Throughout American history, Presidents have abdicated power and stepped aside when—through term limits or the voice of the people—their time was up.
For weeks, President Donald Trump has broken that tradition in his refusal to recognize President-elect Joe Biden as the winner of the 2020 presidential election.
In addition to kneecapping the Biden team's ability to work with the Trump administration towards a transition plan, the President has broadcast lies to his 88 million Twitter followers that widespread voter fraud orchestrated by Democrats tipped the election to Biden.
Trump's legal team—led by Rudy Giuliani and Jenna Ellis—has filed numerous lawsuits, winning only one case out of 40. They've also held what they call hearings on voter fraud in a number of swing state hotel ballrooms, hosting Republican state lawmakers and propping up so-called witnesses of voting irregularities.
Despite these efforts, it's clear that Biden won the election legitimately and Trump's legal team has yet to provide any evidence to the contrary.
Now, even Trump's own Attorney General—William Barr—says the Justice Department's investigation into voter fraud came up short.
Barr told the Associated Press:
"To date, we have not seen fraud on a scale that could have effected a different outcome in the election."
Barr is widely considered by Trump's critics as one of the most corrupt Attorneys General in American history, frequently advocating for the President, intervening in cases on his behalf and withdrawing the Department's own criminal lawsuits against the President's allies.
Barr's admission that even he can't drum up evidence to justify Trump's bogus claims of fraud paints a grim picture for the outgoing President.
They looked so hard. They were willing to trample democracy to get there. But at the end, even Bill Barr (lawyer for the president not the people), who changed DOJ's rules to enable Trump is forced to concede they couldn't find any significant fraud. https://t.co/QjQl0CAApB
— Joyce Alene (@JoyceWhiteVance) December 1, 2020
Having fought Barr as impeachment co-counsel and since, this is remarkable.
Barr was willing to embrace and promote Trump's lies about so much: Mueller, Lafayette Park, COVID, Flynn, mail-in voting.
You know just how insane Trump's vote fraud lie is if even Barr rejects it. https://t.co/yxrB6Snsdf
— Norm Eisen (@NormEisen) December 1, 2020
Not even AG Bill Barr, one of Trump's most notorious enablers, is willing to keep up the pretense of fraud in the 2020 election. That says a lot.https://t.co/fSWZWpmfqr
— Citizens for Ethics (@CREWcrew) December 1, 2020
Even Bill Barr, Trump's top henchman, has now admitted there's no evidence of any election fraud to change Biden's victory. https://t.co/HLzlMlfnmh
— Keith Boykin (@keithboykin) December 1, 2020
Ok folks: if you're Donald Trump, and *Bill Barr* tells you it's over - then it's over. https://t.co/iNzmyWFGQE
— Elie Honig (@eliehonig) December 1, 2020
The President's legal team reacted to Barr's words with more lies about the election, saying in a statement:
"With all due respect to the Attorney General, there hasn't been any semblance of a Department of Justice investigation. We have gathered ample evidence of illegal voting in at least six states, which they have not examined ... Again, with respect to the Attorney General, his opinion appears to be without any knowledge or investigation of the substantial irregularities and evidence of systemic fraud."
Trump's supporters are none too happy with his Attorney General.
Bill Barr is a complete fraud and a traitor to our Republic.
— Golden Advice 🇺🇸 (@RichardStiller4) December 1, 2020
Fire Barr!!!! White hats only. We won't stop fighting for you! @realDonaldTrump
— Onika Westport (@WestportOnika) December 1, 2020
Fire useless Bill Barr
— Christian Walker (@ChristianWalk1r) December 1, 2020
Barr has failed America https://t.co/esxDsmm3js
— Sebastian Gorka DrG (@SebGorka) November 23, 2020
Barr hasn't stopped acting in Trump's best interests though.
On Tuesday, Barr appointed attorney John Durham as special counsel to investigate the origins of the Russia investigation, which Trump frequently claims was a "witch hunt."
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