newspaper=The New York Times|date=June 9, 2019|access-date=June 16, 2019}}{{cite web |title=Two-Time Columbia Graduate William Barr Confirmed as U.S. Attorney General |url=https://news.columbia.edu/news/two-time-columbia-graduate-william-barr-confirmed-us-attorney-general |date=February 14, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190429020732/https://news.columbia.edu/news/two-time-columbia-graduate-william-barr-confirmed-us-attorney-general |archive-date=April 29, 2019 |url-status=live |website=news.columbia.edu |access-date=August 12, 2019}}

File:Ronald Reagan and William Barr (cropped).jpg in the Oval Office in 1983]]

Barr worked for the CIA from 1971 to 1977 while attending graduate school and law school.{{Cite web|url=https://www.judiciary.senate.gov/imo/media/doc/William%20Barr%20Senate%20Questionnaire%20(PUBLIC).pdf|title=William Barr Senate Questionnaire Answers|last1=Barr|first1=William P.|date=February 14, 2019|website=Nominations {{!}} United States Senate Committee on the Judiciary |access-date=March 12, 2024 }} He was first hired as a summer intern for two years. During his law school years he was an analyst in the Intelligence Directorate division from 1973 to 1975, and then transitioning to an assistant in the Office of Legislative Counsel and an agency liaison to Congress from 1975 to 1977.{{cite web |title=Attorney General: William Pelham Barr |url=https://www.justice.gov/ag/bio/barr-william-pelham |work=United States Department of Justice |access-date=August 20, 2019 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190227152559/https://www.justice.gov/ag/bio/barr-william-pelham |archive-date=February 27, 2019 |date=October 24, 2014 }}{{cite web |last1=Tau |first1=Byron |first2=Sadie |last2=Gurman |title=Attorney General Nominee Barr Helped Navigate CIA Through Rocky Times With Congress |date=February 19, 2019 |url=https://www.wsj.com/articles/attorney-general-nominee-barr-helped-navigate-cia-through-rocky-times-with-congress-11549974600 |website=The Wall Street Journal |access-date=August 20, 2019}}

After graduating from law school in 1977, Barr spent one year as a law clerk to Judge Malcolm Wilkey of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit.{{cite journal |title=Current Biography Yearbook 1992|publisher=The H. W. Wilson Company|year=1992 |orig-year=First published 1992 |issn= 0084-9499 |journal=Current Biography Yearbook: Annual Cumulation}} He then joined the law firm of Shaw, Pittman, Potts & Trowbridge (now Pillsbury Winthrop Shaw Pittman) from 1978 to 1982 and again from 1983 to 1989, after serving as Deputy Assistant Director for Legal Policy on the domestic policy staff at the Reagan White House from May 1982 to September 1983.{{cite report |url=https://www.reaganlibrary.gov/sites/default/files/archives/textual/smof/barr.pdf |work=Ronald Reagan Presidential Library |title=Barr, William P.: Files, 1982–1983 – REAGAN LIBRARY COLLECTIONS |date=December 14, 2018 |access-date=March 25, 2019 |archive-date=December 9, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181209124502/https://www.reaganlibrary.gov/sites/default/files/archives/textual/smof/barr.pdf |url-status=dead }}

Barr has never prosecuted a case.{{cite web |last1=Savage |first1=Charlie |last2=Goldman |first2=Adam |last3=Benner |first3=Katie |title=Barr Pressed Durham to Find Flaws in the Trump-Russia Investigation |website=The New York Times |date=January 26, 2023 |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2023/01/26/us/politics/durham-trump-russia-barr.html |access-date=January 26, 2023}}{{cite news |last1=Jurecic |first1=Quinta |title=Review – An indictment of William Barr's tenure as attorney general |newspaper=The Washington Post |date=July 9, 2021 |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/outlook/an-indictment-of-william-barrs-tenure-as-attorney-general/2021/07/08/6b9fd0e4-d5c7-11eb-a53a-3b5450fdca7a_story.html |access-date=January 27, 2023}}

File:President George H. W. Bush signs the Civil Rights Commission Reauthorization Act in the Rose Garden of the White House.jpg watch as President George H. W. Bush signs the Civil Rights Commission Reauthorization Act in the Rose Garden of the White House in 1991.]]

In 1989, at the beginning of his administration, President George H. W. Bush appointed Barr to the U.S. Department of Justice as Assistant Attorney General for the Office of Legal Counsel (OLC), an office which functions as the legal advisor for the president and executive agencies. Barr was known as a strong defender of presidential power. He wrote an advisory opinion justifying the U.S. invasion of Panama and arrest of Manuel Noriega. He wrote legal justifications for the practice of rendition,{{Cite journal|last1=Boys|first1=James D.|s2cid=115511462|date=February 7, 2018|title=The Clinton Administration's Development and Implementation of Rendition (1993–2001)|journal=Studies in Conflict & Terrorism|volume=42|issue=12 |pages=1090–1102|doi=10.1080/1057610X.2018.1438062|issn=1057-610X}} so that the FBI could enter onto foreign soil without the consent of the host government to apprehend fugitives wanted by the United States government for terrorism or drug-trafficking.{{cite news |last1=LaFraniere |first1=Sharon |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/politics/1991/11/12/for-nominee-barr-an-unusual-path-to-attorney-generals-office/deed0c0f-1078-41d8-94e5-35f9619e0528/ |title=For Nominee Barr, an Unusual Path to Attorney General's Office |newspaper=The Washington Post |date=November 12, 1991 |page=A6 |access-date=March 25, 2019 }} Barr declined a congressional request for the full 1989 opinion, but instead provided a document that "summarizes the principal conclusions". Congress subpoenaed the opinion, and its public release after Barr's departure from the Justice Department showed he had omitted significant findings in the opinion from his summary document.{{cite web|url=https://www.justsecurity.org/63635/barrs-playbook-he-misled-congress-when-omitting-parts-of-justice-dept-memo-in-1989/ |first1=Ryan |last1=Goodman|title=Barr's Playbook: He Misled Congress When Omitting Parts of Justice Dep't Memo in 1989|date=April 15, 2019|website=Just Security |access-date=September 29, 2019 }}

In May 1990, Barr was appointed Deputy Attorney General, the official responsible for day-to-day management of the department. According to media reports, Barr was generally praised for his professional management of the department.{{cite news |last1=Johnston |first1=David |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1990/08/30/us/washington-at-work-political-lifeguard-at-the-justice-dept.html |title=Political Lifeguard at the Department of Justice |work=The New York Times |date=August 30, 1990 |access-date=March 25, 2019 }}{{cite news |first1=Maureen |last1=Santini |title=New Yorker Tapped |work=Daily News |date=October 17, 1991 |page=C12 }}{{cite news |url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1991-10-17-mn-739-story.html |first1=Douglas |last1=Jehl |title=Acting Justice Dept. Chief Named Attorney General |work=Los Angeles Times |date=October 17, 1991 |page=1 |access-date=March 25, 2019 }}

During August 1991, when then-Attorney General Richard Thornburgh resigned to campaign for the Senate, Barr was named acting attorney general.{{cite news |last1=Johnston |first1=David |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1991/08/10/us/attorney-general-makes-it-official.html |title=Attorney General Makes it Official |work=The New York Times |date=August 10, 1991 |access-date=March 25, 2019 }} Three days after Barr accepted that position, 121 Cuban inmates, awaiting deportation to Cuba, seized nine hostages at the Talladega federal prison. He directed the FBI's Hostage Rescue Team to assault the prison, which resulted in rescuing all hostages without loss of life.{{cite news |first1=Ronald |last1=Mothers |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1991/08/31/us/us-agents-storm-prison-in-alabama-freeing-9-hostages.html |title=U.S. Agents Storm Prison in Alabama, Freeing 9 Hostages |work=The New York Times |date=August 31, 1991 |access-date=March 25, 2019 }}{{cite news |last1=Klaidman |first1=Daniel |title=Barr's Star Rises After Hostage Rescue |work=Legal Times |date=September 9, 1991 |page=6}}

File:William Barr, official photo as Attorney General.jpg]]

It was reported that President Bush was impressed with Barr's management of the hostage crisis; weeks later, Bush nominated him as attorney general.{{cite news |last1=Barrett |first1=Paul |title=Bush Picks Barr for Attorney General Post |work=The Wall Street Journal |date=October 17, 1991 |page=A25 }}

Barr enjoyed a "sterling reputation" among Republican and Democratic politicians alike.{{cite news |last1=Erickson |first1=Bo |title=In the 1990s, Joe Biden said William Barr was "one of the best" attorneys general |url=https://www.cbsnews.com/news/in-the-1990s-joe-biden-said-william-barr-was-one-of-the-best-attorney-generals/ |access-date=June 12, 2019 |agency=CBS News |date=June 11, 2019}} His two-day confirmation hearing was "unusually placid", and he was received well by both Republicans and Democrats on the Senate Judiciary Committee.{{cite news|last1=Ostrow|first1=Ronald J.|url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1991-11-14-mn-1917-story.html |title=Barr Opposed to Roe vs. Wade Decision: Justice Dept.: The attorney general-designate tells Senate panel right to privacy does not extend to obtaining an abortion. |access-date=September 29, 2019 |newspaper=Los Angeles Times|date=November 14, 1991}} Asked whether he thought a constitutional right to privacy included the right to an abortion, Barr responded that he believed the Constitution was not originally intended to create a right to abortion; that Roe v. Wade was thus wrongly decided; and that abortion should be a "legitimate issue for state legislators". Barr also said at the hearings that Roe v. Wade was "the law of the land" and claimed he did not have "fixed or settled views" on abortion.{{cite web|url=https://www.pbs.org/newshour/politics/william-barr-trumps-pick-for-u-s-attorney-general-on-4-key-issues|title=William Barr's record on 4 key issues|work=PBS NewsHour|last1=Frazee|first1=Gretchen|date=December 7, 2018|access-date=December 7, 2018}} Senate Judiciary Committee chair Joe Biden, though disagreeing with Barr, responded that it was the "first candid answer" he had heard from a nominee on a question that witnesses would normally evade; Biden hailed Barr as "a throwback to the days when we actually had attorneys general that would talk to you".{{cite news |url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1991-11-16-mn-1451-story.html |last1=Ostrow|first1=Ronald J.|title=Judiciary Panel Approves Barr for Attorney General|date=November 16, 1991 |work=Los Angeles Times |access-date=March 12, 2024 }} Barr was approved unanimously by the Senate Judiciary Committee, was confirmed by voice vote by the full Senate,{{cite news|url=https://www.cbsnews.com/news/who-is-william-barr-trumps-pick-to-be-the-next-attorney-general/|title=Who is William Barr, Trump's pick to be the next attorney general?|work=CBS News|date=December 7, 2018|access-date=December 7, 2018}}{{cite news |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1991/11/21/us/barr-is-confirmed-on-voice-vote-as-77th-attorney-general-of-us.html |title=Barr Is Confirmed on Voice Vote As 77th Attorney General of U.S. |first1=David |last1=Johnston |date=November 21, 1991 |access-date=April 18, 2019 |work=The New York Times }} and was sworn in as attorney general on November 26, 1991.{{cite news|url=https://www.usnews.com/news/politics/articles/2018-12-06/former-attorney-general-william-barr-contender-for-old-job |agency=Associated Press |first1=Jill |last1=Colvin |first2=Zeke |last2=Miller |title=Trump Says He's Nominating Barr for Attorney General

|work=U.S. News & World Report |date=December 7, 2018|access-date=December 7, 2018 }}

During his first tenure as AG, media characterized Barr as "a staunch conservative who rarely hesitates to put his hardline views into action".{{cite news|url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1991-10-17-mn-910-story.html |title=Barr: Conservative With 'Political Savvy' Is on Fast Track|last1=Ostrow|first1=Ron|date=October 17, 1991|work=Los Angeles Times|access-date=March 25, 2019|page=A20}}{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1992/03/03/us/new-attorney-general-shifts-department-s-focus.html|title=New Attorney General Shifts Department's Focus|last1=Johnston|first1=David|date=March 3, 1992|work=The New York Times|access-date=March 25, 2019|page=A17}}{{cite news|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/politics/1992/03/05/barr-takes-center-stage-at-justice-department-with-new-script/b75dac1d-36da-4440-9287-e1ac33c78038/|title=Barr Takes Center Stage at Justice Department With New Script|last1=LaFraniere|first1=Sharon|date=March 5, 1992|newspaper=The Washington Post|access-date=March 25, 2019}} He was described as affable with a dry, self-deprecating wit.{{cite news|title=At Justice Department, New No. 2 Man Brings Humor, Humility to Difficult Job|last1=Barrett|first1=Paul|date=June 11, 1990|work=The Wall Street Journal}} The New York Times described the "central theme" of his tenure to be "his contention that violent crime can be reduced only by expanding Federal and state prisons to jail habitual violent offenders". In an effort to prioritize violent crime, Barr reassigned three hundred FBI agents from counterintelligence work to investigations of gang violence. The New York Times called this move "the largest single manpower shift in the bureau's history".

During the 1992 election year, The Wall Street Journal wrote of Barr's work that he "has put a heavy emphasis on attention-grabbing events and pronouncements that may have more to do with presidential election-year politicking than with fighting crime on the streets."{{Cite news|date=February 11, 1992|title=Attorney General Barr, Targeting Violent Crime, Comes on Like Gangbusters in a Campaign Year |work=The Wall Street Journal |first1=Paul M. |last1=Barrett |url=https://pbs.twimg.com/media/EkS91KMXsAAMTQw.jpg |url-status=live |access-date=March 12, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201014143827/https://pbs.twimg.com/media/EkS91KMXsAAMTQw.jpg |archive-date=October 14, 2020}}{{cite web |url=https://lawandcrime.com/2020-election/news-clipping-from-1992-shows-ag-barr-has-long-been-a-reelection-wingman-for-gop-presidents/ |title=News Clipping from 1992 Shows Bill Barr Has Long Been a Reelection Wingman for GOP Presidents |first1=Colin |last1=Kalmbacher |date=October 14, 2020 |website=lawandcrime.com |access-date=December 16, 2020 }}

File:The Case for More Incarceration.pdf

In 1992, Barr authored a report, The Case for More Incarceration,{{cite report|url=https://www.ncjrs.gov/pdffiles1/Digitization/139583NCJRS.pdf|title=The Case for More Incarceration|last1=Barr|first1=William P.|date=October 28, 1992|access-date=April 5, 2019|work=Office of Legal Policy, United States Department of Justice}} which argued for an increase in the United States incarceration rate, the creation of a national program to construct more prisons, and the abolition of parole release.{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=-_rVCgAAQBAJ&pg=PA79 |title=Sentencing Fragments: Penal Reform in America, 1975–2025|last1=Tonry|first1=Michael|date=February 18, 2016|publisher=Oxford University Press|isbn=9780190204686|series=Studies in Crime and Public Policy|location=Oxford, New York|pages=79 |access-date=November 6, 2021 }} Barr argued that incarceration reduced crime, pointing to crime and incarceration rates in 1960, 1970, 1980 and 1990. A 1999 criminology study criticized Barr's analysis, saying "so complex an issue as the relationship between crime and punishment cannot be addressed through so simplistic an analysis as a negative correlation between the two very aggregated time series of crime rates and incarceration rates."{{Cite journal|last1=Blumstein|first1=Alfred|last2=Beck|first2=Allen J.|date=1999 |title=Population Growth in U. S. Prisons, 1980–1996|journal=Crime and Justice |volume=26 |issue=1 |pages=17–61|doi=10.1086/449294|s2cid=56683850|issn=0192-3234}} University of Minnesota criminologist Michael Tonry said the data in Barr's report was deceptively presented; if Barr had chosen five-year intervals, then the data would not have supported Barr's argument, and if Barr had chosen to look at violent crime specifically (as opposed to all crimes as a category), then the data would not have supported his argument.{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=JjCY0RqArb8C&pg=PA19 |title=Malign Neglect: Race, Crime, and Punishment in America|date=April 11, 1996|publisher=Oxford University Press|isbn=9780195104691|location=Oxford, New York |first1=Michael |last1=Tonry |author-link=Michael Tonry|pages=19–24, 36}}

Barr said in the report, "The benefits of increased incarceration would be enjoyed disproportionately by black Americans." In the report, Barr approvingly quoted New Mexico attorney general Hal Stratton, "I don't know anyone [who] goes to prison on their first crime. By the time you go to prison, you are a pretty bad guy."{{Cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=RoZuDwAAQBAJ&pg=PA45 |page=45 |isbn=9780674980778 |title=The Limits of Blame: Rethinking Punishment and Responsibility |last1=Kelly |first1=Erin I. |author-link=Erin I. Kelly |date=November 12, 2018 |publisher=Harvard University Press }} Barr's report influenced the Violent Crime Control and Law Enforcement Act of 1994, which aimed to increase the incarceration rate.

In October 1991, Barr appointed then-retired Democratic Chicago judge Nicholas Bua as special counsel in the Inslaw scandal. Bua's 1993 report found the Department of Justice guilty of no wrongdoing in the matter.{{cite report |date=September 30, 2013 |url=https://www.governmentattic.org/9docs/DOJ-OIP-INSLAW_1993.pdf|title=Report of Special Counsel Nicholas J. Bua to the Attorney General of the United States Regarding the Allegations of INSLAW, Inc |work=United States Department of Justice |via=governmentattic.org|access-date=December 8, 2018 |first1=Nicholas |last1=Bua |author-link=Nicholas John Bua }}

In October 1992, Barr appointed then retired New Jersey federal judge Frederick B. Lacey to investigate the Department of Justice and the Central Intelligence Agency handling of the Banca Nazionale del Lavoro (BNL) Iraqgate scandal.{{cite news |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181209124321/https://articles.baltimoresun.com/1992-10-17/news/1992291005_1_bnl-scandal-barr-bush-administration |archive-date=December 9, 2018 |url-status=live |url=https://www.baltimoresun.com/1992/10/17/ex-judge-to-probe-iraq-loan-scandal-barrs-appointee-assailed-as-fig-leaf/|title=Ex-judge to probe Iraq-loan scandal Barr's appointee assailed as 'fig leaf' |first1=Lyle |last1=Denniston |work=The Baltimore Sun |date=October 17, 1992 |access-date=December 8, 2018}} The appointment came after Democrats called for a special prosecutor during the scandal fearing a "cover-up" by the administration. House Banking Committee Chairman Henry B. González called for Barr's resignation, citing "repeated, clear failures and obstruction" by the Department of Justice in allegedly delaying an investigation of the BNL-Iraqgate case.{{cite news|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/politics/1992/10/14/boren-criticizes-plans-for-justice-fbi-probe-of-alleged-misconduct-in-bnl-case/41e78898-66f7-4f32-b409-614cc61c4bef/|title=Boren Critices Plans for Justice–FBI Probe of Alleged Misconduct in BNL Case|last1=Smith|first1=R. Jeffery|date=October 14, 1992|newspaper=The Washington Post|access-date=December 7, 2018}}{{cite news|url=https://www.upi.com/Archives/1992/10/16/Barr-names-special-counsel-in-BNL-case-his-resignation-still-demanded/8496719208000|title=Barr names special counsel in BNL case, his resignation still demanded|date=October 16, 1992|access-date=December 8, 2018|agency=UPI}} González also called for an independent special counsel investigation.

In July 1991, regulators in seven countries shut down the Luxembourg-based Bank of Credit and Commerce International (BCCI), after investigators uncovered that the decentralized and poorly regulated bank, which was allegedly run by Saudi and possibly Pakistani Intelligence, was involved in fraud and money laundering operations for criminal organizations, corrupt governments, and intelligence agencies. BCCI managed to circumvent Federal Reserve controls to buy the bank holding company First American Bankshares, allowing direct access to American financial institutions.{{cite news |url=https://www.villagevoice.com/2019/04/18/attorney-general-william-barr-is-the-best-reason-to-vote-for-clinton/ |first1=Frank |last1=Snepp |title=Bill Barr: The 'Cover-Up General' |work=The Village Voice |date=October 27, 1992 |page=1 |access-date=March 25, 2019 }} Several sources have alleged that the CIA had been aware of BCCI's activities and its purchase of First American, but since the CIA, DIA, and the NSC utilized BCCI accounts for covert operations and since the Saudi's provided intelligence to the CIA from BCCI's illicit activities (see Safari Club), the CIA worked with Barr to prevent any investigation of BCCI, which was directed by Assistant Attorney General Robert Mueller since 1986 (other sources claim 1983).{{cite magazine |url=https://content.time.com/time/subscriber/article/0,33009,973440,00.html |first1=Richard |last1=Lacayo |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100211204739/http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,157496,00.html |url-status=live |archive-date=February 11, 2010 |title=Iran-Contra: The Cover-Up Begins to Crack |magazine=Time |date=July 22, 1991 }}

After the bank was shut down in 1991, Barr testified in congress that the investigation had "coordination" problems and promised to remedy the issue but other federal prosecutors claim Barr actively thwarted several indictments of BCCI in Florida, when the Customs Service discovered that CenTrust Bank of Miami was a front for BCCI and possibly Saudi Intelligence. The American investigation of BCCI was taken over by Senator John Kerry after discovering the bank during drug trafficking investigations. After becoming impatient with the slow pace and inaction of the Justice Department under Barr, Kerry had the investigation turned over to New York state district attorney Robert Morgenthau, who managed to extract a plea agreement with BCCI for various criminal violations and the indictment of First American chairman Clark Clifford.

In 1992, Barr launched a surveillance program to gather records of innocent Americans' international phone calls.{{Cite web|url=https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/2019/03/28/review-finds-phone-data-dragnet-dea-doj-began-without-legal-review/3299438002/ |first1=Brad |last1=Heath |date=March 28, 2019 |title=Justice under AG Barr began vast surveillance program without legal review – in 1992, inspector general finds|website=USA Today |access-date=May 17, 2019}} The purpose of the DEA program was to collect "bulk logs of outgoing international phone calls from the United States to countries deemed to be linked to narcotics trafficking" through "issuing administrative subpoenas to phone companies"{{cite news | url=https://www.nytimes.com/2019/12/05/us/politics/barr-dea-bulk-collection.html | title=27 Years Later, Senators Want Inquiry into Barr's Blessing of Call Logs Collection | newspaper=The New York Times| date=December 5, 2019 | last1=Savage | first1=Charlie }} According to USA Today, the program "provided a blueprint for far broader phone-data surveillance the government launched after the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001". The DoJ inspector general concluded that this program had been launched without a review of its legality and made 16 recommendations including areas relating to subpoena procedures and guidance training materials.{{cite web|title=A Review of the Drug Enforcement Administration's Use of Administrative Subpoenas to Collect or Exploit Bulk Data|website=justice.gov|date=March 2019 |url=https://oig.justice.gov/reports/2019/o1901.pdf}}

In December 2019, Democratic senators Ron Wyden and Patrick J. Leahy asked the Justice Department's Office of Professional Responsibility to investigate Barr for approving the program, accusing Barr of “an illegal, bulk surveillance program” alleging “without conducting any legal analysis”.{{cite news|last1=Savage|first1=Charlie|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2019/12/05/us/politics/barr-dea-bulk-collection.html|title=27 Years Later, Senators Want Inquiry Into Barr's Blessing of Call Logs Collection|newspaper=The New York Times |date=December 5, 2019|access-date=December 5, 2019}}

In late 1992, Independent Counsel Lawrence Walsh, who had been chosen to investigate the Iran–Contra affair, found documents in the possession of Reagan's former defense secretary, Caspar Weinberger, which Walsh said was "evidence of a conspiracy among the highest-ranking Reagan Administration officials to lie to Congress and the American public".{{Cite news|url=https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/2019/05/21/william-barr-says-he-is-guarding-presidency-not-trump/3750676002/|title=The president is not 'an errand boy for Congress': Barr says he's protecting presidency, not Trump|website=USA Today|first1=William |last1=Cummings |access-date=May 31, 2019 |date=May 21, 2019 }}{{cite news|last1=Welna|first1=David|url=https://www.npr.org/2018/12/06/674079779/george-h-w-bushs-mixed-legacy-in-a-reagan-era-scandal|title=George H.W. Bush's Mixed Legacy In A Reagan-Era Scandal|website=NPR|date=December 6, 2018|access-date=May 30, 2019}} Weinberger was set to stand trial on felony charges on January 5, 1993.{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1992/12/25/us/pardons-bush-pardons-6-iran-affair-aborting-weinberger-trial-prosecutor-assails.html|title=The Pardons; Bush Pardons 6 in Iran Affair, Aborting a Weinberger Trial; Prosecutor Assails 'Cover-Up'|last1=Johnston|first1=David|date=December 25, 1992 |work=The New York Times|access-date=April 18, 2019 |issn=0362-4331}} His "indictment said Mr. Weinberger's notes contradicted Mr. Bush's assertions that he had only a fragmentary knowledge of the arms secretly sold to Iran in 1985 and 1986 in exchange for American hostages in Lebanon."{{cite web|url=https://fas.org/irp/offdocs/walsh/chap_28.htm|title=Chapter 28 George Bush|website=Federation of American Scientists|access-date=June 15, 2019}} According to Walsh, then-president Bush might have been called as a witness.{{cite news|last1=Johnston|first1=David|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1993/02/09/us/walsh-implies-bush-used-pardons-to-avoid-testifying.html|title=Walsh Implies Bush Used Pardons to Avoid Testifying|newspaper=The New York Times|date=February 9, 1993|access-date=June 15, 2019}}

On December 24, 1992, during his final month in office, Bush, on the advice of Barr, pardoned Weinberger,{{cite journal|last1=Doppler|first1=Jack|date=January 1993|title=No Longer News: The Trial of the Century That Wasn't|volume=79|pages=56–59|journal=ABA Journal|number=1|jstor=27832773}} along with five other administration officials who had been found guilty on charges relating to the Iran–Contra affair.{{cite web|url=https://www.presidency.ucsb.edu/documents/proclamation-6518-grant-executive-clemency |title=Proclamation 6518 – Grant of Executive Clemency|last1=Bush|first1=George H. W.|date=December 24, 1992|publisher=The American Presidency Project|access-date=April 23, 2008}} Barr was consulted extensively regarding the pardons, and especially advocated for pardoning Weinberger.{{cite news|url=https://archive.nytimes.com/www.nytimes.com/books/97/06/29/reviews/iran-pardon.html|title=Bush Pardons 6 in Iran Affair, Aborting a Weinberger Trial; Prosecutor Assails 'Cover-Up'|last1=Johnston|first1=David|date=December 25, 1992|work=The New York Times|access-date=December 8, 2018}}

Walsh complained about the move, insinuating that Bush on Barr's advice had used the pardons to avoid testifying and stating that: "The Iran-contra cover-up, which has continued for more than six years, has now been completed."{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1993/02/09/us/walsh-implies-bush-used-pardons-to-avoid-testifying.html|title=Walsh Implies Bush Used Pardons to Avoid Testifying|last1=Johnston|first1=David|date=February 9, 1993 |work=The New York Times|access-date=April 18, 2019 |issn=0362-4331}} In 2003, he wrote an account of the investigation in his book, Firewall: The Iran-Contra Conspiracy and Cover-Up.

