The former attorney general described his interactions with Trump in newly released testimony from the House January 6th Committee. 

 

Barr, who Trump appointed attorney general in 2019, said he repeatedly debunked claims of voter fraud to the president in the weeks after the 2020 election. 

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“Like Playing Whac-A-Mole”

Barr testified that he looked into supposed cases of voter fraud but didn’t find anything significant.

 

“There was an avalanche of all these allegations of fraud that built up over a number of days,” Barr told the Committee. “And it was like playing Whac-A-Mole because something would come out one day and then the next day it would be another issue.”

 

According to Barr, all of the early claims of voter fraud were “completely bogus” and “usually based on complete misinformation.” 

 

The Department of Justice “Does Not Take Sides in Elections”

Barr recounted an Oval Office meeting with Trump on November 23, 2020 when the president talked about the Department of Justice (DOJ) investigating election fraud. 

 

Barr pointed out that the DOJ “does not take sides in elections” and told Trump that “the Department is not an extension of your legal team.”

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“Absolutely Zero Basis”

In early December 2020, Barr told a reporter that “to date, we have not seen fraud on a scale that could have affected a different outcome in the election.”

 

That day, Trump summoned Barr to the Oval Office. Barr said Trump was “as mad as I’ve ever seen him.”

 

According to Barr, Trump began asking about “vote dumps” in Detroit. Barr explained that Detroit counts its votes all in one place, so “a normal process would involve boxes coming in at all different hours.” Barr said he asked Trump if anyone had pointed out that the president did better in Detroit in 2020 than he did in 2016. 

 

Barr reiterated that the claims of fraud were not true, explaining that the allegations against Dominion voting machines had  “absolutely zero basis.” 

 

Trump “Detached From Reality”

Barr described another meeting with Trump on December 14, 2020, where the president claimed he had a report with conclusive evidence that Dominion voting machines were switching votes. 

 

Barr told the Committee that the report Trump gave him was “amateurish” and didn’t show evidence of fraud. Barr said he was “demoralized.”

 

“Boy if he really believes this stuff,” Barr said about the president, “he’s become detached from reality.”

 

“The Election Was Not Stolen By Fraud”

Barr said Trump never indicated an interest in finding out the facts of the fraud claims.

 

“The election was not stolen by fraud,” Barr said. “I haven’t seen anything since the election that changes my mind on that.” 

 

Barr observed that “before the election it was possible to talk sense to the president,” but afterwards, Trump “didn’t seem to be listening.”