Because of this and Barr's unwillingness to appoint an independent counsel to look into a second scandal known as Iraqgate, New York Times writer William Safire began to refer to Barr as "Coverup-General Barr", accusing Barr of concealing George H. W. Bush's involvement in Iraqgate and the Iran–Contra affair.{{Cite news |first1=Thom |last1=Hartmann |url=https://www.salon.com/2019/03/26/cover-up-attorney-general-bill-barr-strikes-again_partner/|title=Cover-up Attorney General Bill Barr strikes again|date=March 26, 2019 |website=Salon.com |access-date=April 18, 2019 }}{{Cite news |last1=Safire |first1=William |date=1992-10-19 |title=Opinion {{!}} Essay; The Patsy Prosecutor |language=en-US |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1992/10/19/opinion/essay-the-patsy-prosecutor.html |access-date=2022-05-29 |issn=0362-4331}} Barr, however, responded that he believed Bush had made the right decision regarding that and he felt people in the case had been treated unfairly.{{Cite news |url=https://www.npr.org/2019/01/14/684553791/william-barr-supported-pardons-in-an-earlier-d-c-witch-hunt-iran-contra |title=William Barr Supported Pardons In An Earlier D.C. 'Witch Hunt': Iran-Contra|website=NPR.org|first1=Carrie |last1=Johnson |date=January 14, 2019 |access-date=April 18, 2019 }} Barr said Walsh was a "head-hunter" who "had completely lost perspective".{{Cite news|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/how-william-barr-now-serving-as-a-powerful-ally-for-trump-has-championed-presidential-powers/2019/05/14/418fe6d4-727f-11e9-9eb4-0828f5389013_story.html |title=How William Barr, now serving as a powerful ally for Trump, has championed presidential powers|last1=Hamburger|first1=Tom|date=May 16, 2019|newspaper=The Washington Post|access-date=September 29, 2019 }}

File:Office of the Secretary - Swearing-In for Gene Scalia, Solicitor of Labor 174-CD-6356A DOL5276-014.jpg in February 2002]]

Upon leaving the DOJ in 1993, Barr was appointed by Virginia Governor George Allen to co-chair a commission to implement tougher criminal justice policies and abolish parole in the state.{{cite news |last1=Green |first1=Frank |title=Parole, Sentencing Reform Plan Clears First Hurdle |work=Richmond Times Dispatch |date=August 1994 |page=A1, A10 }}{{cite news |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/politics/1994/08/17/allen-offers-plan-to-abolish-parole/aa89f603-818d-42aa-9b7d-40a09054b70e/ |title=Allen Offers Plan to Abolish Parole |newspaper=The Washington Post |date=August 17, 1994 |access-date=April 18, 2019 |first1=Peter |last1=Baker }} Barr has been described as a "leader of the parole-abolition campaign" in Virginia.{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=BqputiyLQ3QC&pg=PA231 |isbn=9780742552104 |title=Virginia in the Vanguard: Political Leadership in the 400-Year-Old Cradle of American Democracy, 1981-2006|last1=Atkinson|first1=Frank B.|publisher=Rowman & Littlefield|year=2006|pages=231–232}}

After leaving the DOJ, he criticized the Clinton administration for being "soft on crime".{{Cite book |last1=Krajicek |first1=David J. |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=itwKz9YF0ZoC&pg=PA222 |title=Scooped!: Media Miss Real Story on Crime While Chasing Sex, Sleaze, and Celebrities |date=1999 |publisher=Columbia University Press |isbn=0-231-10292-5 |pages=222 |oclc=277770502}} Barr expressed his opposition to efforts to end mandatory minimum sentencing. In a 1993 op-ed, he wrote, "The notion that there are sympathetic people out there who become hapless victims of the criminal-justice system and are locked away in federal prison beyond the time they deserve is simply a myth."{{Cite magazine |title=William Barr, Trump's Sword and Shield |url=https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2020/01/20/william-barr-trumps-sword-and-shield |date=January 13, 2020 |last1=Rohde |first1=David |magazine=The New Yorker |language=en |access-date=May 30, 2020}} In a 1995 essay, Barr rejected that crime was caused by material factors, such as poverty, arguing instead that crime was caused by immorality: "Spending more money on these material social programs is not going to have an impact on crime, and, if anything, it will exacerbate the problem."

In 1994, Barr became Executive Vice President and General Counsel of the telecommunications company GTE Corporation, where he served for 14 years. During his corporate tenure, Barr directed a successful litigation campaign by the local telephone industry to achieve deregulation by scuttling a series of FCC rules, personally arguing several cases in the federal courts of appeals and the Supreme Court.{{cite news |last1=Landler |first1=Mark |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1997/01/20/business/the-lawyer-leading-the-charge-against-the-fcc-s-regulations.html |title=The Lawyer Leading the Charge Against the FCC's Regulations |work=The New York Times |date=January 20, 1997 |page=D1 |access-date=March 25, 2019 }}{{cite news |last1=Barrett |first1=Paul |title=GTE Lawyer Shapes Strategy for Telecommunications |work=The Wall Street Journal |date=December 5, 1996 }} In 2000, when GTE merged with Bell Atlantic to become Verizon Communications, Barr became the general counsel and executive vice president of Verizon until he retired in 2008.{{cite press release |title=Verizon General Counsel William P. Barr Announces Retirement |url=https://www.verizon.com/about/news/press-releases/verizon-general-counsel-william-p-barr-announces-retirement |access-date=November 28, 2019 |work=Verizon Communications |date=September 29, 2008}} Barr became a multimillionaire from working in GTE and Verizon. In 2001, Barr's salary was reportedly $1.5{{nbs}}million.

From 1997 to 2000, Barr served on the Board of Visitors of the College of William & Mary in Williamsburg.{{cite web|url=https://scdbwiki.swem.wm.edu/wiki/index.php/Board_of_Visitors |title=Board of Visitors|date=August 3, 2010|work=Special Collections Research Center Wiki|publisher= College of William & Mary|access-date=October 8, 2010}}

In 2009, Barr was briefly of counsel to the firm Kirkland & Ellis. From 2010 until 2017, he advised corporations on government enforcement matters and regulatory litigation; he rejoined Kirkland and Ellis in 2017.{{cite web|url=https://www.kirkland.com/lawyers/b/barr-william-p|title=William P. Barr profile|website=kirkland.com |access-date=December 6, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181206235247/https://www.kirkland.com/lawyers/b/barr-william-p |url-status=dead |archive-date=December 6, 2018 }}

From 2009 to 2018, Barr served on the board of directors for Time Warner.{{cite news |last1=Laird |first1=Lorelei |title=Who is William Barr, Trump's pick to replace Sessions as AG? |url=https://www.abajournal.com/news/article/trump_to_nominate_former_attorney_general_william_barr_to_succeed_sessions |access-date=November 27, 2019 |work=ABA Journal |date=December 7, 2018}}

In March 1998, Barr lambasted the Clinton administration for criticizing Independent Counsel Ken Starr's investigation of the Whitewater controversy, which had shifted towards an investigation of an alleged affair between Clinton and Monica Lewinsky. Barr said the criticism appeared "to have the improper purpose of influencing and impeding an ongoing criminal investigation and intimidating possible jurors, witnesses and even investigators".

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During the first two years of the Trump presidency, Barr frequently criticized legal challenges against Trump and investigations into the Trump 2016 campaign and presidency.{{Cite news|url=https://www.wsj.com/articles/barr-under-fire-says-hes-fighting-for-the-presidency-not-trump-11558389922|title=Barr, Under Fire, Says He's Fighting for the Presidency, Not Trump|last1=Gurman|first1=Sadie|date=May 20, 2019|work=The Wall Street Journal|access-date=May 20, 2019 |issn=0099-9660}}{{Cite web|url=https://www.latimes.com/nation/la-na-pol-barr-confirmation-fight-20190114-story.html|title=William Barr to face tough Senate hearing on attorney general nomination|last2=Haberkorn |first1=Del Quentin |last1=Wilber |first2=Jennifer |website=Los Angeles Times|access-date=May 20, 2019|date=January 14, 2019}}

In 2017, Barr said there was "nothing inherently wrong" with Donald Trump's calls for investigating Hillary Clinton while the two were both running for president. Barr added that an investigation into an alleged Uranium One controversy was more warranted than looking into whether Trump conspired with Russia to influence the 2016 elections.{{cite news |first1=Peter |last1=Baker|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2017/11/14/us/politics/trump-pressure-clinton-investigation.html |title='Lock Her Up' Becomes More Than a Slogan |date=November 14, 2017 |work=The New York Times |access-date=December 7, 2018 }} Barr also said in 2017 that he did not think "all this stuff" about incarcerating or prosecuting Hillary Clinton was appropriate to say, but added that "there are things that should be investigated that haven't been investigated," although the FBI began investigating the Clinton Foundation and the related Uranium One matter in 2015, followed by investigations by Republican congressional committees.{{Cite web |url=https://www.factcheck.org/2017/10/facts-uranium-one/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171101180844/https://www.factcheck.org/2017/10/facts-uranium-one/ |archive-date=1 November 2017 |work=FactCheck.org |publisher=Annenberg Public Policy Center |title=The Facts on Uranium One |first1=Eugene |last1=Kiely |date=October 26, 2017 |access-date=12 March 2024 }}{{Cite news|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/national-security/the-fbi-is-investigating-the-clinton-foundation/2018/01/05/1aca0d4a-f1cf-11e7-97bf-bba379b809ab_story.html |first1=Matt |last1=Zapotosky |first2=Devlin |last2=Barrett |date=January 5, 2018|title=FBI has been investigating the Clinton Foundation for months|newspaper=The Washington Post}}{{cite news |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2018/12/06/trumps-new-top-attorney-general-pick-once-called-more-clinton-probes-downplayed-trump-russia-collusion/ |first1=Aaron |last1=Blake |title=The red flags on Trump's new attorney general pick |date=December 6, 2018 |newspaper=The Washington Post |access-date=December 7, 2018 }}

In February 2017, Barr argued Trump was justified in firing Acting Attorney General Sally Yates over her refusal to defend Executive Order 13769.{{cite news |newspaper=The Washington Post |date=February 1, 2017 |first1=William |last1=Barr |title=Former attorney general: Trump was right to fire Sally Yates |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/former-attorney-general-trump-was-right-to-fire-sally-yates/2017/02/01/5981d890-e809-11e6-80c2-30e57e57e05d_story.html}}

Barr was publicly critical of the special counsel investigation. In 2017, he faulted Mueller for hiring prosecutors who have contributed to Democratic politicians, saying that his team should have had more "balance", and characterized the obstruction of justice investigation as "asinine" and that it was "taking on the look of an entirely political operation to overthrow the president".{{cite news |first1= Matt |last1= Zapotosky |date= July 5, 2017 |url= https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/post-politics/wp/2017/07/05/as-mueller-grows-his-russia-special-counsel-team-every-hire-is-under-scrutiny/ |title= As Mueller builds his Russia special-counsel team, every hire is under scrutiny |newspaper=The Washington Post |access-date= February 16, 2019 }}{{cite news |url= https://thehill.com/homenews/administration/338210-trump-allies-hit-mueller-on-relationship-with-comey |title= Trump allies hit Mueller on relationship with Comey |first1= Will |last1= Sommer |date= June 17, 2017 |website=The Hill |access-date= March 28, 2019 }}

In June 2018, Barr sent an unsolicited 20-page memo to senior Justice Department officials. He also provided copies to members of Trump's legal team and discussed it with some of them.{{cite web|url=https://www.cnn.com/2019/01/14/politics/barr-mueller-letter/index.html|title=Barr sent or discussed controversial memo with Trump lawyers|first1=Ariane |last1=de Vogue |date=January 15, 2019 |website=CNN |access-date=September 29, 2019 }} In his memo, Barr argued that the Special Counsel should not be investigating Trump for obstruction of justice because Trump's actions, such as firing FBI Director James Comey, were within his powers as head of the executive branch.{{cite news|url=https://www.cnn.com/2019/03/24/politics/barr-memo-mueller/index.html|title=Barr authored memo last year ruling out obstruction of justice|last1=Watkins|first1=Eli|date=March 26, 2019|work=CNN|access-date=May 2, 2019}}{{cite news |first1=Sadie |last1=Gurman |first2=Aruna |last2=Viswanatha |access-date=March 28, 2019 |url=https://www.wsj.com/articles/trumps-attorney-general-pick-criticized-an-aspect-of-mueller-probe-in-memo-to-justice-department-11545275973|title=Trump's Attorney General Pick Criticized an Aspect of Mueller Probe in Memo to Justice Department|date=December 20, 2018|work=The Wall Street Journal }}{{cite news |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2019/01/15/barr-confirms-he-shared-his-memo-with-lots-people-around-trump/ |first1=Aaron |last1=Blake |date=January 15, 2019 |title=Barr confirms he shared his Mueller memo with lots of people around Trump |newspaper=The Washington Post |access-date=September 29, 2019 }} He characterized the obstruction investigation as "fatally misconceived" and "grossly irresponsible" and "potentially disastrous" to the executive branch.{{cite news |url=https://edition.cnn.com/2019/03/24/politics/barr-memo-mueller/index.html|first1= Eli |last1=Watkins |date= March 26, 2019 |title=Barr authored memo last year ruling out obstruction of justice |work=CNN|access-date=September 29, 2019}} The day after the existence of the memo became known, Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein said "our decisions are informed by our knowledge of the actual facts of the case, which Mr. Barr didn't have."{{cite news |url= https://www.politico.com/story/2018/12/20/rosenstein-barr-memo-mueller-probe-1071029 |title= Rosenstein: AG nominee's memo had 'no impact' on Mueller probe |first1= Rebecca |last1= Morin |website=Politico |access-date= December 20, 2018 |date= December 20, 2018 }} Democrats later characterized the memo as Barr's "job application" for the attorney general position.{{cite news|url=https://www.politico.com/story/2019/04/04/barr-legacy-mueller-report-1256871|title=Barr's legacy on the line as Mueller team fumes|last1=Samuelsohn|first1=Darren|date=April 4, 2019|work=Politico|access-date=May 2, 2019}}

The National Republican Senatorial Committee (NRSC) financially assists Republicans in their Senate election contests; in the seven years from 2009 to 2016, Barr gave six donations to the NRSC totaling $85,400. In a five-month period from October 2018 to February 2019, Barr donated five times (around $10,000 every month) for a total of $51,000. When Barr started donating more frequently to the NRSC, it was uncertain whether then-Attorney General Jeff Sessions would remain in his job. Barr continued donating even after Sessions resigned, and after Trump nominated Barr for Attorney General. The donations stopped after Barr was confirmed by the Senate as attorney general. NRSC refunded Barr $30,000 before his confirmation. Previously in 2017, Barr had said he felt "prosecutors who make political contributions are identifying fairly strongly with a political party."{{cite web |last1=Livni |first1=Ephrat |last2=Yanofsky |first2=David |title=William Barr's donations to Senate Republicans spiked just before they confirmed him as attorney general |url=https://qz.com/1667918/barrs-donations-to-senate-republicans-spiked-before-confirmation |website=Quartz |access-date=July 21, 2019 |date=July 18, 2019}}

File:Swearing-in of William Barr.jpg John Roberts in 2019.]]On December 7, 2018, President Donald Trump announced Barr's nomination to succeed Jeff Sessions.{{cite news|first1=Katherine |last1=Faulders |first2=Jonathan |last2=Karl |first3=Trish |last3=Turner |work=ABC News|title=Trump announces he'll nominate William Barr as next attorney general|url=https://abcnews.go.com/Politics/trump-nominate-william-barr-attorney-general-sources/story?id=59660201|date=December 7, 2018|access-date=December 7, 2018}}{{Cite web|url=https://thehill.com/homenews/senate/430025-senate-confirms-trump-pick-william-barr-as-new-attorney-general|title=Senate confirms Trump pick William Barr as new attorney general|first1=Jesse|last1=Byrnes|date=February 14, 2019|website=The Hill|access-date=February 14, 2019}} Michael Isikoff and Daniel Klaidman reported that Trump had sought Barr as chief defense lawyer for Trump regarding the special counsel investigation headed by Robert Mueller after Barr made three positions known. First, Barr supported Trump's firing of Comey on May 9, 2017. Second, he questioned the appointments of some of Mueller's prosecutors due to political donations they had made to the Clinton campaign. Third, he alleged there were conflicts of interest of two appointees to the Special Counsel Team, Jennie Rhee and Bruce Ohr.{{cite web|url=https://news.yahoo.com/trump-first-wanted-g-pick-bill-barr-another-job-defense-lawyer-231509009.html|title=Trump first wanted his attorney general pick William Barr for another job: Defense lawyer|website=news.yahoo.com|access-date=December 10, 2018 |date=December 8, 2018 |first1=Michael |last1=Isikoff |first2=Daniel |last2=Klaidman }}{{cite magazine|url=https://time.com/5473756/william-barr-attorney-general-mueller-probe/ |title=Here's What Trump's New Pick for Attorney General Has Said About the Mueller Investigation|magazine=Time |first1=Tessa |last1=Berenson |first2=Mahita |last2=Gajanan |date=December 7, 2018 |access-date=December 10, 2018}}{{cite news |date=December 7, 2018 |first1=Michael |last1=Balsamo |first2=Eric |last2=Tucker |first3=Chad |last3=Day |work=Associated Press |title=Trump Justice pick likely to be queried on Mueller comments |url=https://apnews.com/general-news-united-states-government-089bf90df8c04950a7fb14215fca87dd |access-date=March 11, 2024 }}

Barr was confirmed as attorney general on February 14, 2019, by a 54–45 near party-line vote, with Sen. Doug Jones (D-AL), Joe Manchin (D-WV), and Kyrsten Sinema (D-AZ) as the three Democrats to vote Yea. Republican senator Rand Paul (R-KY) voted No and Richard Burr (R-NC) did not vote.{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2019/02/14/us/politics/william-barr-attorney-general-confirmation-vote.html|title=How Every Senator Voted on Barr's Confirmation as Attorney General |last1=Daniel |first1=Annie |date=February 14, 2019 |work=The New York Times |access-date=March 28, 2019 |last2=Lee |first2=Jasmine C. |issn=0362-4331}}{{Cite web|url=https://www.senate.gov/legislative/LIS/roll_call_lists/roll_call_vote_cfm.cfm?congress=116&session=1&vote=00024|title=U.S. Senate: U.S. Senate Roll Call Votes 116th Congress – 1st Session |website=senate.gov|access-date=February 14, 2019}} Later that day, Barr was sworn in as the nation's 85th attorney general by Chief Justice John Roberts in a ceremony at the White House.{{cite news |url=https://www.npr.org/2019/02/14/694751343/senate-confirms-william-barr-as-next-attorney-general |title=Attorney General William Barr Swears Oath Of Office After Senate Confirmation |work=NPR|first1=Philip |last1=Ewing |date=February 14, 2019 |access-date=February 15, 2019}} He is the first person to be appointed to a second non-consecutive term as attorney general since John J. Crittenden in 1850.{{cite news|url=https://thehill.com/opinion/criminal-justice/428878-william-barr-is-right-man-for-the-times |first1=Jon A. |last1=Sale |title= William Barr is right man for the times|work=The Hill|date=February 7, 2019|access-date=March 23, 2019}}

In May 2019, three months into his tenure as attorney general, the Associated Press characterized Barr as a champion and advocate for Trump.{{Cite web |url=https://apnews.com/article/immigration-north-america-donald-trump-ap-top-news-cabinets-3953e0a367ec4655950eedf9146d39af |title=In Barr, Trump has found his champion and advocate |last1=Balsamo |first1=Michael |last2=Lemire |first2=Jonathan |date=May 17, 2019 |work=Associated Press |access-date=May 18, 2019}} Barr had enthusiastically supported Trump's political agenda, repeated Trump's assertion that those investigating Trump had engaged in spying, defied congressional subpoenas, and refused to give Congress an unredacted version of the Mueller report.

Under Barr's leadership, the Justice Department changed its position on the Affordable Care Act (ACA). Previously the department took the position that the individual mandate provision was unconstitutional, but could be severed from the whole healthcare law. On March 25, the department updated its position to argue that the entire law was unconstitutional.{{cite web |last1=Robson |first1=Nate |title=In Reversal, DOJ Now Says Whole ACA Unconstitutional |url=https://www.law.com/nationallawjournal/2019/03/25/in-reversal-doj-now-says-whole-aca-unconstitutional/ |date=March 25, 2019 |website=The National Law Journal |access-date=May 4, 2019}} On May 2, the department conducted a filing with the United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit to nullify the entire law, arguing that the removal of the provision on individual mandate results in the entire law becoming unconstitutional.{{cite web |last1=Robson |first1=Nate |title=US Justice Dept. Goes All In, Embracing Texas Judge's Obamacare Takedown |date=May 1, 2019 |url=https://www.law.com/nationallawjournal/2019/05/01/us-justice-dept-goes-all-in-embracing-texas-judges-obamacare-takedown/ |website=The National Law Journal |access-date=May 4, 2019}}

Also in July 2019, Barr reportedly made the decision to not bring federal civil rights charges against New York policeman Daniel Pantaleo for causing the death of Eric Garner. In so doing, he overruled the Justice Department's Civil Rights Division, which advocated charging Pantaleo, instead agreeing with Justice Department prosecutors from New York.{{cite web |last1=Shortell |first1=David |title=Barr sides against civil rights officials in declining to bring charges against NYPD officer in Garner case |url=https://edition.cnn.com/2019/07/16/politics/eric-garner-william-barr-nypd-officer-daniel-pantaleo/index.html |date=July 16, 2019 |website=CNN |access-date=July 21, 2019}}

On July 25, 2019, Barr ordered the resumption of federal executions.{{Cite news|url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2019/jul/25/death-penalty-capital-punishment-us-justice-department-resumes-executions|title=US justice department resumes use of death penalty and schedules five executions|first1=David|last1=Smith|date=July 25, 2019|work=The Guardian |access-date=September 29, 2019 }}

On July 8, 2019, Barr announced his recusal from the Justice Department's review of the 2008 federal prosecution of American financier and convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.{{cite news |last1=Zhao |first1=Christina |title=William Barr Says He's Recused From Epstein Case Over Legal Conflict |url=https://www.newsweek.com/william-barr-says-hes-recused-epstein-case-over-legal-conflict-1448165 |access-date=7 February 2021 |work=Newsweek|date=8 July 2019}} On August 10, 2019, Epstein was found unresponsive in his jail cell at the Metropolitan Correctional Center (MCC).{{cite news |last1=Rashbaum |first1=William K. |last2=Weiser |first2=Benjamin |last3=Gold |first3=Michael |title=Jeffrey Epstein Dead in Suicide at Jail, Spurring Inquiries |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2019/08/10/nyregion/jeffrey-epstein-suicide.html |access-date=7 February 2021 |work=The New York Times |date=10 August 2019}} Barr later announced that Justice Department officials were investigating "serious irregularities" at the Metropolitan Correctional Center.{{cite news |last1=Benner |first1=Katie |title=Barr Says Epstein's Suicide Resulted From 'Perfect Storm of Screw-Ups' |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2019/11/22/nyregion/william-barr-jeffrey-epstein-suicide-investigation.html |access-date=7 February 2021 |work=The New York Times |date=22 November 2019}}

In mid-August 2019, Barr had a rare face-to-face meeting with Trump and Giuliani associates Joseph diGenova and his wife Victoria Toensing, who since earlier that year represented former Ukrainian prosecutor general Viktor Shokin and pro-Russia Ukrainian oligarch Dmytry Firtash as attorneys. Trump had announced in March 2018 that diGenova and Toensing would join his legal defense team during the Mueller investigation; the appointments were withdrawn days later, though Trump personal attorney Jay Sekulow said they might assist in other legal matters. DiGenova has said he has known Barr for thirty years, as they both worked in the Reagan Justice Department. Since 2014, Firtash had been fighting extradition to the United States under a federal indictment while he was living in Austria after being arrested there and released on $155 million bail, and diGenova and Toensing sought to have Barr drop the charges. Firtash was a middleman for importing Russian natural gas into Ukraine and has said he was installed in that role by Russian organized crime boss Semion Mogilevich; Russian president Vladimir Putin reportedly agreed to the appointment. When he was vice president, Joe Biden had urged Ukraine to eliminate middlemen such as Firtash and to reduce the country's reliance on imports of Russian natural gas. Giuliani had directed associate Lev Parnas to approach Firtash with a recommendation to hire diGenova and Toensing, with the proposition that Firtash could help provide damaging information on Biden, which Parnas's attorney described was "part of any potential resolution to [Firtash's] extradition matter." DiGenova and Toensing obtained a September 2019 statement{{cite web |url=https://cdn.factcheck.org/UploadedFiles/427618359-Shokin-Statement-1.pdf |title=Witness Statement of Victor Micolajovich Shokin |date=September 4, 2019 |website=Factcheck.org |access-date=May 21, 2021 }} from Shokin that made false assertions about corruption by Biden. The statement noted that it was prepared "at the request of lawyers acting for Dmitry Firtash ('DF'), for use in legal proceedings in Austria." Giuliani promoted the statement in television appearances as purported evidence of wrongdoing by Biden. Prior to meeting with diGenova and Toensing, Barr had been briefed in detail on the initial Trump–Ukraine scandal whistleblower complaint within the CIA that had been forwarded to the Justice Department, as well as on Giuliani's activities in Ukraine. Barr declined to intervene in the Firtash case. Bloomberg News reported that its sources told them Giuliani's high-profile publicity of the Shokin statement had greatly reduced the chances of the Justice Department dropping the charges against Firtash, as it would appear to be a political quid pro quo.Multiple sources:

• {{cite news|last1=Zapotosky|first1=Matt|date=October 22, 2019|title=Prosecutors flagged possible ties between Ukrainian gas tycoon and Giuliani associates|newspaper=The Washington Post|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/prosecutors-flagged-possible-ties-between-ukrainian-gas-tycoon-and-giuliani-associates/2019/10/22/4ee22e7c-f020-11e9-b648-76bcf86eb67e_story.html|access-date=10 September 2021}}
• {{Cite news|last2=O'Brien |first1=Rebecca |last1=Ballhaus |first2=Rebecca Davis |date=May 1, 2021|title=WSJ News Exclusive | Rudy Giuliani's Contacts With Former Ukrainian Officials Sought|newspaper=The Wall Street Journal|url=https://www.wsj.com/articles/rudy-giulianis-contacts-with-former-ukrainian-officials-sought-11619823795 |access-date=March 11, 2024 }}
• {{Cite news|last1=Haberman|first1=Maggie|last2=Schmidt|first2=Michael S.|last3=Landler|first3=Mark|date=March 25, 2018|title=Trump Won't Hire 2 Lawyers Whose Appointments Were Announced Days Ago|newspaper=The New York Times|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2018/03/25/us/politics/trump-digenova-toensing.html |access-date=March 11, 2024 }}
• {{Cite web |first1=Vicky |last1=Ward |first2=Marshall |last2=Cohen |date=November 1, 2019|title='I'm the best-paid interpreter in the world': Indicted Giuliani associate Lev Parnas touted windfall from Ukrainian oligarch |access-date=March 11, 2024 |url=https://www.cnn.com/2019/11/01/politics/parnas-firtash-giuliani-ties/index.html|website=CNN}}
• {{Cite news|last1=Becker|first1=Jo|last2=Bogdanich|first2=Walt|last3=Haberman|first3=Maggie|last4=Protess|first4=Ben|date=November 25, 2019|title=Why Giuliani Singled Out 2 Ukrainian Oligarchs to Help Look for Dirt|newspaper=The New York Times|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2019/11/25/us/giuliani-ukraine-oligarchs.html |access-date=March 11, 2024 }}
• {{Cite news|last1=Dilanian|first1=Ken|last2=De Luce|first2=Dan|last3=Winter|first3=Tom|date=October 16, 2019|title=Oligarch Firtash linked to Giuliani pals' gas deals and Biden research|work=NBC News|url=https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/trump-impeachment-inquiry/ukrainian-oligarch-firtash-linked-giuliani-pals-gas-deals-biden-dirt-n1067516|access-date=October 18, 2019}}
• {{Cite news|last1=Baker|first1=Stephanie|last2=Reznik|first2=Irina|date=October 18, 2019|title=To Win Giuliani's Help, Oligarch's Allies Pursued Biden Dirt|work=Bloomberg|url=https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2019-10-18/to-win-giuliani-s-help-oligarch-s-allies-pursued-biden-dirt|access-date=October 19, 2019}}
• {{Cite news|last1=Grey|first1=Stephen|last2=Bergin|first2=Tom|last3=Musaieva|first3=Sevgil|last4=Anin|first4=Roman|author-link4=Roman Anin|date=November 26, 2014|title=SPECIAL REPORT-Putin's allies channelled billions to Ukraine oligarch|newspaper=Reuters|editor-last1=Woods|editor-first1=Richard |access-date=March 11, 2024 |url=https://www.reuters.com/article/russia-capitalism-gas-special-report-pix-idUSL3N0TF4QD20141126/ }}
• {{Cite magazine|title=Exclusive: How a Ukrainian Oligarch Wanted by U.S. Authorities Helped Giuliani Attack Biden|url=https://time.com/5699201/exclusive-how-a-ukrainian-oligarch-wanted-by-u-s-authorities-helped-giuliani-attack-biden/ |first1=Simon |last1=Shuster |date=October 15, 2019 |access-date=November 6, 2021 |magazine=Time}}File:Attorney General William Barr discusses the shooting at Pensacola Naval Air Station.jpg, 13 January 2020.]]In October 2019, as Trump faced an impeachment inquiry about the Trump-Ukraine scandal, Barr met with Fox Corporation chairman Rupert Murdoch at his Manhattan home. Trump reportedly was angered by a recent Fox News poll showing a majority of Americans supported his impeachment and removal from office, as well as analysis of the scandal by Fox News senior judicial analyst Andrew Napolitano, a previous Trump ally who had argued the president should be impeached. Trump reportedly directed Barr to meet with Murdoch, and it was not immediately known what the men discussed, but CNN media analyst Brian Stelter wrote in his 2020 book about Fox News that silencing Napolitano was among the topics discussed. The meeting was one day after Parnas and Igor Fruman, associates of Trump and Giuliani, were arrested as they prepared to fly to Vienna to arrange an interview between Fox News host Sean Hannity and Shokin, who had made false corruption allegations about Joe Biden, a potential challenger to Trump in the 2020 presidential election.{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2019/10/10/us/politics/fox-news-poll-trump-impeachment.html |access-date=November 6, 2021 |title=Trump Lashes Out at Fox News Poll as Barr Meets With Murdoch |first1=Maggie |last1=Haberman |first2=Katie |last2=Benner |newspaper=The New York Times |date=October 10, 2019}}{{Cite news |url=https://thehill.com/homenews/media/465299-barr-met-privately-with-murdoch-amid-impeachment-scrutiny-report |access-date=November 6, 2021 |title=Barr met privately with Murdoch amid impeachment scrutiny: report |first1=Martin |last1=Johnson |date=October 10, 2019 |website=The Hill }}{{Cite web|url=https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2020/aug/22/william-barr-rupert-murdoch-muzzle-andrew-napolitano-fox-news-trump-critic-book |first1=Martin |last1=Pengelly |access-date=November 6, 2021 |title=William Barr told Murdoch to 'muzzle' Fox News Trump critic, new book says|date=August 22, 2020|website=The Guardian }}{{Cite news |url=https://www.cnn.com/2019/10/23/politics/parnas-fruman-hustle-profit-access-giuliani/index.html |access-date=November 6, 2021 |title=How two businessmen hustled to profit from access to Rudy Giuliani and the Trump administration |first1=Katelyn |last1=Polantz |first2=Scott |last2=Glover |first3=Vicky |last3=Ward |date=October 23, 2019 |website=CNN}}

In December 2019, Barr said that communities that do not show the "respect and support that law enforcement deserves{{nbs}}... might find themselves without the police protection they need."{{Cite news|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/nation/2019/12/04/william-barr-police-protests-communities-race/|title=William Barr says 'communities' that protest cops could lose 'the police protection they need'|date=December 4, 2019|newspaper=The Washington Post|access-date=February 20, 2019|url-status=live|first1=Tim|last1=Elfrink|archive-date=December 12, 2019|archive-url=https://archive.today/20191212043445/https://www.washingtonpost.com/nation/2019/12/04/william-barr-police-protests-communities-race/}} Barr dropped the Department of Justice's case against the police officer who killed Eric Garner in 2014.

In February 2020, Senator Lindsey Graham stated that the Justice Department "is receiving information coming out of the Ukraine from" Rudy Giuliani, a personal lawyer to president Donald Trump. Graham had learned from Barr that "they've created a process that Rudy could give information and they would see if it's verified." A day later, Barr confirmed Graham's account, stating that he had "established an intake process" for information on Ukraine, including from Giuliani, while citing an "obligation to have an open door" policy on receiving information.{{cite news |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2024/02/23/how-bill-barr-assignment-led-biden-impeachment-effort-based-lie/ |date=23 February 2024 |first=Glenn |last=Kessler |title=How a Bill Barr 'assignment' led to a Biden impeachment effort based on a lie |newspaper=The Washington Post |access-date=23 September 2024 }} Giuliani has claimed to have information of improprieties regarding Ukraine for Joe Biden (a former vice president, later a 2020 presidential candidate) and his son Hunter Biden. Giuliani himself is reportedly being investigated by the Justice Department, with two of his associates having been arrested.{{cite news |last1=Shortell |first1=David |title=Barr confirms Justice Department is receiving Giuliani information about Ukraine |url=https://edition.cnn.com/2020/02/10/politics/justice-department-rudy-giuliani-ukraine/index.html |access-date=February 13, 2020 |work=CNN |date=February 10, 2020}}{{cite news |last1=Zapotosky |first1=Matt |last2=Barrett |first2=Devlin |title=Barr acknowledges Justice Dept. has created 'intake process' to vet Giuliani's information on Bidens |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/national-security/barr-acknowledges-justice-dept-has-created-intake-process-to-vet-giulianis-information-on-bidens/2020/02/10/0fba553a-4c1e-11ea-bf44-f5043eb3918a_story.html |url-status=live |access-date=February 13, 2020 |newspaper=The Washington Post |date=February 11, 2020 |archive-date=February 10, 2020 |archive-url=https://archive.today/20200210204904/https://www.washingtonpost.com/national-security/barr-acknowledges-justice-dept-has-created-intake-process-to-vet-giulianis-information-on-bidens/2020/02/10/0fba553a-4c1e-11ea-bf44-f5043eb3918a_story.html}}{{cite news |last1=Chait |first1=Jonathan |title=Lindsey Graham Implicates William Barr in Massive Scandal, on Live Television |url=https://nymag.com/intelligencer/2020/02/lindsey-graham-william-barr-rudy-giuliani-lev-parnas-ukraine-trump.html |access-date=February 13, 2020 |work=New York |date=February 10, 2020}}

Barr has made commentary about social and religious issues in speeches and television appearances. In an October 2019 address at the University of Notre Dame, Barr asserted that "militant secularists" had been attacking Judeo-Christian values for five decades, stating, "This is not decay. This is organized destruction. Secular forces and their allies have marshaled all the forces of mass communication, popular culture, the entertainment industry, and academia, in an unremitting assault on religion and traditional values."{{Cite web|url=https://www.foxnews.com/politics/ag-barr-blasts-militant-secularists-attacks-on-religious-freeom |access-date=November 6, 2021 |title=AG Barr blasts 'militant secularists' in speech on religious freedom|first1=Caleb|last1=Parke|date=October 14, 2019|website=Fox News}}

Barr has sometimes supported controversial or false statements made by Trump.{{cite news |url=https://apnews.com/article/election-2020-virus-outbreak-politics-ap-top-news-us-news-04ecf8d35f7ad26a1ec1c9ff2fc3431c |title=In Barr, Trump has powerful ally for challenging mail voting|last1=Tucker|first1=Eric|date=September 4, 2020 |work=Associated Press |access-date=September 14, 2020}}

On September 21, 2020, Barr joined Advisor Ivanka Trump, Georgia governor Brian Kemp, First Lady Marty Kemp, and Tim Tebow in Atlanta to announce $100 million in grant funding for victims of human trafficking.{{Cite web |date=2020-09-21 |title=Barr announces $100 million more to combat human trafficking |first1=Jeff |last1=Amy |url=https://www.pbs.org/newshour/nation/barr-announces-100-million-more-to-combat-human-trafficking |access-date=2023-08-12 |website=PBS NewsHour |language=en-us}}

On December 21, 2020, Barr announced federal charges against Abu Agila Masud for building the bomb that destroyed Pan Am Flight 103. Barr had taken an interest in solving that case, both during and between his tenures as attorney general.{{cite web | last1=Gurman | first1=Sadie | title=For Attorney General William Barr, New Lockerbie Charges Punctuate a Decadeslong Mission | url=https://www.wsj.com/articles/for-attorney-general-william-barr-new-lockerbie-charges-punctuate-a-decadeslong-mission-11608552009 | date=December 21, 2020 | work=The Wall Street Journal | access-date=December 29, 2020}}

In May 2021, federal judge Beryl Howell unsealed documents showing that in November 2020 the Barr DOJ persuaded a grand jury to subpoena Twitter for information to identify who operated a parody Twitter account, @NunesAlt, that mocked Republican congressman and ardent Trump ally Devin Nunes. Twitter was also issued a gag order in the matter. Challenging the subpoena, the company noted Nunes's history of litigation and argued that the subpoena appeared to be a government attempt to aid his efforts to retaliate against his critics, and violated the First Amendment. The DOJ cited 18USC§875(c){{Cite web |access-date=11 March 2024 |url=https://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/18/875|title=18 U.S. Code § 875 – Interstate communications|website=LII / Legal Information Institute}} that prohibits threats, but did not provide any examples of threats to Twitter attorneys. CNN reported that investigators sought information about several online accounts relating to threats against senator Mitch McConnell. The DOJ withdrew the subpoena one week after Twitter challenged it to Howell, who oversees federal grand juries, in March 2021.{{Cite web|url=https://thehill.com/regulation/administration/553962-trump-doj-subpoenaed-twitter-for-identity-behind-nunes-parody |access-date=March 11, 2024 |title=Trump DOJ subpoenaed Twitter for identity behind Nunes parody account|first1=Alicia|last1=Cohn|date=May 17, 2021|website=The Hill }}{{Cite web|url=https://www.thedailybeast.com/trump-doj-tried-to-unmask-user-behind-devin-nunes-parody-twitter-account|title=Trump DOJ Tried to Unmask User Behind Devin Nunes Parody Twitter Account |access-date=March 11, 2024 |first1=Justin|last1=Rohrlich|date=May 17, 2021 |website=The Daily Beast}}{{Cite web|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2021/05/17/us/politics/devin-nunes-twitter-justice-department.html|title=Trump Justice Dept. Tried to Use Grand Jury to Identify Nunes Critic on Twitter|first1=Charlie|last1=Savage |access-date=March 11, 2024 |date=May 17, 2021 |newspaper=The New York Times }}{{Cite web|url=https://www.cnn.com/2021/05/17/politics/nunes-parody-twitter-justice-department/index.html |date=May 18, 2021 |access-date=November 6, 2021 |title=Justice Department sought to unmask Devin Nunes parody Twitter account this year, court records show |first1=Katelyn |last1=Polantz |first2=Evan |last2=Perez |website=CNN}} Prior to Barr's second tenure, the Trump Justice Department in 2017 and 2018 subpoenaed metadata from the iCloud accounts of at least a dozen individuals associated with the House Intelligence Committee, including that of ranking Democratic member Adam Schiff and Eric Swalwell, and family members, to investigate leaks to the press about contacts between Trump associates and Russia.{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2021/06/10/us/politics/justice-department-leaks-trump-administration.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20211228/https://www.nytimes.com/2021/06/10/us/politics/justice-department-leaks-trump-administration.html |archive-date=2021-12-28 |url-access=limited |access-date=March 11, 2024 |title=Hunting Leaks, Trump Officials Focused on Democrats in Congress |first1=Katie |last1=Benner |first2=Nicholas |last2=Fandos |first3=Michael S. |last3=Schmidt |first4=Adam |last4=Goldman |newspaper=The New York Times |date=June 11, 2021 }}{{cbignore}}{{Cite web|url=https://apnews.com/article/government-and-politics-donald-trump-5b6f6bf0daf8bccf106a90d2ff52686c|title=Trump DOJ seized data from House Democrats in leaks probe|date=June 11, 2021|website=Associated Press |first1=Mary Clare |last1=Jalonick |first2=Michael |last2=Balsamo |access-date=November 6, 2021 }}

{{see|Mueller special counsel investigation|Mueller Report|Barr letter}}

On January 14, 2019, a day before Barr's confirmation hearing for attorney general, Barr sent written testimony to the Senate Judiciary Committee regarding the eventual final Mueller report, saying "it is very important that the public and Congress be informed of the results of the special counsel's work{{nbs}}... For that reason, my goal will be to provide as much transparency as I can consistent with the law."{{Cite news|url=https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/congress/trump-ag-nominee-william-barr-vitally-important-mueller-complete-russia-n957951|title=William Barr: 'Vitally important' for Mueller to complete Russia probe|last1=Shabad|first1=Rebecca|date=January 14, 2019|access-date=February 9, 2019|work=NBC News }}{{Cite news|url=https://www.bostonglobe.com/news/politics/2019/01/14/trump-nominee-tell-senate-panel-vitally-important-mueller-finish-work/J4y1xrrzC1NRPF4s3k3ajO/story.html|title=Trump's AG nominee to tell Senate panel it is 'vitally important' Mueller finish work|last1=Tucker|first1=Eric|date=January 14, 2019|work=The Boston Globe|access-date=February 9, 2019|agency=Associated Press}}

Upon taking office, Barr refused calls to recuse himself from overseeing the Mueller investigation, despite his June 2018 memo arguing that the special counsel had no right to investigate Trump.

On March 22, 2019, Mueller concluded his special counsel investigation and gave the final report to Barr.{{Cite news|url=https://www.cnbc.com/2019/03/22/robert-mueller-submits-special-counsels-russia-probe-report-to-attorney-general-william-barr.html|title=Mueller Probe is Over: Special counsel submits Russia report to Attorney General William Barr|last1=Breuninger|first1=Kevin|date=March 22, 2019|access-date=March 22, 2019|work=CNBC}}

File:AG March 24 2019 Letter to House and Senate Judiciary Committees.pdf and Senate judiciary committees on March 24, 2019. It claims to describe the principal conclusions of the Special Counsel investigation.]]

Even before seeing the Mueller report, Barr had already decided to clear Trump of obstruction. To this end, he tasked the Office of Legal Counsel with writing a memo that would provide a pretextual justification for this decision.{{cite news |work=Washington Examiner |url=https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/news/justice/justice-department-releases-memo-barr-trump-obstruction-russia |title=DOJ releases memo advising Barr on not pursuing Trump obstruction charges | date=August 24, 2022 |first=Daniel |last=Chaitin |access-date=August 29, 2022 |quote='The court's ... review of the memorandum revealed that the Department in fact never considered bringing a charge,' the panel wrote in its opinion. 'Instead, the memorandum concerned a separate decision that had gone entirely unmentioned by the government in its submissions to the court — what, if anything, to say to Congress and the public about the Mueller Report.' The panel added: 'We affirm the district court.' }}{{cite news |url=https://abcnews.go.com/Politics/doj-releases-memo-ag-barrs-decision-prosecute-trump/story?id=88808145 |date=August 24, 2022 |title=DOJ releases memo behind Barr's decision not to prosecute Trump for obstruction |work=ABC News |first=Alexander |last=Mallin |access-date=August 29, 2022 |quote=DOJ officials previously told the court that the memo should be kept from the public because it involved internal department deliberations and the advice given to Barr about whether Trump should face prosecution. But a district judge ruled that Barr was never engaged in such a process and had already made up his mind to not charge Trump. }}{{cite news |url=https://www.politico.com/news/2022/08/19/appeals-court-backs-ruling-to-release-doj-memo-on-trump-prosecution-00052880 |title=Appeals court backs ruling to release DOJ memo on Trump prosecution |work=Politico |date=August 19, 2022 |first1=Josh |last1=Gerstein |first2=Kyle |last2=Cheney |access-date=August 30, 2022 |quote=Srinivasan said the memo, co-authored by Assistant Attorney General for Legal Counsel Steven Engel and Principal Associate Deputy Attorney General Edward O'Callaghan, seemed more like a 'thought experiment' because Barr decided before the memo was written that Trump would not be charged with a crime. }} According to federal judge Amy Berman Jackson, the Barr letter which declined to charge Trump, and a Justice Department memo purportedly containing advice to Barr that Trump should not be charged, were "being written by the very same people at the very same time". Jackson also stated that email evidence showed that the Barr letter was "the priority, and it is getting completed first" ahead of the advice memo.{{cite web |first=Eric |last=Tucker |date=May 5, 2021 |work=Associated Press |url=https://apnews.com/article/politics-europe-government-and-politics-d1ca64dfd5d69f31a36cd1501d0c1caf |title=Judge orders Justice Dept. To release Trump obstruction memo |quote=In her order, Jackson noted that the memo prepared for Barr, and the letter from Barr to Congress that describes the special counsel's report, are 'being written by the very same people at the very same time. The emails show not only that the authors and the recipients of the memorandum are working hand in hand to craft the advice that is supposedly being delivered by OLC, but that the letter to Congress is the priority, and it is getting completed first,' the judge wrote. |access-date=August 29, 2022 }}{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2021/05/04/us/politics/barr-trump-obstruction-russia-inquiry.html|title=Judge Says Barr Misled on How His Justice Dept. Viewed Trump's Actions|first1=Michael S.|last1=Schmidt|date=May 4, 2021|work=The New York Times|archive-url=https://archive.today/20210506005235/https://www.nytimes.com/2021/05/04/us/politics/barr-trump-obstruction-russia-inquiry.html|archive-date=May 6, 2021|access-date=May 5, 2021|url-status=live}} The final memo was signed by Steven Engel and Ed O'Callaghan.{{cite web |url=https://www.citizensforethics.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/2019.03.24-Memorandum-to-AG-from-DAG-re-Mueller-Report-Review.pdf |title=Memorandum for the Attorney General: Review of the Special Counsel's Report |via=Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington |work=United States Department of Justice |date=March 24, 2019 |access-date=August 30, 2022 |first1=Steven A. |last1=Engel |first2=Edward C. |last2=O'Callaghan |authorlink=Steven Engel |authorlink2=Ed O'Callaghan }}

On March 24, Barr submitted a four-page letter to Congress describing what he said were the report's principal conclusions: first, that the Special Counsel did not establish conspiracy or coordination between the Trump campaign and Russia's efforts to interfere with the 2016 election; and second, that the Special Counsel made no decision as to whether to prosecute Trump for obstruction of justice, quoting "while this report does not conclude that the President committed a crime, it also does not exonerate him." Barr stated that the Special Counsel's decision "leaves it to" Barr to decide if Trump obstructed justice. Barr and Deputy Attorney General Rosenstein themselves concluded that the evidence "is not sufficient to establish" obstruction of justice by Trump, and made the decision not to press the charge.{{cite web |url=https://www.justice.gov/ag/page/file/1147981/download |first1=William P. |last1=Barr |work=Justice.gov |title=Attorney General's Letter to House and Senate Judiciary Committee |date=March 24, 2019 |page=3 |quote=After reviewing the Special Counsel's final report on these issues; consulting with Department officials, including the Office of Legal Counsel; and applying the principles of federal prosecution that guide our charging decisions, Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein and I have concluded that the evidence developed during the Special Counsel's investigation is not sufficient to establish that the President committed an obstruction-of-justice offense. Our determination was made without regard to, and is not based on, the constitutional considerations that surround the indictment and criminal prosecution of a sitting president. }}{{Cite web|url=https://www.cbsnews.com/news/mueller-report-key-findings-from-william-barr-summary-letter-to-congress-today-2019-03-24/ |first1=Camilo |last1=Montoya-Galvez |date=March 24, 2019 |title=The key findings from the Justice Department summary of Mueller's report|website=CBS News |access-date=May 16, 2019}}{{cite web |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190324194739/https://judiciary.house.gov/sites/democrats.judiciary.house.gov/files/documents/AG%20March%2024%202019%20Letter%20to%20House%20and%20Senate%20Judiciary%20Committees.pdf |archive-date=March 24, 2019 |url-status=dead |url=https://judiciary.house.gov/sites/democrats.judiciary.house.gov/files/documents/AG%20March%2024%202019%20Letter%20to%20House%20and%20Senate%20Judiciary%20Committees.pdf |title=Letter to Lindsey Graham, Jerrold Nadler, Dianne Feinstein, and Doug Collins |last1=Barr |first1=William |date=March 24, 2019 |access-date=April 1, 2019}}{{Cite web|url=https://www.cnbc.com/2019/03/24/attorney-general-william-barr-to-release-mueller-russia-probe-findings.html |title=Attorney General Barr to release Mueller Russia probe report findings |last1=Pramuk |first1=Jacob |last2=Kimball |first2=Spencer |date=March 24, 2019 |work=CNBC |access-date=March 24, 2019}}{{cite news |last1=Todd |first1=Chuck |last2=Murray |first2=Mark |last3=Dann |first3=Carrie |title=Here's what Barr left out in his summary of Mueller's findings |url=https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/meet-the-press/here-s-what-barr-left-out-his-summary-mueller-s-n1000541 |access-date=May 8, 2021 |work=NBC News |date=May 1, 2019}}

On March 25, Mueller reportedly wrote a letter to Barr, as described in The New York Times as "expressing his and his team's concerns that the attorney general had inadequately portrayed their conclusions".{{cite news |last1=Mazzetti |first1=Mark |last2=Schmidt |first2=Michael |title=When the Mueller Investigation Ended, the Battle Over Its Conclusions Began |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2019/05/01/us/politics/mueller-letters-barr.html |newspaper=The New York Times |access-date=May 29, 2019|date=May 1, 2019 }} In USA Today it was described that Mueller "expressed his differences with Barr".{{cite web |last1=Johnson |first1=Kevin |last2=Phillips |first2=Kristine |title=Mueller: Barr's summary of report did not capture 'context, nature, and substance' of Russia probe |url=https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/2019/04/30/mueller-objected-ag-barrs-summary-clearing-trump-obstruction/3634376002/ |date=May 1, 2019 |website=USA Today |access-date=May 29, 2019}}

On March 27, Mueller sent Barr another letter describing his concerns of Barr's letter to Congress and the public on March 24. In it, Mueller complained that the summary "did not fully capture the context, nature, and substance" of the Special Counsel's probe, adding, "There is now public confusion about critical aspects of the results of our investigation. This threatens to undermine a central purpose for which the Department appointed the Special Counsel: to assure full public confidence in the outcome of the investigations." Both before and after the release of Barr's summary, Mueller repeatedly tried to get Barr to release the report's introductions and executive summaries. Mueller's March 27 letter also stated that he had earlier sent a March 25 letter to Barr.{{Cite news|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2019/05/03/did-attorney-general-barr-mislead-congress/|title=Did Attorney General Barr mislead Congress?|last1=Rizzo|first1=Salvador|date=May 3, 2019|newspaper=The Washington Post |access-date=September 29, 2019 }}

Mueller's March 27 letter prompted Barr to call Mueller on March 28. Barr clarified on the intention of his letter both in his phone call with Mueller and in another letter to Congress that his letter had not been intended to be a summary of the report, but rather a description of the principal findings of the report.{{Cite web|url=https://www.cnn.com/2019/04/30/politics/mueller-barr-complained-russia-probe/index.html|title=Mueller expressed misgivings to Barr about 4-page letter|first1=Laura |last1=Jarrett |first2=Kate |last2=Sullivan |date=April 30, 2019 |website=CNN|access-date=May 3, 2019}}{{Cite news |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/national-security/mueller-complained-that-barrs-letter-did-not-capture-context-of-trump-probe/2019/04/30/d3c8fdb6-6b7b-11e9-a66d-a82d3f3d96d5_story.html |title=Mueller complained that Barr's letter did not capture 'context' of Trump probe |last1=Barrett |last2=Zapotosky |first1=Devlin |first2=Matt |date=April 30, 2019 |access-date=9 March 2024 |newspaper=The Washington Post}}

On April 9, Barr appeared in a congressional hearing before the House. There, Representative Charlie Crist described media reports that "members of the special counsel's team are frustrated at some level with the limited information included in your March 24 letter, that it does not adequately or accurately portray the [Mueller] report's findings." Crist asked Barr: "Do you know what they are referencing with that?" Barr replied: "No, I don't."{{cite news |url=https://edition.cnn.com/2019/04/30/politics/william-barr-robert-mueller-mueller-report/index.html |title=William Barr is in deep trouble |last1=Cillizza |first1=Chris |date=May 1, 2019 |access-date=May 1, 2019 |website=CNN }}{{cite news|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2019/05/01/evolution-obstruction-justice-dispute-between-barr-mueller/|title=The evolution of the obstruction of justice dispute between Barr and Mueller|last1=Bump|first1=Philip|date=May 1, 2019|newspaper=The Washington Post|access-date=May 1, 2019|archive-date=May 1, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190501112216/https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2019/05/01/evolution-obstruction-justice-dispute-between-barr-mueller/ |url-status=live }} On April 10, Attorney General Barr appeared before the Senate Appropriations Committee. Senator Chris Van Hollen asked Barr regarding obstruction: "Did Bob Mueller support your conclusion?" Barr replied: "I don't know whether Bob Mueller supported my conclusion."

The Department of Justice released a redacted version of the special counsel's report in the morning of April 18, 2019.{{Cite news |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2019/04/15/us/politics/mueller-report-release.html|title=Mueller Report Will Be Released Thursday, Justice Dept. Says |last1=Benner |first1=Katie |date=April 15, 2019 |work=The New York Times |access-date=April 16, 2019 |issn=0362-4331}}{{Cite web |url=https://www.cnbc.com/2019/04/15/mueller-report-expected-to-be-released-thursday-morning.html |title=Mueller report expected to be released Thursday morning |last2=Breuninger |first1=Dan |last1=Mangan |first2=Kevin |date=April 15, 2019 |work=CNBC |access-date=April 16, 2019}} After the release of the full report, fact-checkers and news outlets characterized Barr's initial letter as a deliberate mischaracterization of the Mueller Report and its conclusions.{{cite news |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2019/04/19/us/politics/mueller-report-william-barr-excerpts.html |title=How Barr's Excerpts Compare to the Mueller Report's Findings|last1=Savage|first1=Charlie|date=April 20, 2019|work=The New York Times |access-date=April 21, 2019 |author-link=Charlie Savage (author) }}{{cite news |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2019/04/19/what-attorney-general-barr-said-vs-what-mueller-report-said/ |title=What Attorney General Barr said vs. what the Mueller report said |last1=Rizzo |first1=Salvador |date=April 19, 2019|newspaper=The Washington Post |access-date=April 21, 2019}}{{Cite web|url=https://www.pbs.org/newshour/politics/3-times-mueller-and-barr-gave-different-pictures-of-trump-obstruction-probe |first1=Geoffrey Lou |last1=Guray |title=3 times Mueller and Barr gave different pictures of Trump obstruction probe |date=April 19, 2019 |website=PBS NewsHour |access-date=May 1, 2019}}{{cite news |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2019/04/19/william-barrs-incredibly-misleading-words/|title=William Barr's incredibly misleading words |last1=Eliason |first1=Randall D. |date=April 19, 2019 |newspaper=The Washington Post|access-date=April 21, 2019}}{{cite news|url=https://nymag.com/intelligencer/2019/04/impeach-attorney-general-william-barr.html|title=Congress Should Impeach William Barr |last1=Chait |first1=Jonathan |date=April 18, 2019 |work=Intelligencer |access-date=April 21, 2019 |publisher=New York|author-link=Jonathan Chait}}{{Cite web|url=https://www.factcheck.org/2019/05/what-mueller-barr-say-about-obstruction-of-justice/|title=What Mueller, Barr Say About Obstruction of Justice |last1=Kiely |first1=Eugene |date=May 29, 2019 |website=FactCheck.org |access-date=June 1, 2019}} The New York Times reported instances in which the Barr letter omitted information and quoted sentence fragments out of context in ways that significantly altered the Mueller findings, including:

• A sentence fragment described only one possible motive for Trump to obstruct justice, while the Mueller report listed other possible motives.
• Omission of words and a full sentence that twice suggested there was knowing and complicit behavior between the Trump campaign and Russians that stopped short of coordination
• Omission of language that indicated Trump could be subject to indictment after leaving office, to suggest that Trump was cleared in full

According to the Associated Press, Barr misrepresented the report in several ways, saying the report gave no indication that Congress could make a determination on obstruction of justice (the report specifically stated "that Congress may apply obstruction laws") and that "these reports are not supposed to be made public" (when DOJ regulations give the AG wide authority in releasing reports such as this one).{{Cite web|url=https://www.pbs.org/newshour/politics/ap-fact-check-trump-ag-barr-spread-untruths-about-mueller-report |first1=Hope |last1=Yen |first2=Calvin |last2=Woodward|title=AP Fact Check: Trump, AG Barr spread untruths about Mueller report|date=April 22, 2019|website=PBS NewsHour |access-date=May 1, 2019}} Barr falsely claimed in his summary of the report that "the White House fully cooperated with the Special Counsel's investigation."{{Cite web|url=https://www.politifact.com/truth-o-meter/statements/2019/apr/22/william-barr/did-trump-fully-cooperate-mueller-investigation-no/ |first1=John|last1=Kruzel |date=April 22, 2019 |title=Did Trump 'fully' cooperate with Mueller investigation? No|website=PolitiFact |access-date=April 23, 2019}} The Washington Post fact-checker described Barr's claim as "astonishing" and PolitiFact said it was "false". In actuality, Trump declined to grant the Special Counsel an in-person interview, and the Special Counsel report characterized Trump's written responses to interview questions as "inadequate". The report also documented numerous instances where Trump tried to either impede or end the Special Counsel investigation, analyzing each in terms of the three factors necessary for a criminal charge of obstruction.{{Cite web|url=https://thehill.com/policy/national-security/439517-here-are-the-10-episodes-mueller-probed-for-potential-obstruction-by|title=Here are the 10 'episodes' Mueller probed for potential obstruction by Trump|last1=Homan|first1=Timothy R.|date=April 18, 2019|website=The Hill |access-date=May 16, 2019}}{{Cite news |first1=Sarah N. |last1=Lynch |first2=Andy |last2=Sullivan |url=https://in.reuters.com/article/usa-trump-russia-idINKCN1RU0DP |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190418061318/https://in.reuters.com/article/usa-trump-russia-idINKCN1RU0DP |url-status=dead |archive-date=April 18, 2019 |title=In unflattering detail, Mueller report reveals Trump actions to impede inquiry |date=April 19, 2019|work=Reuters|access-date=May 16, 2019 }}{{Not in refs|date=May 2019}}

During a press conference, Barr said Mueller's report contained "substantial evidence" that Trump was "frustrated and angered" because of his belief that the "investigation was undermining his presidency, propelled by his political opponents, and fueled by illegal leaks"; however, the report gave no indication that Trump's frustrations with the investigation would mitigate obstructing behavior.{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2019/04/18/us/politics/mueller-report-russian-interference-donald-trump.html|title=Mueller Reveals Trump's Efforts to Thwart Russian Inquiry in Highly Anticipated Report|last1=Mazzetti|first1=Mark|date=April 18, 2019|work=The New York Times|access-date=May 16, 2019 |issn=0362-4331}}{{Cite news |first1=Carrie |last1=Johnson |date=April 30, 2019 |url=https://www.npr.org/2019/04/30/718318413/attorney-general-barr-only-weeks-into-job-makes-a-mark-under-the-spotlight|title=Attorney General Barr, Only Weeks Into Job, Makes A Mark Under The Spotlight|website=NPR.org |access-date=May 16, 2019}} Barr also said it would not be criminal obstruction of justice for a president to instruct a staffer to lie to investigators about the president's actions,{{cite magazine|url=https://www.vanityfair.com/news/2019/05/barr-not-a-crime-for-trump-to-demand-staffers-lie-to-investigators|title=Barr: "It's not a crime" for Trump to demand staffers lie to investigators|last1=Levin|first1=Bess|date=May 1, 2019|magazine=Vanity Fair|access-date=May 6, 2019}} and suggested a president could legally terminate an investigation into himself if he was being "falsely accused".{{cite news|url=https://www.politico.com/story/2019/05/01/barr-hearing-mueller-report-1295274|title=The Barr-Mueller breakup: AG works to discredit special counsel|last1=Cheney|first1=Kyle|last2=Desiderio|first2=Andrew|date=May 1, 2019|work=Politico|access-date=May 6, 2019}}

On May 8, 2019, the House Judiciary Committee voted along party lines to hold Barr in contempt of congress for failing to comply with a subpoena which requested the full and unredacted Mueller Report.{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2019/05/08/us/politics/trump-executive-privilege-mueller-report.html|title=House Panel Approves Contempt for Barr After Trump Claims Privilege Over Full Mueller Report|last1=Fandos|first1=Nicholas|date=May 8, 2019|work=The New York Times|access-date=May 9, 2019}} The matter then fell to the House of Representatives at-large for a contempt of Congress vote.{{cite news|url=https://www.vox.com/2019/5/8/18536874/contempt-of-congress-ag-william-barr|title=The House Judiciary vote on contempt of Congress and what it means for William Barr, explained|last1=Nilsen|first1=Ella|date=May 8, 2019|work=Vox|access-date=May 10, 2019}} The Justice Department took the position that disclosure of the unredacted Mueller Report would require the department to violate "the law, court rules and court orders" as well as grand jury secrecy rules.

During May 1, 2019, testimony before the Senate Judiciary Committee, Barr stated he accepted Mueller's interpretation of the law that was applied in the Report. However, in a May 30 CBS News interview, Barr said he had applied his own interpretation of the law and took the position that obstruction laws cannot apply to presidents who abuse their official powers to impede an investigation for a corrupt reason. Barr elaborated: "As a matter of law{{nbs}}... we didn't agree with the legal analysis{{snd}}a lot of the legal analysis in the report. It did not reflect the views of the department."{{cite news |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2019/05/31/us/politics/barr-mueller-team.html |title=Barr Escalates Criticism of Mueller Team and Defends Trump |first1=Katie |last1=Benner |date=May 31, 2019 |work=The New York Times |access-date=September 29, 2019 }}{{Cite interview |first1=William |last1=Barr |interviewer=Jan Crawford |url=https://www.cbsnews.com/news/william-barr-interview-full-transcript-cbs-this-morning-jan-crawford-exclusive-2019-05-31/|title=William Barr interview: Read the full transcript |date=May 31, 2019 |website=CBSNews.com |access-date=September 29, 2019 }}

In March 2020, Reggie Walton, a federal district judge originally appointed by President George W. Bush, criticized Barr's characterizations of the Mueller report as "distorted" and "misleading". Walton made his comments while presiding over a lawsuit on whether the Mueller report should be released without redactions. As Walton saw it, Barr's "lack of candor" undermined Barr's "credibility and, in turn, the department's" arguments before the court. Walton had concerns that Barr may have made a "calculated attempt to influence public discourse" in favor of President Trump by establishing "a one-sided narrative" about the report contrary to the report's findings. Walton questioned if the report's redactions were actually "self-serving" to avoid conflict with Barr's statements, and if the Justice Department used "post-hoc rationalizations" to defend Barr.{{cite news |last1=Savage |first1=Charlie |title=Judge Calls Barr's Handling of Mueller Report 'Distorted' and 'Misleading' |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2020/03/05/us/politics/mueller-report-barr-judge-walton.html |url-status=live |access-date=March 7, 2020 |work=The New York Times |date=March 5, 2020 |archive-url=https://archive.today/20200305235542/https://www.nytimes.com/2020/03/05/us/politics/mueller-report-barr-judge-walton.html |archive-date=March 5, 2020}}{{cite news| author-link = Mark Joseph Stern | last1 = Stern |first1=Mark Joseph |title=Federal Judge Says He Needs to Review Every Mueller Report Redaction Because Barr Can't Be Trusted |url=https://slate.com/news-and-politics/2020/03/barr-mueller-report-redactions-foia.html |access-date=March 7, 2020 |work=Slate |date=March 5, 2020}} Kerri Kupec, the DOJ's spokesperson, said Walton's criticisms of Barr "were contrary to the facts" as the redactions were made by DOJ attorneys after they consulted Mueller's team, prosecutors, and other officials.{{cite news |last1=Gurman |first1=Sadie |title=Justice Department Rejects Judge's Criticism of How Barr Handled Mueller Report |url=https://www.wsj.com/articles/justice-department-rejects-judges-criticism-of-how-barr-handled-mueller-report-11583540365 |work=The Wall Street Journal |date=March 6, 2020}} On September 3, Walton ruled that the redaction of FBI reports of witness interviews was proper.{{Cite web |access-date=9 March 2024 |url=https://lawandcrime.com/high-profile/federal-judge-finds-certain-trump-administration-redactions-of-mueller-report-are-lawful/ |website=Law&Crime |first1=Jerry|last1=Lambe|title=Federal Judge Finds Certain Trump Administration Redactions of Mueller Probe Are Lawful|date=September 3, 2020}}

File:2019-03-24 Memorandum to AG from DAG re Mueller Report Review.pdf

In May 2021, federal judge Amy Berman Jackson ruled that a March 24, 2019 Department of Justice memo{{cite web |url=https://www.justice.gov/oip/foia-library/foia-processed/general_topics/obstruction_of_justice_07_01_20_revised_version/download |access-date=9 March 2024 |title=Memorandum for the Attorney General |date=March 24, 2019 |first1=Steven A. |last1=Engel |authorlink=Steven Engel }} must be published without redactions. Previously in April 2019, Barr said that his decision to not charge Trump was made "in consultation with the Office of Legal Counsel and other department lawyers". In this lawsuit, the Department of Justice argued that since Barr relied on the advice of this memo to make his decision, this memo should not be published unredacted. Jackson rejected this argument after reviewing the unredacted memo, stating that Barr could not have made the decision on the memo's advice, because the unredacted memo showed that the decision had already been made not to charge Trump. In addition, according to Jackson, the unredacted memo indicated that Barr did not have legitimate authority to make a prosecution decision regarding Trump. Jackson concluded that Barr had been "disingenuous" to Congress in 2019, and that the Department of Justice had been "disingenuous to this court" regarding their "decision-making process".{{cite news |last1=Viswanatha |first1=Aruna |title=Trump Justice Department Obstruction Memo Must Be Released, Judge Orders |url=https://www.wsj.com/articles/trump-justice-department-obstruction-memo-must-be-released-judge-orders-11620233658 |work=The Wall Street Journal |date=May 5, 2021 |archive-url=https://archive.today/20210506001122/https://www.wsj.com/amp/articles/trump-justice-department-obstruction-memo-must-be-released-judge-orders-11620233658 |archive-date=May 6, 2021 |access-date=May 8, 2021 |url-status=live }}{{Cite news |url=https://www.cnn.com/2021/05/04/politics/william-barr-memo-trump-memo/index.html |title=Secret William Barr memo saying not to charge Trump must be released, judge says |first1=Katelyn |last1=Polantz |website=CNN |access-date=May 8, 2021 |date=May 5, 2021 }}

{{main|Spygate (conspiracy theory)}}

In April 2019, Barr stated that he thought "spying did occur" against the Trump 2016 presidential campaign.{{Cite web|url=https://apnews.com/eac9c8f45ed84fb9a3c1f5c486f5c09e|title=Barr says 'I think spying did occur' against Trump campaign|last1=Tucker|first1=Eric|last2=Jalonick|first2=Mary Clare|date=April 11, 2019|website=Associated Press |access-date=May 17, 2019}} The remark echoed unsubstantiated claims made by Trump and his supporters that the Trump campaign had been unfairly targeted or spied on by the FBI; Trump described it as an "attempted coup".{{Cite web|url=https://www.politico.com/story/2019/05/08/comey-fbi-spying-1311496 |date=May 8, 2019 |title=Comey: 'The FBI doesn't spy. The FBI investigates'|last1=Hermani|first1=Jordyn|website=Politico|access-date=May 17, 2019}}{{Cite web|url=https://www.politico.com/story/2019/04/10/barr-fbi-spying-trump-campaign-1266531 |title=Barr's FBI 'spying' claim amps up fight over Mueller probe|first1=Andrew |last1=Desiderio|website=Politico |date=April 10, 2019 |access-date=May 17, 2019}}{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2019/04/10/us/politics/barr-trump-campaign-spying.html|title=Barr Asserts Intelligence Agencies Spied on the Trump Campaign|last1=Fandos|first1=Nicholas|date=April 10, 2019|work=The New York Times|access-date=May 17, 2019|last2=Goldman|first2=Adam |issn=0362-4331}}{{Cite news|url=https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2019/apr/10/william-barr-says-spying-did-occur-on-trump-campaign-during-obama-era|title=William Barr says 'spying did occur' on Trump campaign during Obama era|last1=Durkin|first1=Erin|date=April 10, 2019|work=The Guardian|access-date=May 17, 2019|last2=Walters|first2=Joanna |issn=0261-3077}} There is no evidence that government officials engaged in "spying" on the Trump campaign. Barr later said he was not sure what spying had occurred and he did clarify what he meant by "spying". He also said he had no evidence of wrong-doing. Democrats criticized Barr's statement as "incendiary", saying the statement was intended to please Trump and that the statement lacked credibility following Barr's misrepresentation of the Mueller report in March 2019. Barr said he thought there was not "any pejorative connotation at all" to the term spying.{{Cite web|url=https://www.cnn.com/2019/05/17/politics/william-barr-review-fbi-russia-investigation-rule-changes/index.html|title=Barr says review of Russia probe origins could lead to FBI rule changes|first1=Veronica |last1=Stracqualursi|website=CNN|access-date=May 17, 2019 |date=May 17, 2019 }} At the time, Barr said he would not launch an investigation into the origins of the FBI probe into Russian interference in the 2016 election.

FBI officials denied Barr's claims about spying.{{Cite news |date=May 17, 2019 |first1=Emily |last1=Tillett |url=https://www.cbsnews.com/news/ag-william-barr-doubles-down-on-spying-claims-questions-origins-of-russia-probe/|title=Attorney General William Barr doubles down on spying claims, questions origins of Russia probe|website=CBS News |access-date=May 17, 2019}} FBI director Christopher A. Wray said he was unaware of any illegal surveillance by the FBI; he rejected the description of "spying".{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2019/05/07/us/politics/christopher-wray-fbi-spying-accusations.html|title=F.B.I. Director Defends Bureau Against Spying Accusations: 'That's Not the Term I Would Use'|last1=Goldman|first1=Adam|date=May 7, 2019|work=The New York Times|access-date=May 17, 2019 |issn=0362-4331}} Subsequently, Trump retweeted a far-right pundit who said the FBI had "no leadership" and that Wray was "protecting the same gang that tried to overthrow the president in an illegal coup".{{Cite news|url=https://apnews.com/75e5c4efd5c74e6e9aa1ba0237a0e651 |title=AP source: Barr launches new look at origins of Russia probe |last1=Balsamo|first1=Michael|date=May 14, 2019|work=Associated Press |access-date=September 29, 2019 }} Trump said Wray's statement was "ridiculous". Former FBI Director James Comey rebutted Barr, saying "The FBI doesn't spy. The FBI investigates."

In May 2019, Barr asserted, "Government power was used to spy on American citizens." Barr did not identify the specific actions prior to the 2016 election that he considered spying.

On May 1, 2019, Assistant Attorney General Stephen Boyd told the House Oversight Committee that Barr had instructed Justice Department official John Gore to refuse a subpoena to testify in front of the committee. The committee subpoenaed Gore over the Trump administration's efforts to add a question on citizenship to the 2020 United States Census. The reason for the refusal was that the committee's decision to not allow a Justice Department lawyer to accompany Gore during testimony violated "the confidentiality interests of the Executive Branch" (though a separate room was permitted).{{cite web |last1=Touchberry |first1=Ramsey |title=William Barr directs DOJ official to defy congressional subpoena to testify about 2020 census |date=May 24, 2019 |url=https://www.newsweek.com/william-barr-doj-congressional-subpoena-1404879 |website=Newsweek |access-date=May 2, 2019}} In early June the House Oversight Committee moved to hold Barr in contempt of congress for defying a subpoena regarding the efforts to add a citizenship question to the census.{{cite web|url=https://www.politico.com/story/2019/06/03/house-dems-to-hold-barr-ross-in-contempt-over-census-question-1352387 |title=House Dems to hold Barr, Ross in contempt over census question; The Oversight Committee wants key documents by Thursday. |first1=Andrew |last1=Desiderio |date=June 3, 2019 |work=Politico |access-date=June 3, 2019}} In July 2019, the House of Representatives voted 230–198 to hold Barr (and Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross) in criminal contempt of Congress, after they failed to produce documents as April 2019 congressional subpoenas mandated. The documents, on the planned (and eventually scrapped) citizenship question in the 2020 census, were withheld due to a "deliberative process" and "attorney-client communications", according to the Justice Department. President Trump also asserted executive privilege over the documents to withhold them from Congress. Only once prior has a sitting Cabinet member been held in criminal contempt of Congress (Eric Holder in 2012). The House instructed the Justice Department to prosecute Barr, but the Department refused.{{cite news |last1=Desidero |first1=Andrew |title=House holds William Barr, Wilbur Ross in criminal contempt of Congress |url=https://www.politico.com/story/2019/07/17/house-votes-to-hold-william-barr-wilbur-ross-in-criminal-contempt-of-congress-1418900 |access-date=February 16, 2020 |work=Politico |date=July 17, 2019}}{{cite news |last1=Somnez |first1=Felicia |title=House votes to hold Attorney General Barr, Commerce Secretary Ross in contempt for failing to comply with subpoena on 2020 Census |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/house-to-vote-to-hold-barr-ross-in-contempt-over-2020-census-citizenship-question/2019/07/17/8dbeb35c-a89c-11e9-a3a6-ab670962db05_story.html |url-status=live |access-date=February 16, 2020 |newspaper=The Washington Post |date=July 18, 2019 |archive-url=https://archive.today/20200216123335/https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/house-to-vote-to-hold-barr-ross-in-contempt-over-2020-census-citizenship-question/2019/07/17/8dbeb35c-a89c-11e9-a3a6-ab670962db05_story.html |archive-date=February 16, 2020}}

{{main|Durham special counsel investigation}}

{{Trump–Ukraine scandal series}}

Also in May 2019, Barr appointed John Durham, the U.S. attorney in Connecticut, to oversee a DOJ probe into the origins of the FBI investigation into Russian interference. The origins of the probe were already being investigated by the Justice Department's inspector general and by U.S. attorney John Huber, who was appointed in 2018 by Jeff Sessions. Democrats criticized the decision, with Senator Patrick Leahy saying, "Ordering a third meritless investigation at the request of Trump is beneath the office he holds." Trump ordered the intelligence community to cooperate with Barr's inquiry and granted Barr unprecedented full authority to declassify any intelligence information related to the matter.{{cite web|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2019/05/23/us/politics/trump-barr-intelligence.html|title=Trump Gives Attorney General Sweeping Power in Review of 2016 Campaign Inquiry|first1=Maggie|last1=Haberman|first2=Michael S.|last2=Schmidt|date=May 23, 2019|work=The New York Times |access-date=September 29, 2019 }}{{cite news |url=https://apnews.com/eb4c8e7b1a8c4a5d9d618464249a8be8|title=Critics worry AG will reveal Russia probe info to help Trump|first1=Deb|last1=Riechmann|date=May 24, 2019|website=Associated Press |access-date=September 29, 2019 }}{{cite news |date=May 24, 2019 |url=https://www.politico.com/story/2019/05/24/trump-justice-department-intelligence-1344958|title=Trump puts DOJ on crash course with intelligence agencies |first1=Natasha |last1=Bertr |website=Politico |access-date=September 29, 2019 }}{{Cite news |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/national-security/barr-could-expose-secrets-politicize-intelligence-with-review-of-russia-probe-current-and-former-officials-fear/2019/05/24/58f822f8-7e2f-11e9-8bb7-0fc796cf2ec0_story.html |access-date=March 11, 2024 |author-link=Shane Harris |first1=Shane |last1=Harris |date=May 24, 2019 |title=Barr could expose secrets, politicize intelligence with review of Russia probe, current and former officials fear|newspaper=The Washington Post}}{{cite web |access-date=March 11, 2024 |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2019/06/12/us/politics/russia-investigation-cia.html|title=Justice Dept. Seeks to Question C.I.A. in Its Own Russia Investigation|first1=Julian E.|last1=Barnes|first2=Katie|last2=Benner|first3=Adam|last3=Goldman|first4=Michael S.|last4=Schmidt|date=June 12, 2019|work=The New York Times}} In April 2020, Barr asserted the FBI investigation had been opened "without any basis".{{cite news |first1=Michael |last1=Balsamo |first2=Eric |last2=Tucker |access-date=May 14, 2021 |url=https://apnews.com/article/donald-trump-hillary-clinton-sabotage-politics-russia-57304f689050c5c75aded464656f8455 |title=Barr says Russia probe was started 'without basis' |date=April 10, 2020 |website=Associated Press }}

File:Donald Trump and William Barr.jpg, 2019.]]

In September 2019, Barr was reported to have been contacting foreign governments to ask for help in this inquiry, including personally traveling to the United Kingdom and Italy to seek information. At Barr's request Trump phoned the prime minister of Australia to request his cooperation.{{cite news|url=https://www.vox.com/2019/9/30/20892260/barr-australia-durham-trump-investigation|title=Trump and Barr have been urging foreign governments to help them investigate the Mueller probe's origins|last1=Prokop|first1=Andrew|date=September 30, 2019|work=Vox|access-date=October 1, 2019}}{{Cite news |date=October 6, 2019 |url=https://www.wsj.com/articles/barrs-requests-for-foreign-help-prompt-backlash-in-australia-italy-u-k-11570369938|title=Barr's Requests for Foreign Help Prompt Backlash in Australia, Italy, U.K.|first1=Aruna |last1=Viswanatha |first2=Sadie |last2=Gurman |first3=Giovanni |last3=Legorano |newspaper=The Wall Street Journal |access-date=October 9, 2019 }} Barr sought information related to a conspiracy theory that had circulated among Trump allies in conservative media asserting Joseph Mifsud was a Western intelligence operative who was allegedly directed to entrap Trump campaign advisor George Papadopoulos in order to establish a false predicate for the FBI to open an investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 United States elections. On October 2, 2019, Senator Lindsey Graham, a staunch Trump supporter and chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, wrote a letter to the leaders of Britain, Australia and Italy, asserting as fact that both Mifsud and Australian diplomat Alexander Downer had been directed to contact Papadopoulos. Joe Hockey, the Australian ambassador to the United States, sharply rejected Graham's characterization of Downer.{{Cite web |access-date=March 11, 2024 |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2019/10/06/us/politics/barr-and-a-top-prosecutor-cast-a-wide-net-in-reviewing-the-russia-inquiry.html |title=Barr and a Top Prosecutor Cast a Wide Net in Reviewing the Russia Inquiry |first1=Mark|last1=Mazzetti |first2=Adam|last2=Goldman |first3=Katie|last3=Benner |date=October 6, 2019 |newspaper=The New York Times }}{{cite web |work=judiciary.senate.gov |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191003034931/https://www.judiciary.senate.gov/imo/media/doc/LOG%20to%20Australia%20Italy%20UK.pdf |archive-date=October 3, 2019 |url-status=live |url=https://www.judiciary.senate.gov/imo/media/doc/LOG%20to%20Australia%20Italy%20UK.pdf |title=Letter from Senate Committee on the Judiciary to prime ministers of Australia, Italy and UK |date=October 2, 2019 |access-date=October 22, 2019 |first1=Lindsey |last1=Graham |author-link=Lindsey Graham}} A former Italian government official told The Washington Post in October 2019 that during a meeting the previous month, Italian intelligence services told Barr they had "no connections, no activities, no interference" in the matter; Italian prime minister Giuseppe Conte later affirmed this.{{Cite news |access-date=March 11, 2024 |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/national-security/barrs-review-of-the-russia-investigation-has-won-trumps-favor-but-some-facing-scrutiny-suspect-hes-chasing-conspiracy-theories/2019/10/05/cea0f994-e612-11e9-a331-2df12d56a80b_story.html |title=Barr's review of Russia investigation wins Trump's favor. Those facing scrutiny suspect he's chasing conspiracy theories. |first1=Matt|last1=Zapotosky |first2=Josh|last2=Dawsey |first3=Shane|last3=Harris |first4=Rosalind S.|last4=Helderman|author-link4=Rosalind S. Helderman |date=October 6, 2019 |newspaper=The Washington Post}}{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2019/10/23/world/europe/italy-trump-conspiracy-conte.html |access-date=March 11, 2024 |title=Italy Did Not Fuel U.S. Suspicion of Russian Meddling, Prime Minister Says|first1=Anna|last1=Momigliano|date=October 23, 2019 |newspaper=The New York Times }} One British official with knowledge of Barr's requests observed, "it is like nothing we have come across before, they are basically asking, in quite robust terms, for help in doing a hatchet job on their own intelligence services."{{Cite news |first1=Kim |last1=Sengupta |url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/us-politics/trump-impeachment-inquiry-latest-russia-mueller-ukraine-zelensky-a9181641.html|title=UK intelligence officials shaken by Trump administration's requests for help with counter-impeachment inquiry|date=November 1, 2019|website=The Independent |access-date=June 24, 2020 }} The Washington Post reported on November 22, 2019, that the Justice Department inspector general had aggressively investigated the allegation that Mifsud had been directed to entrap Papadopoulos, but found it was without merit. The Post also reported the inspector general found the opening of the FBI's Crossfire Hurricane investigation was legally and factually predicated.{{Cite news |date=November 22, 2019 |access-date=March 11, 2024 |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/national-security/justice-dept-watchdog-finds-political-bias-did-not-taint-top-officials-running-the-fbis-russia-probe-but-documents-other-errors/2019/11/22/4b2f51de-0d48-11ea-97ac-a7ccc8dd1ebc_story.html|title=Justice Dept. watchdog finds political bias did not taint top officials running the FBI's Russia probe but documents errors|first1=Ellen|last1=Nakashima |first2=Matt |last2=Zapotosky |first3=Devlin |last3=Barrett |newspaper=The Washington Post}} The Post subsequently reported in December 2019 that Barr disagreed with the inspector general's conclusion that there was adequate evidence for the FBI to open its investigation.{{Cite news |access-date=March 11, 2024 |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/national-security/barr-doesnt-accept-key-inspector-general-finding-about-fbis-russia-investigation/2019/12/02/4464f018-154d-11ea-a659-7d69641c6ff7_story.html |date=December 3, 2019 |title=Barr disputes key inspector general finding about FBI's Russia investigation|first1=Devlin|last1=Barrett|first2=Karoun|last2=Demirjian|newspaper=The Washington Post}} The Post also reported in December 2019 that the inspector general asked Durham and several American intelligence agencies if there was evidence of a setup by American intelligence, but they replied there was none.{{Cite news |date=December 4, 2019 |first2=Devlin |last2=Barrett |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/national-security/barrs-handpicked-prosecutor-tells-inspector-general-he-cant-back-right-wing-theory-that-russia-case-was-us-intelligence-setup/2019/12/04/17e084dc-16a9-11ea-9110-3b34ce1d92b1_story.html|title=Barr's handpicked prosecutor tells inspector general he can't back right-wing theory that Russia case was U.S. intelligence setup|first1=Matt|last1=Zapotosky|newspaper=The Washington Post}}

On October 24, 2019, two sources told The New York Times that the Durham inquiry had been elevated to a criminal investigation.{{cite news |first1=Katie |last1=Benner |first2=Adam |last2=Goldman |title=Justice Dept. Is Said to Open Criminal Inquiry Into Its Own Russia Investigation |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2019/10/24/us/politics/john-durham-criminal-investigation.html |date=October 24, 2019 |access-date=October 24, 2019 |newspaper=The New York Times}} The Times reported on November 22 that the Justice Department inspector general had made a criminal referral to Durham regarding Kevin Clinesmith, an FBI attorney who had altered an email during the process of acquiring a wiretap warrant renewal on Carter Page, and that referral appeared to be at least part of the reason Durham's investigation was elevated to criminal status.{{Cite web|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2019/11/22/us/politics/russia-investigation-inspector-general-report.html|title=Russia Inquiry Review Is Said to Criticize F.B.I. but Rebuff Claims of Biased Acts|first1=Adam|last1=Goldman|first2=Charlie|last2=Savage|date=November 22, 2019|newspaper=The New York Times }} Barr rejected criticism by Democrats in Congress that the transitioned investigation was designed to provide support to Trump during his impeachment inquiry in the Trump-Ukraine scandal.{{cite news |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2019/10/28/us/politics/barr-durham-trump.html |title=Barr Rejects Complaints That He Is Bolstering Trump's Personal Agenda |work=The New York Times |date=October 29, 2019 |access-date=October 29, 2019 |first1=Katie |last1=Benner}}{{cite news |url=https://www.politico.com/news/2019/10/28/william-barr-justice-weaponizing-060303 |title=William Barr: 'I act on behalf of the United States' |work=Politico |date=October 28, 2019 |access-date=October 29, 2019 |first1=Allie |last1=Bice}} On August 14, 2020, Clinesmith pleaded guilty to a felony violation of altering an email used to maintain Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) warrants, having added the phrase "not a 'source'" to the original email.{{cite news |last1=Kalmbacher |first1=Colin |url=https://lawandcrime.com/high-profile/heres-what-we-know-about-fbi-attorney-2-kevin-clinesmith-the-first-person-charged-in-durham-probe/ |title=Here's What We Know About 'FBI Attorney 2' Kevin Clinesmith, the First Person Charged in Durham Probe |work=Law & Crime |date=August 14, 2020}}{{Cite web|url=https://www.cnn.com/2020/08/14/politics/fbi-russia-clinesmith/index.html |title=Former FBI lawyer set to plead guilty to altering email during Russia investigation|first1=Katelyn |last1=Polantz |first2=David |last2=Shortell|date=August 14, 2020 |website=CNN}} Carter Page had a prior operational relationship with the CIA from 2008 to 2013.{{Cite web|last1=Horowitz|first1=Michael|orig-year=December 9, 2019 |date= December 20, 2019|title=Review of Four FISA Applications and Other Aspects of the FBI's Crossfire Hurricane Investigation|url=https://www.justice.gov/storage/120919-examination.pdf|access-date=August 15, 2020|website=Office of the Inspector General, U.S. Department of Justice}}

In November 2019, Justice Department inspector general Michael Horowitz concluded his investigation into the origins of the 2016 Russia probe, concluding that the investigation was not tainted by "political bias or improper motivation", and that the initial information gathered "was sufficient to predicate the investigation" given the "low threshold" for opening an investigation. Barr rejected the conclusions of the report, declaring that the investigation was started "on the thinnest of suspicions that, in [his] view, were insufficient to justify the steps taken". This also contradicted FBI director Chris Wray, who interpreted Horowitz's findings as the investigation having "appropriate predication and authorization".{{Cite web|url=https://www.axios.com/ig-report-justice-department-russia-investigation-63467682-0b54-4cfa-ad48-de3be5e940a6.html |date=December 9, 2019 |first1=Zachary |last1=Basu |title=Justice Department inspector general concludes Russia probe was justified|website=Axios|language=en|access-date=December 9, 2019}}{{cite news |last1=Mallin |first1=Alexander |last2=Kim |first2=Soo Rin |title=DOJ watchdog finds Russia investigation not improper, despite missteps |url=https://abcnews.go.com/Politics/doj-watchdog-finds-russia-investigation-improper-missteps/story?id=67599147 |access-date=December 10, 2019 |date=December 10, 2019}}

In December 2019, Barr claimed in an interview with NBC News that the Russia investigation was "completely baseless" and said he believed the FBI's investigation may have been conducted in "bad faith".{{Cite news |first1=Ken |last1=Dilanian |date=December 10, 2019 |url=https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/justice-department/barr-thinks-fbi-may-have-acted-bad-faith-probing-trump-n1098986|title=Barr thinks FBI may have acted in bad faith in probing Trump campaign|website=NBC News|access-date=December 10, 2019}} Barr also refused to refute the debunked conspiracy theory of Ukrainian interference in the 2016 election during the interview.{{Cite web|url=https://www.axios.com/bill-barr-russia-investigation-doj-report-837c7d7c-8e32-4549-a9f2-a927dcc1fb18.html |first1=Zachary |last1=Basu |date=December 10, 2019 |title=Attorney General Bill Barr attacks Russia investigation as 'completely baseless' |website=Axios|language=en|access-date=December 10, 2019}} In a subsequent interview on Fox News, Barr asserted, "the president bore the burden of probably one of the greatest conspiracy theories{{snd}}baseless conspiracy theories{{snd}}in American political history," despite the recent inspector general report debunking several conspiracy theories Trump and his allies had promoted.{{Cite web|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2019/12/19/us/politics/durham-john-brennan-cia.html |access-date=May 18, 2021 |title=Durham Is Scrutinizing Ex-C.I.A. Director's Role in Russian Interference Findings|first1=Katie|last1=Benner|first2=Julian E.|last2=Barnes|date=December 19, 2019|newspaper=The New York Times}}{{Cite news |url=https://www.politico.com/news/2019/12/09/russia-conspiracy-theories-inspector-general-report-079474 |title=Here are the Russia probe conspiracy theories debunked by the DOJ inspector general report|first1=Caitlin|last1=Oprysko|website=Politico |access-date=November 6, 2021 |date=December 9, 2019 }}{{Cite web|url=https://www.cnn.com/2019/12/10/politics/watchdog-report-debunks-trump-russia/index.html |access-date=November 6, 2021 |date=December 11, 2019 |title=Justice Department watchdog debunks Trump's claims about the Russia probe|first1=Marshall|last1=Cohen|website=CNN}}{{Cite web|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2019/12/09/us/politics/fbi-ig-report-russia-investigation.html |access-date=November 6, 2021 |title=Report on F.B.I. Russia Inquiry Finds Serious Errors but Debunks Anti-Trump Plot|first1=Charlie|last1=Savage|first2=Adam|last2=Goldman|first3=Katie|last3=Benner|date=December 9, 2019 |newspaper=The New York Times}}

In January 2020, Barr prohibited the start of counterintelligence investigations related to presidential campaigns unless both the attorney general and head of the FBI signed off on those investigations.{{Cite news|url=https://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-politics-investigations-idUSKBN1ZC2EZ|title=U.S. presidential campaign probes to require top officials' approval: Barr|date=January 13, 2020|work=Reuters|access-date=January 14, 2020|language=en |first1=Mark |last1=Hosenball }}

Barr defended Trump's April 2020 firing of intelligence community inspector general Michael K. Atkinson. Atkinson was the inspector general who sought to get the Trump administration to the disclose the Ukraine scandal whistleblower complaint to Congress. In defense of the firing, Barr allegedly made numerous false claims about Atkinson's actions during his tenure.{{Cite news|last1=Savage|first1=Charlie|date=April 10, 2020|title=Endorsing Trump's Firing of Inspector General, Barr Paints Distorted Picture|language=en-US|work=The New York Times|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2020/04/10/us/politics/barr-inspector-general-firing.html|access-date=May 16, 2020|issn=0362-4331}}

On May 18, 2020, Barr commented on prior investigations into potential collusion between Trump and Russia stating: "What happened to the president in the 2016 election and throughout the first two years of his administration was abhorrent{{nbs}}... it was a grave injustice and it was unprecedented in American history{{nbs}}... the law enforcement and intelligence apparatus of this country were involved in advancing a false and utterly baseless Russian collusion narrative against this president."{{cite news |url=https://www.cbsnews.com/news/william-barr-fbi-probe-trump-campaign-russia-obama-biden-no-investigations |title=Barr doesn't expect investigations of Obama, Biden stemming from Russia review |first1=Melissa |last1=Quinn |date=May 18, 2020 |work=CBS News |access-date=June 24, 2020 }}{{cite news |url=https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2020-05-18/barr-says-he-doesn-t-expect-criminal-probe-into-obama-biden |title=Barr Says He Doesn't Expect Criminal Probe Into Obama or Biden |first1=Chris |last1=Strohm |date=May 18, 2020 |work=Bloomberg |access-date=June 24, 2020 }}

Barr hinted in June 2020 that the Durham investigation would produce results regarding the "complete collapse of the Russiagate scandal" before the end of the summer.{{cite news|url=https://www.foxnews.com/politics/barr-durham-probe-should-have-some-developments-this-summer|title=Barr hints at 'developments' in Durham probe this summer, says racism not 'systemic' problem in law enforcement|last1=Blitzer|first1=Ronn|date=June 21, 2020|work=Fox News|access-date=September 13, 2020}} In July he told a Congressional committee that the results of the investigation could be released before the election, despite an informal Justice Department rule limiting release of such information.{{cite news|url=https://www.politico.com/news/2020/07/28/barr-pre-election-release-durham-report-385244|title=Barr won't rule out pre-election release of Durham report|last1=Gerstein|first1=Josh|date=July 28, 2020|work=Politico|access-date=September 13, 2020}} In August, Trump in public comments appeared to be getting impatient for the investigation to produce more prosecutions and suggesting that his opinion of Barr will be negatively influenced if it does not. As summer ended there were reports that Barr was pressing for the Durham investigation to release its report. Colleagues of Durham have said they believe he is under pressure to produce something before the election. A top aide in the investigation quietly resigned on September 10; she gave no reason, but colleagues said she was concerned about political pressure from Barr.{{cite news|url=https://www.courant.com/news/connecticut/hc-news-john-durham-dannehy-resignation-20200911-20200911-xcsapnq7g5e63kvtw5aqi7cv34-story.html|title=Nora Dannehy, Connecticut prosecutor who was top aide to John Durham's Trump-Russia investigation, resigns amid concern about pressure from Attorney General William Barr|last1=Mahony|first1=Edmund H.|date=September 11, 2020|work=Hartford Courant|access-date=September 13, 2020}} On September 18, 2020, four chairs of Democratic committees asked the DOJ inspector general to open an emergency investigation because "We are concerned by indications that Attorney General Barr might depart from longstanding DOJ principles to take public action related to U.S. Attorney Durham's investigation that could impact the presidential election," adding that Barr's public comments may have already violated that policy.{{Cite news |date=September 18, 2020 |url=https://www.politico.com/news/2020/09/18/democrats-emergency-watchdog-review-john-durham-probe-417682|title=House Dems call for an 'emergency' DOJ watchdog review of Durham probe |first1=Kyle |last1=Cheney |website=Politico |access-date=March 12, 2024 }}

On November 2, 2020, the day before the presidential election, New York magazine reported that:

{{blockquote|...{{nbs}}there has been no evidence found, after 18 months of investigation, to support Barr's claims that Trump was targeted by politically biased Obama officials to prevent his election. (The probe remains ongoing.) In fact, the sources said, the Durham investigation has so far uncovered no evidence of any wrongdoing by Biden or Barack Obama, or that they were even involved with the Russia investigation. There 'was no evidence{{nbs}}... not even remotely{{nbs}}... indicating Obama or Biden did anything wrong,' as one person put it.{{cite web |last1=Waas |first1=Murray |title=How Trump and Barr's October Surprise Went Bust |website=New York |date=November 2, 2020 |url=https://nymag.com/intelligencer/2020/11/durham-investigation-how-trumps-october-surprise-went-bust.html |access-date=November 4, 2020}}}}{{clear}}

File:Grogan, Barr and Ivanka Trump meeting at White House.jpg (left) and Ivanka Trump (right), in 2020.]]

In the spring of 2019, Barr reportedly attempted to undermine the conviction of Trump fixer Michael Cohen for campaign finance violations, detailed The New York Times in June 2020. Barr reportedly raised doubts multiple times about the validity of the charges against Cohen, including requesting the Office of Legal Counsel to draft a memo with legal arguments which could have helped Cohen's case. Barr's efforts were reportedly stemmed by the prosecutors of the Southern District of New York. Ultimately, Cohen's conviction was not changed.{{cite news |last1=Weiser |first1=Benjamin |last2=Protess |first2=Ben |last3=Benner |first3=Katie |last4=Rashbaum |first4=William |title=Inside Barr's Effort to Undermine Prosecutors in N.Y. |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2020/06/25/nyregion/geoffrey-berman-william-barr-michael-cohen.html |url-status=live |access-date=July 1, 2020 |work=The New York Times |date=July 1, 2020 |archive-url=https://archive.today/20200701141801/https://www.nytimes.com/2020/06/25/nyregion/geoffrey-berman-william-barr-michael-cohen.html |archive-date=July 1, 2020}}

In February 2020, President Trump directly referenced Barr in the Justice Department's intercession in recommending a lighter sentence for Trump's associate and old friend Roger Stone. Trump's tweet stated: "Congratulations to Attorney General Bill Barr for taking charge of a case that was totally out of control and perhaps should not have even been brought." Initially, four career prosecutors had recommended that Stone serve a jail term of between seven and nine years. A Trump tweet followed: "Cannot allow this miscarriage of justice!"{{snd}}after which the department recommended an unspecified jail term. The department claimed that this later decision was made without consulting the White House. The prosecutors resigned from the case as a result, with one choosing to leave the department.{{cite news |last1=Blake |first1=Aaron |title=Trump just made the DOJ's Roger Stone intervention look even worse |url-status=live |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2020/02/12/trump-implicates-barr-directly-controversial-roger-stone-decision |access-date=February 13, 2020 |newspaper=The Washington Post |date=February 13, 2020 |archive-url=https://archive.today/20200213140635/https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2020/02/12/trump-implicates-barr-directly-controversial-roger-stone-decision/ |archive-date=February 13, 2020}}{{cite news |last1=Sullivan |first1=Eileen |last2=Shear |first2=Michael |title=Trump Praises Barr for Rejecting Punishment Recommended for Stone |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2020/02/12/us/politics/trump-stone.html |access-date=February 13, 2020 |work=The New York Times |date=February 12, 2020 |archive-url=https://archive.today/20200213140948/https://www.nytimes.com/2020/02/12/us/politics/trump-stone.html |url-status=live |archive-date=February 13, 2020}}

Barr affirmed that he had made the decision in the Stone case to change the sentencing memo. Barr said Trump had not asked him to step in, but noted that Trump's tweets and public comments make it impossible for the attorney general to do his job. "I think it's time to stop the tweeting about Department of Justice criminal cases," Barr said.{{cite news |last1=Kirby |first1=Jen |title=Bill Barr: Trump's tweets make it "impossible" to do my job |url=https://www.vox.com/2020/2/13/21136853/bill-barr-trump-tweets-roger-stone |access-date=May 8, 2020 |work=Vox |date=February 13, 2020}}{{cite news |last1=Gurman |first1=Sadie |last2=Viswanatha |first2=Aruna |title=Attorney General Says Tweets Make It Impossible for Him to Do His Job |url=https://www.wsj.com/articles/attorney-general-says-tweets-make-it-impossible-for-me-to-do-my-job-11581628588?mod=hp_lead_pos3 |access-date=February 20, 2020 |work=The Wall Street Journal |date=February 14, 2020 |archive-url=https://archive.today/20200220032543/https://www.wsj.com/articles/attorney-general-says-tweets-make-it-impossible-for-me-to-do-my-job-11581628588?mod=hp_lead_pos3 |url-status=live |archive-date=February 20, 2020}} Barr's rebuke of Trump's use of Twitter for interference in DOJ matters were seen as a rare departure from his usual unwavering support of the president. Barr's comments followed criticism of the department for its poor handling of the sentencing of Roger Stone after DOJ actions seen as favorable to Trump and his allies.{{cite news |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2020/02/13/us/politics/william-barr-trump.html |title=Barr Says Attacks From Trump Make Work 'Impossible' |archive-url=https://archive.today/20200214001751/https://www.nytimes.com/2020/02/13/us/politics/william-barr-trump.html |url-status=live |archive-date= February 14, 2020 |work=The New York Times |date=February 13, 2020 |access-date=February 14, 2020 |first1=Katie |last1=Benner }}{{cite news |url=https://www.npr.org/2020/02/13/805774906/barr-faults-trump-over-tweets-that-make-his-job-as-attorney-general-impossible |title=Attorney General Says Trump's Tweets About DOJ Make His Job 'Impossible' |work=NPR | date=February 13, 2020 | access-date=February 14, 2020 |first1=Philip |last1=Ewing}} Days later, a bipartisan group of more than 2,000 former DOJ employees signed a letter calling for Barr's resignation.{{cite news |last1=Behrmann |first1=Savannah |last2=Phillips |first2=Kristine |title=More than 2,000 ex-DOJ employees call for Attorney General Barr's resignation |url=https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/2020/02/16/william-barr-doj-alumnus-call-ag-resign/4779721002/ |access-date=February 20, 2020 |work=USA Today |date=February 17, 2020}}{{cite news |last1=Barr |first1=Luke |url=https://abcnews.go.com/Politics/1100-doj-officials-call-william-barr-resign/story?id=69030388 |title=More than 2,000 former DOJ officials call on Attorney General William Barr to resign |date=February 17, 2020 |access-date=May 20, 2020 }} while the Federal Judges Association of over a thousand federal jurists called an emergency meeting for February 18 to discuss their concerns about the intervention of Trump and Justice Department officials in politically sensitive cases.{{cite news |last1=Johnson |first1=Kevin |title=Federal judges' association calls emergency meeting after DOJ intervenes in case of Trump ally Roger Stone |url=https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/2020/02/17/roger-stone-sentence-judges-worried-political-interference/4788155002/ |access-date=February 20, 2020 |work=USA Today |date=February 18, 2020}} Despite Barr's rebuke of Trump, days later the president resumed denouncing the prosecutors, the judge, and the jury foreperson in the Stone case, while acknowledging that his comments made Barr's job harder.{{cite news |last1=Baker |first1=Peter |last2=LaFraniere |first2=Sharon |title=Trump Admits He Makes Barr's Job Tougher but Vows to Continue |url-status=live |newspaper=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2020/02/18/us/roger-stone-sentencing.html |access-date=February 20, 2020 |date=February 18, 2020 |archive-url=https://archive.today/20200219030007/https://www.nytimes.com/2020/02/18/us/roger-stone-sentencing.html |archive-date=February 19, 2020}} After granting several pardons, Trump also labeled himself as the country's "chief law enforcement officer", a description usually reserved for the attorney general.{{cite news |last1=Stableford |first1=Dylan |title=Trump declares himself 'chief law enforcement officer' as he issues numerous pardons |url=https://news.yahoo.com/trump-pardons-blagojevich-barr-roger-stone-chief-law-enforcement-officer-203952347.html |access-date=February 20, 2020 |work=Yahoo News |date=February 19, 2020}}

Additionally in February 2020, Barr declared that there would be a review of the criminal case of Michael Flynn, the former national security advisor to Trump, who had pled guilty in 2017 to lying to the FBI about his contacts with a Russian ambassador. Flynn later attempted to withdraw his guilty plea, and had not been sentenced yet.{{Cite web|title=DOJ dropping case against former Trump adviser Michael Flynn, who pleaded guilty to lying about Russia contact|url=https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/2020/05/07/trump-adviser-michael-flynn-has-case-dropped-justice-department/3090071001/ |date=May 7, 2020 |last1=Johnson|first1=Kevin|website=USA Today|language=en-US|access-date=May 7, 2020}}{{cite news |last1=Johnson |first1=Kevin |last2=Phillips |first2=Kristine |title=Barr appoints outside prosecutor to review criminal case against Michael Flynn |url=https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/2020/02/14/michael-flynn-william-barr-appoints-outside-prosecutor-review-russia-case/4761959002/ |access-date=May 8, 2020 |work=USA Today |date=February 14, 2020}} Barr chose St. Louis's chief federal prosecutor, Jeffrey Jensen, to conduct the review. Jensen himself was nominated by Trump for the St. Louis position. Trump had publicly called for the charges to be dropped against Flynn. In late April or early May, Jensen recommended to Barr that the charges be dropped.{{cite news |last1=Balsamo |first1=Michael |last2=Tucker |first2=Eric |title=Justice Department dropping Flynn's Trump-Russia case |url=https://apnews.com/ae1ad252bb13490db2ceffc5d17b6d92 |access-date=May 8, 2020 |work=Associated Press |date=May 8, 2020}}

The Justice Department announced in May 2020 that the charges against Flynn would be dropped, with Jensen stating that Barr had agreed with his recommendation. Shortly after, Barr was asked in a media interview if given that Flynn "admitted lying to the FBI. Does the fact remain that he lied?" Barr replied that "people sometimes plead to things that turn out not to be crimes{{nbs}}... the Department of Justice is not persuaded that this was material to any legitimate counterintelligence investigation. So it was not a crime." Barr denied that he was carrying out the president's agenda on this case, stating that he was "doing the law's bidding". He also said that from this case, he wanted to show Americans that "there's only one standard of justice," instead of two standards of justice.{{cite news |title=Attorney General Barr says what Michael Flynn did 'was not a crime' |url=https://www.cbsnews.com/news/michael-flynn-case-dismissal-william-barr-attorney-general/ |access-date=May 9, 2020 |work=CBS News |date=May 8, 2020}}

Between Trump's election and inauguration, Flynn had phone conversations with Russian ambassador Sergey Kislyak that were incidentally intercepted by American intelligence in the course of routine surveillance of Russian agents. Among other topics, Flynn discussed sanctions imposed on Russia by the Obama administration for Russian interference in the 2016 United States elections. Per policy regarding American persons, Flynn's identity was masked before accounts of his conversations were distributed to high-level Obama administration officials. Some officials, notably national security advisor Susan Rice, were so concerned by the accounts that they requested Flynn's identity be unmasked, per procedure. After the unmasking was reported by the press, Trump and his allies insisted it was evidence the Obama administration was spying on him and his associates for political purposes. In May 2020, Barr spokesperson Kerri Kupec announced on the program of Fox News host Sean Hannity that Barr had appointed U.S. attorney John Bash to investigate. She also stated that John Durham, whom Barr had appointed to investigate the origins of the FBI Crossfire Hurricane investigation, had also been examining the unmasking issue. The Bash investigation was quietly closed five months later, with no public announcement or report, reportedly finding nothing improper. Bash's 52-page report, previously classified top secret, was released in May 2022. Bash wrote he had found no evidence that any unmasking requests were made for any political or otherwise improper reasons during the 2016 election period or the ensuing presidential transition.{{cite news |title=Michael Flynn's Identity Was Not Improperly Revealed By Obama Officials, A Secret DOJ Report Has Found |url=https://www.buzzfeednews.com/article/jasonleopold/heres-the-doj-report-finding-that-obama-officials-didnt |work=BuzzFeed News |date=June 1, 2022|first1=Jason |last1=Leopold |author-link=Jason Leopold |first2=Ken |last2=Bensinger |access-date=March 12, 2024 }}{{cite news |last1=Blake |first1=Aaron |title=The final, brutal collapse of GOP's big Michael Flynn conspiracy theory |access-date=March 12, 2024 |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2022/06/01/flynn-unmasking-bash-report/ |newspaper=The Washington Post |date=June 1, 2022}}{{cite news |last1=Forgey |first1=Quint |title=Barr taps U.S. attorney to investigate 'unmasking' as part of Russia probe review |url=https://www.politico.com/news/2020/05/28/barr-russia-probe-attorney-286920 |work=Politico |access-date=March 12, 2024 |date=May 28, 2022}}

Barr's firing of Geoffrey Berman was widely condemned,

• {{cite news |url=https://thehill.com/homenews/administration/503802-more-than-100-former-manhattan-prosecutors-condemn-berman-firing |title=More than 100 former Manhattan prosecutors condemn Berman firing |first1=Justine |last1=Coleman |date=June 21, 2020 |work=The Hill |access-date=June 26, 2020 |archive-date=June 26, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200626034213/https://thehill.com/homenews/administration/503802-more-than-100-former-manhattan-prosecutors-condemn-berman-firing |url-status=dead }}
• {{cite news |work=New York Law Journal |url=https://www.law.com/newyorklawjournal/2020/06/20/uncharted-waters-standoff-looms-after-purported-ouster-of-geoffrey-berman-as-us-attorney-in-manhattan/ |title=Geoffrey Berman Resigns as Manhattan US Attorney, Ending Standoff With William Barr |first1=Michael |last1=Riccardi |first2=Jane |last2=Wester |date=June 20, 2020 |access-date=June 26, 2020 }}

given that the Southern District of New York was actively pursuing criminal investigations into several persons and companies associated with President Donald Trump and The Trump Organization.

• {{cite news |url=https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/2020/06/question-berman-saga-why/613345/ |work=The Atlantic |date= June 22, 2020 |first1=Quinta |last1=Jurecic |first2=Benjamin |last2=Wittes |author-link2=Benjamin Wittes|title=Three Plausible – And Troubling – Reasons Why Barr Tried to Force Berman Out |access-date=June 26, 2020 }}
• {{cite news |url=https://eu.usatoday.com/story/opinion/todaysdebate/2020/06/25/why-top-prosecutor-berman-fired-public-deserves-know-our-view/3258600001/ |title= Public deserves an explanation for Berman's firing from top prosecutor's post |date=June 26, 2020 |work=USA Today |author=Editorial Board |access-date=June 26, 2020}}
• {{cite news |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/geoffrey-berman-us-attorney-william-barr-trump/2020/06/20/fcbfa3b4-b30f-11ea-8758-bfd1d045525a_story.html |title=Trump ousts Manhattan U.S. attorney who investigated president's associates |newspaper=The Washington Post |date=June 20, 2020 |first1=Rosalind S. |last1=Helderman |first2=Ellen |last2=Nakashima |first3=Matt |last3=Zapotosky |first4=Seung Min |last4=Kim |access-date=June 26, 2020 }}

Barr's conduct was seen as sacrificing the independence of the Department of Justice to protect Trump and his allies.

• {{cite magazine |url=https://time.com/5857466/geoffrey-berman-william-barr/ |magazine=Time |title=Americans Need to Know the Truth About William Barr's Friday Night Massacre. We Can't Afford to Wait |first1=Joyce White |last1=Vance |date=June 22, 2020 |access-date=June 26, 2020 }}
• {{cite news |url=https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2020/jun/21/donald-trump-ag-william-barr-impeachment-republicans-berman-nadler |newspaper=The Guardian |first1= Martin |last1=Pengelly |title=Trump AG Barr will escape impeachment thanks to 'corrupt' Republicans – Nadler |access-date=June 26, 2020 |date=June 21, 2020 }}
• {{cite news |url=https://www.latimes.com/opinion/story/2020-06-23/editorial-a-prosecutor-who-investigated-trumps-friends-is-suddenly-out-of-a-job |title=A prosecutor who investigated Trump's friends is suddenly out of a job |date=June 23, 2020 |access-date=June 26, 2020 |work=Los Angeles Times }}
• {{cite news |work=Newsweek|date=June 25, 2020 |title=AG Barr Says Berman Was 'Living on Borrowed Time' as Interim U.S. Attorney |first1=Jeffery |last1=Martin |url=https://www.newsweek.com/ag-barr-says-berman-was-living-borrowed-time-interim-us-attorney-1513556 |access-date=June 26, 2020 }}

For these reasons, numerous groups have called for Barr's resignation, including the New York City Bar Association.

• {{cite press release |url=https://www.nycbar.org/member-and-career-services/committees/reports-listing/reports/detail/geoffrey-berman-removal-attorney-general-barrs-conduct |work=New York City Bar Association |date=June 23, 2020 |title=Concern Over The Attorney General's Conduct: Removal of Mr. Geoffrey Berman as U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York |first1=Sheila S. |last1=Boston |first2=Stephen L. |last2=Kass |access-date=June 26, 2020 }}
• {{cite news |url=https://lawandcrime.com/high-profile/in-scathing-letter-more-than-80-percent-of-active-faculty-at-bill-barrs-law-school-call-for-his-censure-and-resignation/ |website=Law & Crime |title=In Scathing Letter, More Than 80-Percent of Faculty at Bill Barr's Law School Call for His Censure and Resignation |first1=Jerry |last1=Lambe |date=June 24, 2020 |access-date=June 26, 2020 }}
• {{cite news |url=https://nymag.com/intelligencer/2020/06/whistleblower-bill-barr-justice-department-politicization.html |title=Bill Barr Is Eroding the Rule of Law. Don't Let Him Get Away With It. |date=June 25, 2020 |first1=Barbara |last1=McQuade |first2=Joyce |last2=Vance |work=New York |access-date=June 26, 2020 }}
• {{cite news |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2020/06/21/opinion/trump-bill-barr-geoffrey-berman.html |newspaper=The New York Times |author-link=Preet Bharara |first1=Preet |last1=Bharara |date=June 21, 2020 |access-date=June 29, 2020 |title=Opinion: Bill Barr Should Have Lost His Job This Weekend }}
• {{cite web |first1=Donald |last1=Ayer |author-link=Donald B. Ayer |url=https://edition.cnn.com/2020/07/01/opinions/why-bill-barr-unfit-to-serve-ayer/index.html |title=Why Bill Barr is unfit to serve |date=July 1, 2020 |website=CNN|access-date=June 2, 2020 }}

On October 3, 2019, Rep. Bill Pascrell Jr. filed ethics complaints against Barr with the District of Columbia Bar and Virginia Bar associations.{{Cite news|date=October 3, 2019|title=Pascrell says Virginia, District bar associations should sanction Barr|newspaper=The Washington Post|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/trump-impeachment-inquiry-live-updates/2019/10/03/5f81ec5a-e55c-11e9-a6e8-8759c5c7f608_story.html |first1=Colby |last1=Itkowitz |first2=John |last2=Wagner |first3=Felicia |last3=Sonmez |access-date=July 22, 2020}} On February 14, 2020, Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington filed an ethics complaint against Barr with the Department of Justice Office of Professional Responsibility and Office of the Inspector General, accusing Barr of "violating several Justice Department rules, guidelines and procedures".{{Cite news|last1=Kalmbacher|first1=Colin|date=February 14, 2020|title=Ethics Complaint Against AG Barr Filed with DOJ Inspector General|work=Law and Crime|url=https://lawandcrime.com/high-profile/ethics-complaint-against-ag-barr-filed-with-doj-inspector-general/|access-date=July 22, 2020}} On July 22, 2020, a group of 27 "legal ethics experts and former government lawyers", including four former presidents of the District of Columbia Bar, also filed a complaint against Barr with the District of Columbia Bar.{{Cite news|last1=Woodruff Swan|first1=Betsy|date=July 22, 2020|title=Past D.C. Bar Association chiefs call for probe of William Barr|work=Politico|url=https://www.politico.com/news/2020/07/22/bill-barr-bar-association-probe-377272|access-date=July 22, 2020}}{{Cite web|last1=Harshbarger|first1=Scott|date=July 22, 2020|title=Why 27 Distinguished DC Lawyers Filed a Complaint with Bar Association Against Attorney General Barr|url=https://www.justsecurity.org/71598/why-we-filed-a-complaint-with-the-dc-bar-against-attorney-general-william-barr/|access-date=July 22, 2020|website=Just Security}} A bar association may take years to investigate an ethics complaint filed against a lawyer. If the District of Columbia Bar concludes that a lawyer has violated any of its Rules of Professional Conduct, that lawyer may be sanctioned in one of several ways, including admonition, suspension, and disbarment.{{Cite web|title=DC Bar Attorney Discipline System|url=https://www.dcbar.org/attorney-discipline/disciplinary-decisions.cfm|access-date=July 22, 2020|website=District of Columbia Bar|archive-date=July 11, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200711123628/https://www.dcbar.org/attorney-discipline/disciplinary-decisions.cfm|url-status=dead}}

In June 2019, in violation of Department of Justice policy, Barr pressured Berman, then the U.S. attorney for the Southern District of New York, to drop an investigation into close allies of Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdogan involved with the Turkish bank Halkbank. The bank and the individuals in question were alleged to have broken U.S. sanctions on Iran, funnelling billions of dollars to Iran and helping fund its nuclear ambitions. Erdogan himself personally insisted to President Trump that the Halkbank investigation be shut down on at least two occasions, November 1, 2018, at the G20 summit in Buenos Aires, and on a telephone call on December 14, 2018. According to former national security advisor John Bolton, a first-hand witness of many of the events in question, this sequence of events "does look like obstruction of justice".

In mid-June 2020, Barr announced that Geoffrey Berman, the court-appointed United States Aatorney for the Southern District of New York (SDNY), "is stepping down". Berman's office had been investigating both Trump's personal lawyer Rudy Giuliani and Trump's inaugural committee, as well as conducting a wider investigation into Trump's company and his associates after successfully prosecuting Michael Cohen, another personal lawyer of Trump.{{cite news |url=https://www.npr.org/2020/06/20/881148365/geoffrey-berman-u-s-attorney-who-prosecuted-trump-allies-says-he-wont-quit |access-date=March 11, 2024 |title=President Trump Fires Top U.S. Prosecutor Who Investigated His Allies, Barr Says |work=NPR |date=June 20, 2020 |first1=Barbara |last1=Campbell |first2=Ryan |last2=Lucas |first3=Colin |last3=Dwyer |first4=Jason |last4=Slotkin }} CNN also reported that Berman had prosecuted Halkbank despite Barr's attempt to try to avoid charges for the Turkish state-owned bank, after Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdoğan requested Trump to help drop the charges.{{cite news |last1=Cheney |first1=Kyle |title=Late-night chaos at DOJ as U.S. attorney insists he's not leaving |url=https://www.politico.com/news/2020/06/19/trump-nominate-sec-chair-clayton-us-attorney-southern-district-330039 |access-date=June 24, 2020 |work=Politico |date=June 20, 2020}}{{cite news |last1=Weiser |first1=Benjamin |last2=Rashbaum |first2=William |last3=Hong |first3=Nicole |last4=Haberman |first4=Maggie |last5=Benner |first5=Katie |title=Clash Over U.S. Attorney Who Investigated Trump Associates Sets Off Crisis |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2020/06/19/nyregion/us-attorney-manhattan-trump.html |url-status=live |access-date=June 25, 2020 |work=The New York Times |date=June 19, 2020 |archive-url=https://archive.today/20200625131951/https://www.nytimes.com/2020/06/19/nyregion/us-attorney-manhattan-trump.html |archive-date=June 25, 2020}}{{cite news |last1=Blake |first1=Aaron |title=Barr's botched effort to remove a prosecutor who probed Trump allies |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2020/06/21/barrs-botched-effort-remove-prosecutor-who-probed-trump-allies |access-date=June 25, 2020 |newspaper=The Washington Post |date=June 21, 2020 |archive-url=https://archive.today/20200625141353/https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2020/06/21/barrs-botched-effort-remove-prosecutor-who-probed-trump-allies/ |url-status=live |archive-date=June 25, 2020}}{{cite news |last1=Orden |first1=Erica |last2=Raju |first2=Manu |last3=Perez |first3=Evan |last4=Scannell |first4=Kara |title=Geoffrey Berman is leaving office immediately after standoff with Trump administration |url=https://edition.cnn.com/2020/06/20/politics/trump-fires-berman-barr-says/index.html |url-status=live |access-date=June 25, 2020 |work=CNN |date=June 21, 2020 |archive-date=June 25, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200625025444/https://edition.cnn.com/2020/06/20/politics/trump-fires-berman-barr-says/index.html }} Simultaneously, Barr announced that at his recommendation, Trump had appointed Craig Carpenito as the interim SDNY U.S. attorney, in a departure from the tradition of a career prosecutor from SDNY taking the interim role. Also concurrently, Barr said that Trump would nominate Jay Clayton for the permanent role of SDNY U.S. attorney. Within a day, Berman said that he actually had "not resigned, and have no intention of resigning". Berman also said that he only learned of his supposed departure from Barr's public announcement. Barr then informed Berman that Trump had fired Berman at Barr's request. Barr did not give a reason for Berman's firing. As a result of the firing, the deputy SDNY U.S. attorney, Audrey Strauss, would become the interim SDNY U.S. attorney. With this, Berman agreed to leave. Meanwhile, the Senate indicated it would not confirm Clayton as the permanent replacement.

In a late Friday night statement on June 19, 2020, Barr stated that Berman was resigning and being replaced by Jay Clayton, citing Berman's behavior in the Halkbank episode as a primary reason for his removal. Berman learned of this through press reports and declined to resign; the next day, Barr asked Trump to fire Berman, which he promptly did. Berman was replaced by his deputy, Audrey Strauss.{{Cite news |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-53123847|title=Geoffrey Berman: Trump fires top US prosecutor who refused to quit |date=June 20, 2020 |work=BBC News |access-date=May 14, 2021 |archive-date=January 21, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210121031022/https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-53123847 |url-status=live }} In November 2019, The Wall Street Journal reported Trump personal attorney Rudy Giuliani figured in an SDNY investigation into multiple possible felonies.{{Cite news |url=https://www.wsj.com/articles/federal-subpoenas-seek-information-on-giulianis-consulting-business-11574712722 |title=Federal Subpoenas Seek Information on Giuliani's Consulting Business|first1=Rebecca Davis |last1=O'Brien |first2=Rebecca |last2=Ballhaus |first3=Shelby |last3=Holliday |date=November 25, 2019 |newspaper=The Wall Street Journal |access-date=March 12, 2024 }}

File:President Trump Visits St. John's Episcopal Church (49964153176).jpg in June 2020. ]]

In early June 2020, according to reporting by The Washington Post and Fox News, Barr personally ordered that the streets around Lafayette Square, Washington, D.C. should be cleared so that Trump, Barr and other administration officials could stage a photo op in front of St. John's Church. At the time, the streets were occupied by peaceful protesters as part of the George Floyd protests in Washington, D.C.; Barr's order resulted in federal law enforcement officers rushing protesters, and employing smoke canisters, pepper balls, riot shields, and batons against the protesters.{{cite news |last1=Leonnig |first1=Carol |last2=Zapotosky |first2=Matt |last3=Dawsey |first3=Josh |last4=Tan |first4=Rebecca |title=Barr personally ordered removal of protesters near White House, leading to use of force against largely peaceful crowd |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/barr-personally-ordered-removal-of-protesters-near-white-house-leading-to-use-of-force-against-largely-peaceful-crowd/2020/06/02/0ca2417c-a4d5-11ea-b473-04905b1af82b_story.html |access-date=June 3, 2020 |newspaper=The Washington Post |date=June 2, 2020}}{{Cite news|last1=Phillips|first1=Morgan|date=June 2, 2020|title=Barr ordered officials to clear area around Lafayette Square before Trump's protest remarks, officials say|work=Fox News|url=https://www.foxnews.com/politics/barr-lafayette-square-trump-protest-remarks|access-date=June 3, 2020}} Barr reacted to the incident by falsely claiming that pepper balls (used by law enforcement on protesters) were not chemical irritants (pepper balls contain pelargonic acid vanillylamide, a chemical irritant; while the product's manufacturer, and the Justice Department, both consider pepper balls a chemical irritant).{{cite news |last1=Kessler |first1=Glenn |title=William Barr's Four-Pinocchio claim that pepper balls are 'not chemical' |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2020/06/08/william-barrs-four-pinocchio-claim-that-pepper-balls-are-not-chemical/ |access-date=June 9, 2020 |newspaper=The Washington Post |date=June 9, 2020 |archive-url=https://archive.today/20200609045248/https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2020/06/08/william-barrs-four-pinocchio-claim-that-pepper-balls-are-not-chemical/ |archive-date=June 9, 2020 |url-status=live }} On August 4, 2020, Barr and presidential adviser Ivanka Trump, and special advisor Heather Fischer announced the $35 million in grant awards to support victims of human trafficking at a White House event. During the roundtable, Barr became emotional and partly covered his face with his hand as survivors of human trafficking told their stories.{{Cite web |date=2020-08-04 |title=Trump gives $35 million to aid human trafficking victims |first1=Darlene |last1=Superville |url=https://apnews.com/article/virus-outbreak-ivanka-trump-politics-oh-state-wire-william-barr-89347d1b618ab522ec6d13aa114f4e92 |access-date=2023-08-12 |website=Associated Press |language=en}} In August 2020, he invoked qualified immunity before a federal court to protect himself from liability in a lawsuit regarding the Lafayette Square incident.{{Cite web|title=William Barr Seeks Qualified Immunity From Lafayette Square Suit|url=https://news.bloomberglaw.com/social-justice/william-barr-seeks-qualified-immunity-from-lafayette-square-suit |first1=Porter |last1=Wells |date=June 4, 2020 |access-date=August 13, 2020|website=news.bloomberglaw.com|language=en}} A report by the U.S. Department of the Interior Office of Inspector General (OIG), released in June 2021, concluded that the clearing of the park by the Park Police and other forces was part of a plan to install "antiscale fencing" and had not been done so that Trump could stage a photo op in front of St. John's Church.{{cite web |last1=Ebbs |first1=Stephanie |title=Police did not clear Lafayette Park area so Trump could hold 'Bible' photo op: Watchdog |url=https://abcnews.go.com/Politics/police-clear-lafayette-park-area-trump-hold-bible/story?id=78171712 |date=June 10, 2021 |work=ABC News |access-date=2021-06-09 |archive-date=2021-06-18 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210618124242/https://abcnews.go.com/Politics/police-clear-lafayette-park-area-trump-hold-bible/story?id=78171712 |url-status=live }} The OIG report stated that OIG "cannot assess whether" Barr's visit to the park or any planned movement by Trump "influenced the Secret Service's actions, including its early deployment on to H Street."{{cite web |last1=Wild |first1=Whitney |title=Watchdog report finds Park Police did not clear racial injustice protesters from Lafayette Park for Trump's visit to St. John's Church last June |date=June 9, 2021 |url=https://www.cnn.com/2021/06/09/politics/park-police-lafayette-square-protesters-donald-trump-bible/index.html |publisher=CNN|access-date=2021-06-09 |archive-date=2021-06-09 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210609203116/https://www.cnn.com/2021/06/09/politics/park-police-lafayette-square-protesters-donald-trump-bible/index.html |url-status=live }}

In an August 2020 appearance on Fox News, Barr asserted that Black Lives Matter is "a revolutionary group that is interested in some form of socialism, communism. They're essentially Bolsheviks. Their tactics are fascistic." Barr equated the movement with antifa, characterizing that loose collective as "highly organized" and claiming "the media doesn't take footage of what's happening" at George Floyd protests. He also claimed that liberals are intent on "tearing down the system" and that the Democratic party was only "interested in total victory. It's a secular religion. It's a substitute for a religion."{{Cite news|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/nation/2020/08/10/barr-fox-antifa-blm/ |access-date=May 20, 2021 |title='Their tactics are fascistic': Barr slams Black Lives Matter, accuses the left of 'tearing down the system'|first1=Jaclyn|last1=Peiserc|newspaper=The Washington Post|date=August 10, 2020}} Barr had in June 2020 blamed antifa for orchestrating the George Floyd protests, but analysis by The New York Times found that no one arrested for serious federal crimes at the protests had been linked to antifa.{{Cite web|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2020/06/11/us/antifa-protests-george-floyd.html |access-date=November 6, 2021 |title=Federal Arrests Show No Sign That Antifa Plotted Protests |first1=Neil |last1=MacFarquhar |first2=Alan |last2=Feuer |first3=Adam |last3=Goldman |date=June 11, 2020 |newspaper=The New York Times }} Homeland Security Department secretary Chad Wolf said in September 2020 that he and Barr had discussed arresting leaders of antifa and the Black Lives Matter movement.{{Cite web|url=https://www.politico.com/news/2020/09/04/white-supremacists-terror-threat-dhs-409236 |date=September 4, 2020 |first1=Betsy Woodruff |last1=Swan |author-link=Betsy Woodruff Swan |title=DHS draft document: White supremacists are greatest terror threat|website=Politico |access-date=May 18, 2021 }} The Wall Street Journal reported in September 2020 that Barr told federal prosecutors to consider charging violent protestors with plotting to overthrow the US government.{{Cite web|url=https://www.wsj.com/articles/barr-tells-prosecutors-to-consider-charging-violent-protesters-with-sedition-11600276683|title=Barr Tells Prosecutors to Consider Charging Violent Protesters With Sedition|first1=Aruna Viswanatha and Sadie|last1=Gurman|date=September 16, 2020|newspaper=The Wall Street Journal}}{{Cite news|last1=Benner|first1=Katie|date=September 16, 2020|title=Barr Told Prosecutors to Consider Sedition Charges for Protest Violence|language=en-US|work=The New York Times|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2020/09/16/us/politics/william-barr-sedition.html|access-date=September 17, 2020|issn=0362-4331}}

In an August 2020 interview, Trump claimed that a plane full of "thugs in dark uniforms", implying antifa, had recently flown from one unidentified city to another with the intention of fomenting riots. His claim appeared to be based on months-old social media rumors.{{Cite web|url=https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/politics-news/trump-s-plane-loaded-thugs-rumor-matches-months-old-facebook-n1238962|title=Trump's 'plane loaded with thugs' conspiracy theory matches months-old rumor|last1=Collins|first1=Ben|date=September 1, 2020|website=NBC News}}{{Cite web|url=https://www.nbcnews.com/tech/tech-news/antifa-rumors-spread-local-social-media-no-evidence-n1222486|title=False antifa rumors about a suburban invasion take over neighborhood social media apps|last1=Zadrodzny|first1=Brandy|last2=Collins|first2=Ben|date=June 2, 2020|website=NBC News}} Two days later, Barr asserted he knew that antifa activists "are flying around the country" and "we are following them".{{Cite web|url=https://www.reuters.com/article/us-global-race-barr-police-idUSKBN25T3AI|title=U.S. Attorney General Barr says antifa 'flying around' U.S. to incite violence|last1=Wolfe|first1=Jan|date=September 2, 2020|work=U.S. News & World Report|publisher=Reuters}} The DHS report did not mention antifa.{{cite report |title=Homeland Threat Assessment |date=October 2020 |url=https://www.dhs.gov/sites/default/files/publications/2020_10_06_homeland-threat-assessment.pdf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201006180118/https://www.dhs.gov/sites/default/files/publications/2020_10_06_homeland-threat-assessment.pdf |archive-date=October 6, 2020 |url-status=live |work=United States Department of Homeland Security }}{{Cite web|url=https://www.businessinsider.com/barr-gop-present-antifa-major-threat-but-no-evidence-killings-2020-7 |date=July 28, 2020 |title=Trump, Barr, and the GOP present antifa as a major threat in the US, but they're not killing people — unlike white supremacists|first1=John|last1=Haltiwanger|website=Business Insider}}

On September 3, 2020, Trump ordered Barr to identify "anarchist jurisdictions", stating in a memorandum, "It is imperative that the federal government review the use of federal funds by jurisdictions that permit anarchy, violence, and destruction in America's cities."{{Cite web|url=https://www.cnbc.com/2020/09/03/trump-seeks-to-cut-federal-funding-to-anarchist-cities.html|title=Trump seeks to cut federal funding to what he calls 'anarchist jurisdictions'|first1=Christina|last1=Wilkie|date=September 3, 2020|website=CNBC}} Days later, Barr designated New York City, Seattle and Portland, Oregon as such jurisdictions, suggesting they should lose their federal funding because, "We cannot allow federal tax dollars to be wasted when the safety of the citizenry hangs in the balance."{{Cite web|url=https://abcnews.go.com/Politics/doj-targets-funding-york-portland-seattle-jurisdictions-permitting/story?id=73145459|title=DOJ targets funding to New York, Portland and Seattle as jurisdictions 'permitting violence' |first1=Alexander |last1=Mallin |date=September 21, 2020 |access-date=March 11, 2024 |website=ABC News}} Barr redirected federal homeland security and law enforcement resources to dealing with antifa, whereas the career law enforcement officials had long since concluded that the major domestic terrorism threat came from the far right.{{Cite news|last1=Goldman|first1=Adam|last2=Benner|first2=Katie|last3=Kanno-Youngs|first3=Zolan|date=2021-01-30|title=How Trump's Focus on Antifa Distracted Attention From the Far-Right Threat|language=en-US|work=The New York Times|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2021/01/30/us/politics/trump-right-wing-domestic-terrorism.html|access-date=2021-01-30|issn=0362-4331}}

{{seealso|Attempts to overturn the 2020 United States presidential election}}

As Attorney General, Barr sowed doubt about the integrity of the 2020 election.{{Cite news |first1=Manuel |last1=Roig-Franzia |first2=Tom |last2=Hamburger |date=September 15, 2020 |title=William Barr: Unbound|newspaper=The Washington Post |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/magazine/2020/09/15/william-barr-president-trump-perfect-match/ |access-date=May 20, 2021 }} In a September 2020 interview, Barr falsely asserted the Justice Department had indicted a Texas man for fraudulently completing 1,700 mail-in ballots. There was no such indictment, and the matter actually involved a series of errors by election officials during a county election, rather than fraud.{{Cite news |url=https://www.dallasnews.com/news/politics/2020/09/04/ag-barrs-claim-of-1700-fraudulent-ballots-in-2017-dallas-city-council-race-not-true-prosecutor-says/ |access-date=November 6, 2021 |first1=Paul |last1=Cobler |title=AG Barr's claim of 1,700 fraudulent ballots in 2017 Dallas City Council race not true, prosecutor says|date=September 4, 2020|website=Dallas News}}{{Cite web|url=https://www.statesman.com/story/news/politics/elections/2020/09/23/fact-checking-william-barr-on-fraudulent-ballots-in-texas/42682613/ |date=September 23, 2020 |title=Fact-checking William Barr on fraudulent ballots in Texas|first1=Ciara|last1=O'Rourke|website=Austin American-Statesman |access-date=December 18, 2020 }}{{cite news|last1=Zapotosky|first1=Matt|date=September 3, 2020|title=Barr claims a man collected 1,700 ballots and filled them out as he pleased. Prosecutors say that's not what happened. |newspaper=The Washington Post|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/national-security/barr-claims-a-man-collected-1700-ballots-and-filled-them-out-as-he-pleased-prosecutors-say-thats-not-what-happened/2020/09/03/923aafac-ee2e-11ea-ab4e-581edb849379_story.html|access-date=September 14, 2020}} Barr also repeated a claim that foreign adversaries could flood the country with counterfeit ballots to disrupt the election, a threat that experts characterized as nearly impossible to execute.{{Cite web|first1=Daniel|last1=Dale|first2=Tara|last2=Subramaniam|first3=Holmes|last3=Lybrand|date=September 3, 2020|title=Fact-checking Attorney General William Barr's claims on voter fraud, election interference and Jacob Blake|url=https://www.cnn.com/2020/09/03/politics/william-barr-cnn-wolf-blitzer-interview-fact-check/index.html |access-date=November 6, 2021 |website=CNN }}{{Cite news|last1=Gardner|first1=Amy|date=June 2, 2020|title=Election officials contradict Barr's assertion that counterfeit mail ballots produced by a foreign country are a 'real' worry|newspaper=The Washington Post|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/election-officials-contradict-barrs-assertion-that-counterfeit-mail-ballots-produced-by-a-foreign-country-are-a-real-worry/2020/06/02/5ac8d664-a43e-11ea-b619-3f9133bbb482_story.html|access-date=June 25, 2020}} Senior American intelligence officials have said there was no evidence any foreign powers intended to manipulate mail-in voting.{{Cite web|last1=Cheney|first1=Kyle|last2=Bertrand|first2=Natasha|date=September 3, 2020|title=Intel officials contradict Trump on voting by mail|url=https://www.politico.com/news/2020/08/26/intel-officials-contradict-trump-on-voting-by-mail-402470|website=Politico |access-date=December 18, 2020 }} The day after Barr's interview, the Department of Homeland Security issued an intelligence bulletin warning that Russia is using social media and other venues to promote false claims that mail voting will lead to widespread fraud, in order "to undermine public trust in the electoral process".{{Cite web|last1=Cohen|first1=Zachary|date=September 4, 2020|title=Intelligence bulletin warns Russia amplifying false claims mail-in voting will lead to widespread fraud|url=https://www.cnn.com/2020/09/03/politics/russia-intel-bulletin-mail-in-voting-warning/index.html|website=CNN}} In a subsequent September 2020 interview, Barr stated that mail-in voting meant "we're back in the business of selling and buying votes" including "outright coercion, paying off a postman, here's a few hundred dollars, give me some of your ballots".{{Cite web|url=https://lawandcrime.com/high-profile/bill-barr-pushes-wild-and-fanciful-felonious-postman-hypothetical-says-liberals-are-the-ones-projecting-bullsht/ |first1=Jerry |last1=Lambe |title=Bill Barr Pushes 'Wild' and 'Fanciful' Felonious Postman Hypothetical, Says Liberals Are the Ones Projecting 'Bullsh*t' |website=Law & Crime |date=September 15, 2020}} On October 1, 2020, more than 1,600 former DOJ attorneys signed an open letter stating, "we fear that Attorney General Barr intends to use the DOJ's vast law enforcement powers to undermine our most fundamental democratic value: free and fair elections."{{Cite web|url=https://lawandcrime.com/2020-election/nearly-2000-doj-alumni-sign-letter-with-dire-warning-bill-barr-is-working-to-rig-2020-election-for-trump/ |website=Law & Crime |first1=Colin |last1=Kalmbacher |title=Nearly 2,000 DOJ Alumni Sign Letter with Dire Warning: Bill Barr Is Working to Rig 2020 Election for Trump|date=October 1, 2020}}

In September 2020, Barr asserted liberals were "projecting", referring to "all this bullshit about how the president is going to stay in office and seize power? I've never heard of any of that crap. I mean, I'm the attorney general. I would think I would have heard about it." During both the 2016 and 2020 campaigns, Trump was noncommittal when asked if he would accept election results showing he had lost. Days after Barr's remarks, Trump was asked if he would commit to a peaceful transition of power if he lost the 2020 election, to which he replied, "Well, we'll have to see what happens. You know that I've been complaining very strongly about the ballots. And the ballots are a disaster. Get rid of the ballots and you'll have a very peaceful{{snd}}there won't be a transfer, frankly. There will be a continuation."{{Cite news|last1=Kass|first1=John|date=September 11, 2020|title=AG Bill Barr says federal corruption hunters never 'at a loss for work' in Chicago|work=Chicago Tribune|url=https://www.chicagotribune.com/columns/john-kass/ct-attorney-general-william-barr-chicago-kass-20200911-xbpfeq5wj5hybffu5e7aiwuzoq-story.html|access-date=September 15, 2020}}{{Cite news |first1=Aamer |last1=Madhani |first2=Colleen |last2=Long |first3=Will |last3=Weissert |url=https://abcnews.go.com/Politics/wireStory/trump-ready-commit-election-results-loses-71872508|title=Trump not ready to commit to election results if he loses |date=July 20, 2020 |website=ABC News}}{{Cite web|url=https://www.cnn.com/2020/09/23/politics/trump-election-day-peaceful-transition/index.html |access-date=May 20, 2021 |title=Trump refuses to commit to a peaceful transition of power after Election Day|first1=Kevin |last1=Liptak |first2=Maegan |last2=Vazquez |date=September 23, 2020 |website=CNN}} In the days after his electoral defeat, Trump and his legal team led by Rudy Giuliani pursued an aggressive effort to overturn the results with dozens of lawsuits and numerous false and unsubstantiated assertions revolving around an international communist conspiracy, rigged voting machines, and polling place fraud to claim the election had been stolen from Trump.{{Cite web|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/trump-uses-power-of-presidency-to-try-to-overturn-the-election-and-stay-in-office/2020/11/19/bc89caa6-2a9f-11eb-8fa2-06e7cbb145c0_story.html |access-date=May 20, 2021 |title=Trump uses power of presidency to try to overturn the election and stay in office |first1=Philip |last1=Rucker |first2=Amy |last2=Gardner |first3=Josh |last3=Dawsey |date=November 20, 2020 |newspaper=The Washington Post }}{{Cite web|url=https://www.cnn.com/2020/11/19/politics/giuliani-trump-legal-team-press-briefing-fact-check/index.html |access-date=May 20, 2021 |title=Fact checking Giuliani and the Trump legal team's wild, fact-free press conference|first1=Tara |last1=Subramaniam |first2=Holmes |last2=Lybrand |date=November 19, 2020 |website=CNN}}{{Cite news |first1=Ali |last1=Swenson |access-date=December 18, 2020 |url=https://apnews.com/article/fact-check-trump-legal-team-false-claims-5abd64917ef8be9e9e2078180973e8b3 |title=AP Fact Check: Trump legal team's batch of false vote claims |date=November 19, 2020 |website=Associated Press }}{{Cite web|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2020/11/19/fact-checking-craziest-news-conference-trump-presidency/ |date=November 19, 2020 |title=Analysis | Fact-checking the craziest news conference of the Trump presidency |access-date=March 12, 2024 |first1=Glenn|last1=Kessler|newspaper=The Washington Post }}{{Cite web |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/media/rudy-giuliani-floated-dangerous-and-incendiary-false-claims-of-election-conspiracy--and-fox-news-broadcast-it-live/2020/11/19/0313eab6-2a9f-11eb-8fa2-06e7cbb145c0_story.html |date=November 19, 2020 |title=Rudy Giuliani floated 'dangerous' and incendiary false claims of election conspiracy – and Fox News broadcast it live|first1=Paul|last1=Farhi |first2=Elahe |last2=Izadi |newspaper=The Washington Post |access-date=March 12, 2024 }}

After Joe Biden won the 2020 election and Trump refused to concede, baseless claims of voting fraud circulated.{{Cite web |access-date=March 12, 2024 |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2020/11/10/us/politics/voting-fraud.html|title=The Times Called Officials in Every State: No Evidence of Voter Fraud|first1=Nick|last1=Corasaniti|first2=Reid J.|last2=Epstein|first3=Jim|last3=Rutenberg|date=November 11, 2020|newspaper=The New York Times}} Barr sent a memo to DOJ prosecutors authorizing them to investigate "vote tabulation irregularities" before voting results had been certified, a reversal of long-standing department policy. Richard Pilger, director of the Election Crimes Branch at the DOJ Criminal Division, stepped down from that position in protest hours later.{{Cite web|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/national-security/trump-voting-fraud-william-barr-justice-department/2020/11/09/d57dbe98-22e6-11eb-8672-c281c7a2c96e_story.html |access-date=March 12, 2024 |title=Barr clears Justice Dept. to investigate alleged voting irregularities as Trump makes unfounded fraud claims|first1=Matt|last1=Zapotosky|first2=Devlin|last2=Barrett|newspaper=The Washington Post|date=November 10, 2020 }} Four days later, sixteen assistant U.S. attorneys of the Branch wrote Barr a letter urging him to rescind the memo because it "thrusts career prosecutors into partisan politics".{{Cite news|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/national-security/william-barr-election-memo/2020/11/13/6ed06d20-25e4-11eb-a688-5298ad5d580a_story.html |date=November 13, 2020 |title=Federal prosecutors assigned to monitor election malfeasance tell Barr they see no evidence of substantial irregularities |access-date=March 12, 2024 |first1=Matt |last1=Zapotosky |first2=Tom |last2=Hamburger |newspaper=The Washington Post}} Barr later told a journalist that he had always expected Trump's electoral loss and never expected that Trump's fraud claims would have merit: "My suspicion all the way along was that there was nothing there. It was all bullshit." However, he asserted that because he expected Trump to ask him for details, he informally investigated to educate himself.{{Cite web|last1=Karl|first1=Jonathan D.|date=2021-06-27|title=Inside William Barr's Breakup With Trump|url=https://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2021/06/william-barrs-trump-administration-attorney-general/619298/|access-date=2021-06-29|website=The Atlantic|language=en}} Some asserted Barr's statements during the campaign suggested otherwise and that he was now attempting to rehabilitate his reputation.{{Cite web|url=https://www.cnn.com/2021/06/28/politics/what-matters-barr-big-lie/index.html|title=Analysis: The rehabilitation tours are underway for Trump's former officials |access-date=March 12, 2024 |first1=Zachary |last1=Wolf |website=CNN |date=June 28, 2021}}{{Cite magazine|url=https://www.thenation.com/article/politics/bill-barr-aftermath-atlantic/ |title=Bill Barr's Rehabilitation Tour Begins. Let's Not Fall for It.|first1=Joan|last1=Walsh|date=June 27, 2021 |access-date=March 12, 2024 |magazine=The Nation }}{{Cite web|url=https://www.huffpost.com/entry/cnn-elie-honig-bill-barr_n_60daa1ade4b08ef5e2be343d |access-date=March 12, 2024 |title=CNN Analyst Torches Barr: Watched The House Burn Then 'Tossed His Drink On It' |first1=Josephine |last1=Harvey |date=June 29, 2021 |website=HuffPost}} Barr waited until December 1, 2020, to state that the Justice Department "has not uncovered evidence of widespread voter fraud that would change the outcome of the 2020 presidential election". Trump was angered by the announcement and the fact that Durham had not released any findings prior to the election.{{Cite news |date=December 3, 2020 |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/national-security/trump-barr-election-fraud/2020/12/02/5717626c-34e2-11eb-a997-1f4c53d2a747_story.html |title=Trump is said to be livid at Barr, with one official suggesting termination possible |first1=Matt |last1=Zapotosky |first2=Josh |last2=Dawsey |first3=Devlin |last3=Barrett |access-date=March 12, 2024 |newspaper=The Washington Post }} Trump was also angered by news that Barr had followed Justice Department policy by not disclosing during the campaign that Joe Biden's son Hunter had since 2018 been under criminal investigation, initially on suspicion of money laundering but later for tax matters.{{Cite web |access-date=March 12, 2024 |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2020/12/09/us/politics/hunter-biden-tax-investigation.html|title=Hunter Biden Discloses He Is Focus of Federal Tax Inquiry|first1=Adam|last1=Goldman|first2=Katie|last2=Benner|first3=Kenneth P.|last3=Vogel|date=December 10, 2020|newspaper=The New York Times}}{{Cite web|url=https://lawandcrime.com/high-profile/trump-looks-to-fire-bill-barr-and-appoint-special-counsel-to-pursue-election-fraud-hunter-biden-report/ |first1=Jerry |last1=Lambe |website=Law & Crime |access-date=March 12, 2024 |title=Trump Looks to Fire Bill Barr and Appoint Special Counsel to Pursue Election Fraud, Hunter Biden: Report|date=December 12, 2020}} On December 14, 2020, Trump announced on Twitter that Barr was stepping down from his post on December 23. After a pro-Trump mob stormed the U.S. Capitol after being incited by Trump, Barr said Trump had committed a "betrayal of his office".{{Cite web|last1=Forgey|first1=Quint|title=Barr: Trump committed 'betrayal of his office'|url=https://www.politico.com/news/2021/01/07/barr-trump-committed-betrayal-of-his-office-455812|access-date=2021-01-30|website=Politico|date=January 7, 2021 |language=en}}{{cite news |date=7 January 2021 |title=Barr says Trump's conduct is a 'betrayal' of the presidency |url=https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/congress/barr-says-trump-s-conduct-betrayal-presidency-n1253281 |work=NBC News |access-date=30 April 2024}}{{cite news |last=Macias |first=Amanda |date=7 January 2021 |title=Barr blasts Trump for orchestrating mob, calls it 'betrayal of his office' |url=https://www.cnbc.com/2021/01/07/barr-condemns-trumps-actions-during-capitol-riots.html |work=CNBC |access-date=30 April 2024}}

On December 14, 2020, Trump announced via Twitter that Barr would be resigning from his post as attorney general, effective December 23.{{Cite news |last1=Benner |first1=Katie |date=December 14, 2020 |title=William Barr Is Out as Attorney General |language=en-US |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2020/12/14/us/politics/william-barr-attorney-general.html |access-date=December 14, 2020 |issn=0362-4331 }} Barr further confirmed his resignation in a letter to Trump on the same day.{{Cite letter |first1=William P. |last1=Barr |recipient=President Donald J. Trump |subject=(Resignation) |language=en |date=December 14, 2020 |url=https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:AG-Barr-resignation-letter.pdf |access-date=March 12, 2024 }} In summarizing his tenure, Katie Benner of The New York Times wrote that "Barr brought the Justice Department closer to the White House than any attorney general in a half-century{{nbs}}... Barr made decisions that dovetailed precisely with Mr. Trump's wishes and the demands of his political allies." CNN summarized his tenure similarly, "Barr repeatedly and unapologetically prioritized Trump's political goals while furthering his own vision of expansive presidential power."{{Cite web|first1=Allie |last1=Malloy |first2=Devan |last2=Cole |first3=Christina |last3=Carrega |first4=Kevin |last4=Liptak |date=December 15, 2020 |title=Attorney General William Barr resigns|url=https://www.cnn.com/2020/12/14/politics/william-barr-out-as-attorney-general/index.html|access-date=December 19, 2020|website=CNN}} Ryan Lucas of NPR described Barr as "one of Trump's most loyal and effective defenders".{{Cite web|title=William Barr To Step Down As Attorney General Before Christmas |first1=Ryan |last1=Lucas |date=December 14, 2020 |url=https://www.npr.org/2020/12/14/811276917/william-barr-to-steps-down-as-attorney-general|access-date=December 19, 2020|website=NPR.org|language=en}} As examples of Barr's actions on behalf of Trump, these critics pointed to the fact that Barr made frequent false claims about the integrity of mail-in voting leading up to the 2020 election, misleadingly summarized Special Counsel Robert Mueller's report on Russian interference in the 2016 election, harshly criticized those who had investigated Trump, meddled in criminal prosecutions of Trump allies,{{Cite news |last1=Perez |first1=Evan |first2=Katelyn |last2=Polantz |first3=Kara |last3=Scannell |title=Trump lauded, then derided Barr. A look inside the attorney general's tumultuous term.|url=https://www.cnn.com/2020/12/23/politics/trump-barr-attorney-general-legacy/index.html |date=December 23, 2020 |access-date=December 23, 2020|website=CNN}} and ordered the use of force on peaceful protestors across the street from the White House during the George Floyd protests so that President Trump could have a photo op at nearby St. John's Church."

In 2022, it was reported that Barr would launch a law and consulting firm with former Facebook general counsel Ted Ullyot.{{Cite web |last1= |date=2022-11-02 |title=Bill Barr and early Facebook exec Ted Ullyot planning law firm |url=https://www.axios.com/2022/11/02/bill-barr-ted-ullyot-law-firm |access-date=2022-11-02 |website=Axios|language=en}}

On June 1, 2022, Barr was interviewed on Fox News about the verdict in the failed prosecution of Michael Sussman. He continued to defend Trump by repeating debunked "Russiagate" conspiracy theories about the origins of the Russia investigation by stating that the case against Sussmann "crystallized the central role played by the Hillary campaign in launching, as a dirty trick, the whole Russiagate collusion narrative." The Washington Post noted that the Justice Department traditionally seeks to avoid impugning individuals who are not charged with crimes, and the DOJ is not involved in exposing political "dirty tricks" that have not been found unlawful. Barr also asserted Durham "exposed really dreadful behavior by the supervisors in the FBI, the senior ranks of the FBI, who knowingly use this information to start an investigation of Trump," though the Sussmann case did not relate to how the FBI Crossfire Hurricane investigation began. Although Barr appointed Durham to investigate possible FBI wrongdoing in opening Crossfire Hurricane, Durham's prosecution of Sussmann portrayed the FBI as a victim, rather than a perpetrator, of wrongdoing.{{cite web |last1=Jones |first1=Ja'han |title=Barr still pushing lies about Russia probe despite Sussmann ruling |website=MSNBC |date=June 2, 2022 |url=https://www.msnbc.com/the-reidout/reidout-blog/barr-russia-probe-durham-sussmann-rcna31608 |access-date=June 3, 2022 |quote=Sussmann's meeting with the FBI came in September 2016, months after the Trump-Russia investigation was opened, and the FBI quickly dismissed his tip. }}{{cite news |last1=Blake |first1=Aaron |title=Barr's extraordinary defense of the John Durham probe |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2022/06/02/barrs-extraordinary-defense-john-durham-probe/ |newspaper=The Washington Post |date=June 2, 2022 |access-date=October 10, 2022 }}{{cite news |last1=Savage |first1=Charlie |title=Trump-Era Prosecutor's Case Against Democratic-Linked Lawyer Goes to Trial |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2022/05/15/us/politics/michael-sussmann-trial-trump-russia.html |work=The New York Times|date=May 15, 2022 |access-date=October 10, 2022 }}

Barr testified to the House Select Committee on the January 6 Attack behind closed doors on June 2, 2022. Portions of his videotaped testimony were presented during the committee's public hearings days later. Barr testified that before resigning as attorney general, he had told President Trump that allegations of election fraud were "bullshit." At times during his testimony he could not control his laughter at the absurdity of some fraud allegations, such as the Italygate theory that satellites controlled from Italy had flipped votes from Trump to Biden, and that former Venezuelan president Hugo Chávez had orchestrated an election fraud scheme, despite having died seven years earlier. Barr testified Trump never gave "an indication of interest in what the actual facts were," adding the president had "become detached from reality if he really believes this stuff."{{Cite web |last1=Herb |first1=Jeremy |last2=Cohen |first2=Marshall |last3=Cohen |first3=Zachary |last4=Rogers |first4=Alex |date=January 10, 2022 |title=Takeaways from the prime-time January 6 committee hearing |url=https://www.cnn.com/2022/06/09/politics/jan-6-hearing-takeaways-thursday/index.html |access-date=June 10, 2022 |website=CNN|archive-date=June 10, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220610021614/https://www.cnn.com/2022/06/09/politics/jan-6-hearing-takeaways-thursday/index.html |url-status=live }}{{cite news |title=Jan. 6 Hearing: Barr Says Trump Was 'Detached From Reality' |url=https://www.nytimes.com/live/2022/06/13/us/jan-6-hearings-trump |work=The New York Times |date=June 13, 2022 |first1=Luke |last1=Broadwater |first2=Maggie |last2=Haberman |author-link2=Maggie Haberman |access-date=June 13, 2022 |archive-date=June 13, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220613135207/https://www.nytimes.com/live/2022/06/13/us/jan-6-hearings-trump |url-status=live }}

{{main|FBI investigation into Donald Trump's handling of presidential documents}}

Barr has supported the FBI search of Mar-a-Lago and its investigation into the handling of presidential documents by Trump after his presidency, and dismissed Trump's calls for a special master to be appointed.{{cite news |last1=Thrush |first1=Glenn |authorlink=Glenn Thrush |title=Barr Dismisses Trump's Request for a Special Master |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2022/09/02/us/politics/barr-trump-special-master.html |access-date=4 September 2022 |work=The New York Times |date=2 September 2022}}

{{criticism section|date=December 2020}}

On December 11, 2019, former attorney general Eric Holder, who had served under President Obama, wrote an op-ed in The Washington Post claiming William Barr is "unfit to be attorney general"{{Cite news |date=December 11, 2019 |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/eric-holder-william-barr-is-unfit-to-be-attorney-general/2019/12/11/99882092-1c55-11ea-87f7-f2e91143c60d_story.html|title=Opinion {{!}} Eric Holder: William Barr is unfit to be attorney general|last1=Holder|first1=Eric H. Jr.|newspaper=The Washington Post|language=en|access-date=December 12, 2019}} for his "naked partisan[ship]", "attempts to vilify the president's critics", his attacks on the inspector general and his comments on ongoing investigations.

In a December 2019 opinion piece, former FBI director, CIA director and federal judge William Webster wrote of "a dire threat to the rule of law in the country I love". Webster asserted that "the integrity of the institutions that protect our civil order are, tragically, under assault," writing that "aspersions cast upon [FBI employees] by the president and my longtime friend, Attorney General William P. Barr, are troubling in the extreme."{{Cite news |url=https://www.cnn.com/2019/12/17/politics/william-webster-trump-barr-ig-report-russia/index.html |date=December 17, 2019 |access-date=May 14, 2021 |title=Former FBI and CIA chief calls Trump and Barr's attacks against FBI a 'dire threat' to rule of law |first1=Veronica |last1=Stracqualursi |website=CNN}}{{Cite web|url=https://abcnews.go.com/Politics/fbi-cia-director-calls-ag-barrs-remarks-fbi/story?id=67755958 |date=16 December 2019 |first1=Alexander |last1=Mallin |first2=Luke |last2=Barr |title=Former FBI, CIA Director calls AG Barr's remarks about FBI 'troubling in the extreme' |access-date=March 12, 2024 |website=ABC News}} Since 2005, Webster had served as the chair of the Homeland Security Advisory Council.

Sixty-five law professors and faculty from George Washington University Law School, Barr's alma mater, wrote in a June 2020 letter that he had "failed to fulfill his oath of office to 'support and defend the Constitution of the United States'". They wrote that Barr's actions as attorney general "have undermined the rule of law, breached constitutional norms, and damaged the integrity and traditional independence of his office and of the Department of Justice".{{cite news |url=https://edition.cnn.com/2020/06/23/politics/george-washington-law-william-barr/index.html |access-date=November 6, 2021 |work=CNN|first1=Chandelis |last1=Duster |title=65 faculty members from AG Barr's law school alma mater say he has 'failed to fulfill his oath of office' |date=June 23, 2020 }}

During a June 2020 House Judiciary Committee testimony, Donald Ayer, a former deputy attorney general for whom Barr worked during the George H. W. Bush presidency, asserted that Barr "poses the greatest threat, in my lifetime, to our rule of law and to public trust in it".{{Cite news|agency=Reuters|date=June 24, 2020|title=U.S. attorney general Barr blasted by Democrats as 'president's fixer'|work=CBC News|url=https://www.cbc.ca/news/world/house-judiciary-barr-justice-1.5625388|access-date=November 17, 2020}} Three months later, Ayer claimed Barr "is on a mission to install the president as an autocrat".{{Cite web|url=https://lawandcrime.com/high-profile/deputy-attorney-general-under-george-h-w-bush-bill-barr-is-on-a-mission-to-install-trump-as-an-autocrat/ |first1=Matt |last1=Naham |website=Law & Crime |access-date=March 12, 2024 |title=Deputy Attorney General Under George H.W. Bush: Bill Barr Is on a Mission to Install Trump as an 'Autocrat'|date=September 17, 2020}}

In January 2022, it was reported that the House select committee investigating the January 6 Capitol attack held conversations with Barr about the Trump administration's approach to compromise the integrity of the 2020 election, specifically about the potential coordination between the Justice Department and the Defense Department.{{Cite web|first1=Daniella|last1=Diaz|first2=Chandelis|last2=Duster|title=January 6 committee has been talking with ex-attorney general William Barr, chairman says|url=https://www.cnn.com/2022/01/23/politics/january-6-committee-william-barr/index.html|access-date=2022-01-23|website=CNN|date=January 23, 2022 }}

File:William Barr and Mitt Romney.jpg in February 2019]]

A lifelong Republican, Barr takes an expansive view of executive powers and supports "law and order" policies.{{cite web |last1=Balsamo |first1=Michael |last2=Long |first2=Colleen |last3=Tucker |first3=Eric |title=Barr able to put his stamp on executive power as Trump's AG |url=https://apnews.com/ec6ff91eb756285b63d3c1dcdddf0371 |date=July 27, 2020 |work=Associated Press |access-date=July 27, 2020}} Considered an establishment Republican at the time of his confirmation, Barr gained a reputation as someone loyal to Trump and his policies during his second tenure as attorney general. His efforts to support the sitting president politically during his DOJ office tenure have been viewed as the most strenuous since those of another law-and-order attorney general, John N. Mitchell.{{cite web |first1=Kyle |last1=Cheney |date=September 29, 2020 |title=Barr's Justice Department serves up talking points for Trump |work=Politico |url=https://www.politico.com/news/2020/09/29/barrs-justice-department-serves-up-talking-points-for-trump-422831 |access-date=September 29, 2020}}

As Deputy Attorney General, Barr{{snd}}together with others at the Department of Justice{{snd}}successfully led the effort for the withdrawal of a proposed Department of Health and Human Services rule that would have allowed people with HIV/AIDS into the United States.{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1991/05/28/us/health-dept-loses-in-aids-rule-dispute.html|title=Health Dept. Loses in AIDS Rule Dispute|last1=Pear|first1=Robert|date=May 28, 1991|work=The New York Times|access-date=December 6, 2018 |issn=0362-4331}} He also advocated the use of Guantanamo Bay to prevent Haitian refugees and HIV infected individuals from claiming asylum in the United States.{{cite web|url=https://millercenter.org/the-presidency/presidential-oral-histories/william-p-barr-oral-history-assistant-attorney-general|title=William P. Barr Oral History, Assistant Attorney General; Deputy Attorney General; Attorney General|date=April 5, 2001 |website=Miller Center |access-date=December 6, 2018}} According to Vox in December 2018, Barr supported an aggressive "law and order" agenda on immigration as attorney general in the Bush Administration.{{cite web |last1=Lind |first1=Dara |title=Attorney general nominee William Barr will fit right in with Trump's immigration agenda |url=https://www.vox.com/2018/12/7/18128926/william-barr-trump-nomination-attorney-general-jeff-sessions |date=December 7, 2018 |publisher=Vox |access-date=December 7, 2018}}

Barr supports the death penalty, arguing that it reduces crime. He advocated a Bush-backed bill that would have expanded the types of crime that could be punished by execution. In a 1991 op-ed in The New York Times, Barr argued that death row inmates' ability to challenge their sentences should be limited to avoid cases dragging on for years: "This lack of finality devastates the criminal justice system. It diminishes the deterrent effect of state criminal laws, saps state prosecutorial resources and continually reopens the wounds of victims and survivors."{{cite web|url=https://qz.com/1488389/trump-ag-nominee-william-barr-said-the-death-penalty-deters-drug-dealers/ |date=December 7, 2018 |title=Trump nominee William Barr pushed for the death penalty to 'send a message to drug dealers' |first1=Heather |last1=Timmons |website=Quartz }}{{cite news |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1991/09/24/opinion/bushs-crime-bill-this-time-pass-it.html |title=Bush's Crime Bill: This Time, Pass It |work=The New York Times |first1=William |last1=Barr |date=September 24, 1991 |access-date=March 25, 2019 }}

On July 25, 2019, Barr announced that the United States federal government would resume its use of capital punishment under his leadership, after nearly two decades without an execution. Barr ordered the Department of Justice to adopt a new lethal injection protocol, consisting of a single drug (pentobarbital), and ordered execution dates to be set for five inmates in December 2019 and January 2020.{{Cite press release |url=https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/federal-government-resume-capital-punishment-after-nearly-two-decade-lapse |title=Federal Government to Resume Capital Punishment After Nearly Two Decade Lapse|date=July 25, 2019|website=United States Department of Justice |access-date=September 29, 2019 }} On July 14, 2020, Daniel Lewis Lee became the first death row inmate executed by the federal government since 2003.{{cite news |url=https://www.ndtv.com/world-news/us-executes-first-federal-prisoner-daniel-lewis-lee-convicted-of-murder-in-17-years-2262779 |title= US Executes First Federal Prisoner, Convicted Of Murder, In 17 Years |date=July 14, 2020 |website=NDTV |agency=Agence France-Presse |access-date=July 14, 2020}} Twelve more individuals were executed by the Trump administration.{{Cite web|date=2021-01-15|title=Trump administration carries out 13th and final execution|url=https://apnews.com/article/donald-trump-wildlife-coronavirus-pandemic-crime-terre-haute-28e44cc5c026dc16472751bbde0ead50 |first1=Michael |last1=Tarm |first2=Michael |last2=Kunzelman |access-date=2021-01-30|website=Associated Press }} No administration in 120 years had overseen as many executions. Barr has been attributed as playing a key role in the administration's use of execution in prisons.{{Cite web|last1=Arnsdorf|first1=Isaac|title=Inside Trump and Barr's Last-Minute Killing Spree|url=https://www.propublica.org/article/inside-trump-and-barrs-last-minute-killing-spree |date=December 23, 2020 |access-date=2021-01-30|website=ProPublica|language=en}}

In 1991, Barr said he believed the framers of the Constitution did not originally intend to create a right to abortion, that Roe v. Wade was thus wrongly decided, and that abortion should be a "legitimate issue for state legislators". However, Barr said during his 1991 confirmation hearings that Roe was "the law of the land" and that he did not have "fixed or settled views" on the subject.

After Roe was overturned, Barr suggested that a special counsel may be necessary to investigate the leak of the ruling and that the leaker may face criminal charges.{{Cite web |date=2022-05-04 |title=Ex-AG Barr says special counsel may need to probe abortion leak |url=https://nypost.com/2022/05/04/ex-ag-barr-says-special-counsel-may-need-to-probe-abortion-leak/ |access-date=2023-01-21 |language=en-US}}{{Cite web |last1=Skolnik |first1=Jon |date=2022-05-03 |title=Megyn Kelly pushes back after Bill Barr suggest SCOTUS leaker could be criminally prosecuted |url=https://www.salon.com/2022/05/03/megyn-kelly-pushes-back-after-bill-barr-suggest-scotus-leaker-could-be-criminally-prosecuted/ |access-date=2023-01-21 |website=Salon|language=en}}

Barr supports a federal ban on marijuana. However, he has stated that the discrepancy between federal and state law is suboptimal, and that if a uniform federal ban on marijuana could not be achieved, then he would support the STATES Act on marijuana legalization.{{Cite web|first1=Justin |last1=Wingerter|url=https://www.denverpost.com/2019/04/10/william-barr-cory-gardner-marijuana-legalization/|title=New Trump attorney general endorses Gardner's marijuana legalization bill|date=April 10, 2019 |website=The Denver Post |access-date=April 16, 2019 }} "I think it's a mistake to back off on marijuana{{nbs}}... However, if we want a federal approach, if we want states to have their own laws, then let's get there and let's get there the right way." Barr also said DOJ policy should align with congressional legislation.{{Cite web|url=https://www.cbsnews.com/news/william-barr-on-marijuana-legalization-attorney-general-nominee/ |date=January 18, 2019 |first1=Brandi |last1=Kellam |title=Trump's attorney general nominee may shift policy on marijuana enforcement|website=cbsnews.com |access-date=May 17, 2019}}

Barr donated $55,000 to a political action committee that backed Jeb Bush during the 2016 Republican Party presidential primaries and $2,700 to Donald Trump during the general election campaign.{{cite news|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/investigations/trump-has-blasted-muellers-team-for-political-donations-but-attorney-general-nominee-william-barr-has-given-more-than-500000/2018/12/11/dce5974a-fcb0-11e8-862a-b6a6f3ce8199_story.html |access-date=September 29, 2019 |first1=Shawn |last1=Boburg |first2=Anu |last2=Narayanswamy|title=Trump has blasted Mueller's team for political donations. But attorney general nominee William P. Barr has given more than $500,000 |date=December 11, 2018}}

Barr is a proponent of the unitary executive theory, which holds that the president has broad executive powers.{{Cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=MeO8b6S9lb4C&pg=PA29 |title=The Presidency of George W. Bush|isbn=9781400836307 |editor-last1=Zelizer |editor-first1=Julian |page=29 |access-date=May 9, 2019 |date=September 13, 2010 |publisher=Princeton University Press }}{{Cite news |date=November 16, 2019 |url=https://www.cnn.com/2019/11/15/politics/barr-democrats-court-speech/index.html |title=Barr slams Democrats and courts: Avalanche of subpoenas is designed to 'incapacitate the executive branch' |first1=Tammy |last1=Kupperman |first2=David |last2=Shortell |first3=Katelyn |last3=Polantz |website=CNN |access-date=November 22, 2019}}{{Cite news |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2019/01/14/us/politics/william-barr-executive-power.html |title=Trump Says He Alone Can Do It. His Attorney General Nominee Usually Agrees. |last1=Savage |first1=Charlie |date=January 14, 2019 |work=The New York Times |access-date=December 20, 2019 |language=en-US |issn=0362-4331}} Prior to joining the Trump administration, he argued that the president has "complete authority to start or stop a law enforcement proceeding".

In June 2020, amid the George Floyd protests against racism and police brutality, Barr said he rejected the view "that the law enforcement system is systemically racist".{{Cite web|last1=Benner|first1=Katie|date=June 7, 2020|title=Barr Says There Is No Systemic Racism in Policing|language=en-US|work=The New York Times|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2020/06/07/us/politics/justice-department-barr-racism-police.html|access-date=June 8, 2020|issn=0362-4331}} In a CNN news interview in September 2020, Barr denied that systemic racism plays a role in police shootings of unarmed African American men and called such shootings by white police officers "very rare".{{Cite web|first1=Dartunorro|last1=Clark|title=Barr denies systemic racism in police shootings of Black men|url=https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/justice-department/barr-denies-systemic-racism-police-shootings-black-men-n1239145|date=September 2, 2020|access-date=September 3, 2020|website=NBC News|language=en}} Derek Chauvin, the officer who murdered Floyd, was willing to agree to third-degree murder and serve more than ten years in prison. Barr rejected a plea deal.{{Cite news|last1=Arango|first1=Kim|date=February 11, 2021|title=Why William Barr Rejected a Plea Deal in the George Floyd Killing|language=en-US|work=The New York Times|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2021/02/10/us/george-floyd-death.html|access-date=February 11, 2021|issn=1553-8095}}

In September 2020, Barr suggested bringing sedition charges against disruptive looters and rioters, a legal tool that is rarely used by the United States government.{{cite web |last1=Aratani |first1=Lauren |date=September 17, 2020 |title=Bill Barr reportedly suggested bringing sedition charges against protesters |url=https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2020/sep/16/bill-barr-sedition-charges-protests |website=The Guardian |access-date=December 14, 2020}} Sedition charges are normally reserved for those who "conspire to overthrow, put down, or to destroy by force the Government of the United States", according to ({{usc|18|2384}}). Such suggestions have brought fears that Barr is politicizing the U.S. Justice Department and, if enacted, would mean that the Justice Department could prosecute individuals based on political speech.{{cite web |last1=Benner |first1=Katie |date=September 22, 2020 |title=Barr Told Prosecutors to Consider Sedition Charges for Protest Violence |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2020/09/16/us/politics/william-barr-sedition.html |website=The New York Times|access-date=December 14, 2020}}

In July 2020, Barr condemned large American tech companies, such as Google, Microsoft, Yahoo, and Apple,{{cite news |title=Attorney General Barr accuses Hollywood, Big Tech of collaborating with China |url=https://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-china-barr/attorney-general-barr-accuses-hollywood-big-tech-of-collaborating-with-china-idUSKCN24H2JT |first1=Sarah N. |last1=Lynch |first2=David |last2=Shepardson |access-date=December 18, 2020 |work=Reuters |date=July 16, 2020}} and Hollywood studios, accusing them of "kowtowing" to the Chinese Communist Party for the sake of profits. He said that "Hollywood now regularly censors its own movies to appease the Chinese Communist Party, the world's most powerful violator of human rights."{{cite news |first1=Ryan |last1=Lucas |title=Barr Blasts Hollywood, Big Tech For 'Kowtowing' To China |url=https://www.npr.org/2020/07/16/891977321/barr-blasts-hollywood-big-tech-for-kowtowing-to-china |work=NPR |date=July 16, 2020 |access-date=March 12, 2024 }}

Barr has been married to Christine Moynihan Barr since 1973. She holds a master's degree in library science, and together they have three daughters:{{cite web |url=https://heavy.com/news/2019/01/william-barr-wife-christine-moynihan/ |title=Christine Moynihan Barr, William Barr's Wife: 5 Fast Facts You Need to Know |work=Heavy.com |first1=Stephanie Dube |last1= Dwilson |date=January 15, 2019 |access-date=April 20, 2019 }} Mary Barr Daly, Patricia Barr Straughn,{{cite news |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2011/07/31/fashion/weddings/patricia-barr-pelham-straughn-weddings.html |title=Patricia Barr, Pelham Straughn |date=July 29, 2011 |access-date=April 20, 2019 |work=The New York Times }} and Margaret (Meg) Barr. Their eldest daughter, Mary, born {{birth based on age as of date|41|2019|Jan|11|noage=1}}, was a senior Justice Department official who oversaw the department's anti-opioid and addiction efforts; Patricia, born {{birth based on age as of date|37|2019|Jan|11|noage=1}}, was counsel for the House Agriculture Committee; and Meg, born {{birth based on age as of date|34|2019|Jan|11|noage=1}}, is a former Washington prosecutor and cancer survivor (of recurrent Hodgkin's lymphoma), was counsel for Republican Senator Mike Braun of Indiana.

In February 2019, as their father awaited Senate confirmation for his appointment as attorney general, Mary left her post at the Department of Justice as the Trump Administration's point woman on the opioid crisis and took a position at the Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN), the Treasury Department's financial crimes unit.{{cite news |last1=Shortell |first1=David |last2=Jarrett |first2=Laura |last3=Brown |first3=Pamela |title=Daughter and son-in-law of AG nominee leaving the Justice Department |url=https://edition.cnn.com/2019/02/13/politics/barr-family-justice-department-moves/index.html |access-date=August 3, 2020 |agency=CNN |date=February 14, 2019}} Her husband, however, continued to work in the Justice Department's National Security Division.{{cite news |last1=Levin |first1=Bess |date=February 14, 2019 |url=https://www.vanityfair.com/news/2019/02/william-barr-son-in-law-white-house |title=William Barr's Son-in-law Just Landed a Job Advising Trump on 'Legal Issues' |work=Vanity Fair |access-date=March 28, 2019 }} Around the same time Mary left the Department of Justice, Tyler McGaughey, the husband of her youngest sister, left the U.S. Attorney's office in Alexandria, Virginia, to join the White House Counsel's office.

Barr is a Roman Catholic and is a member of the National Catholic Prayer Breakfast. Barr served from 2014 to 2017 on the board of the Catholic Information Center (CIC) of the Archdiocese of Washington, an Opus Dei center and nexus of politically connected Catholics on K Street. Opus Dei has denied that Barr is a member.{{Cite web |url=https://www.salon.com/2020/01/03/bill-barr-warrior-for-theocracy-why-didnt-we-know-this-until-now/ |access-date=November 6, 2021 |first1=Heather Digby |last1=Parton |title=Bill Barr, warrior for theocracy: Why didn't we know this until now?|date=January 3, 2020|website=Salon}} However, his views in favor of the death penalty were criticised by the Jesuit magazine America.{{Cite news|date=2020-12-23|title=William Barr, a Catholic, went out of his way to use the death penalty (and defy church teaching) |first1=Mark |last1=Silk |url=https://www.americamagazine.org/politics-society/2020/12/23/william-barr-federal-executions-catholic-death-penalty-239582|access-date=2021-02-01|website=America Magazine|language=en}}{{Cite web|date=2020-07-23|title=William Barr, nation's top lawyer, is a culture warrior Catholic|url=https://www.ncronline.org/news/justice/william-barr-nations-top-lawyer-culture-warrior-catholic|access-date=2021-02-01|website=National Catholic Reporter |first1=John |last1=Gehring }}

Barr is an enthusiastic bagpiper. He began playing at age eight and has performed competitively in Scotland with a major American pipe band. At one time, Barr was a member of the City of Washington Pipe Band. During a US Attorneys’ National Conference on June 26, 2019, Barr surprised attendees by standing up in the middle of an NYPD Emerald Society performance, and joined them in playing Scotland the Brave with a bagpipe.{{Cite news|date=2019-06-26|title=Barr busts out the bagpipes for surprise performance |first1=Emily |last1=Jacobs |url=https://nypost.com/2019/06/26/barr-busts-out-the-bagpipes-for-surprise-performance/|access-date=2023-08-20|website=New York Post|language=en}}

Barr and Robert Mueller have known each other since the 1980s and are said to be good friends. Mueller attended the weddings of two of Barr's daughters, and their wives attend Bible study together.{{cite web|url=https://www.politico.com/story/2019/01/15/trump-russia-mueller-barr-friends-1102244|title=New Trump-Russia subplot: Mueller and Barr are 'good friends' |first1=Darren|last1=Samuelsohn|website=Politico|date=January 15, 2019 |access-date=April 5, 2019 }}

In 1992, he was awarded an honorary Doctor of Laws (LL.D) by George Washington University.{{cite web |url=https://provost.gwu.edu/honorary-degree-recipients |title=Honorary Degree Recipients |website=gwu.edu |access-date=June 25, 2020 }}

• {{Cite book |last1=Barr |first1=William P. |title=One Damn Thing After Another: Memoirs of an Attorney General |publisher=William Morrow |year=2022 |isbn=978-0-06-315860-3 |location=New York |author-mask=1}}{{Cite web |title=One Damn Thing After Another |url=https://www.harpercollins.com/products/one-damn-thing-after-another-william-p-barr |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220424185430/https://www.harpercollins.com/products/one-damn-thing-after-another-william-p-barr |archive-date=April 24, 2022 |url-status=live |access-date=March 17, 2022 |website=HarperCollins}}

• Russian interference in the 2020 United States elections
• Timeline of investigations into Donald Trump and Russia (January–June 2018)
• Timeline of investigations into Donald Trump and Russia (2019)
• Timeline of investigations into Donald Trump and Russia (2020–2021)
• Trump–Ukraine scandal

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