President Donald Trump demanded that attorney general Bill Barr ‘act fast’ and appoint a special counsel to probe his political rival Joe Biden before Election Day, which is just two weeks away.
Trump said Barr must appoint someone to probe the laptop of Biden’s son, Hunter, which has become the subject of repeated Trump attacks on his rival after Trump’s lawyer Rudy Giuliani says he handed over what were the contents of Hunter’s laptop to the New York Post.
The president said it revealed ‘major corruption’ and that it has to come out before the election.
‘We’ve got tot get the attorney general to act. He’s got to act. And he’s got to act fast,’ President Donald Trump said Tuesday, saying he wants attorney general Bill Barr to name a special prosecutor to probe the Bidens
His demand would appear to run smack into a Justice Department policy against taking actions that would interfere in an election – an issue that played out in 2016 in both the Hillary Clinton email probe and the then-unknown Russia probe.
‘We’ve got tot get the attorney general to act. He’s got to act. And he’s got to act fast. He’s got to appoint somebody,’ Trump said, asked about naming a special counsel on ‘Fox & Friends.’
‘This is major corruption and this has to be known about before the election,’ Trump said in the call-in appearance on the network.
After issuing his demand to Barr, Trump immediately segued into to the elections, saying: ‘And by the way, we’re doing very well. We’re going to win the election.’
He was asked about a letter from a group of 11 House conservative Trump lawyers who demanded such a probe in a letter to Barr Monday, which cited reports on the laptop.
‘These alleged revelations raise serious questions about former Vice President Joe Biden’s reported participation with his son’s business, dealings, specifically whether the former vice president (1) received foreign monies during his tenure in the Obama administration and (2) if former Vice President Biden allowed his son to peddle access to his father with foreign business entities,’ the wrote.
Trump said he wanted Barr to act before the election
Trump issued the extraordinary demand in a call appearance with Fox News
Among the signers were Rep. Andy Biggs of Arizona and Paul Gosar of Texas, as well as former Rep. Steve King of Iowa.
Trump said he ‘just got a report we’re doing great in Texas’ and said his campaign was ‘doing great all over.’
‘But forget that. This has to be done early. So the attorney general has to act,’ Trump said.
Trump referred to the device – which a Wilmington computer repair store owner says he provided to the attorney for Trump lawyer Rudy Giuliani months ago after a person brought it in and failed to collect it – as the ‘laptop from hell.’
‘Even if he didn’t get all of this money, you can’t go to China and have the son walk out with $1.5 billion. … You can’t go to Ukraine with $83,000 a month. … You can’t get $3.5 million from the mayor of Moscow’s wife,’ he said.
Trump referred Hunter Biden’s laptop – which a Wilmington computer repair store owner says he provided to the attorney for Trump lawyer Rudy Giuliani months ago after a person brought it in and failed to collect it – as the ‘laptop from hell.’
‘And you didn’t have a job before your father was vice president. You can’t go and go with your father and every stop you make, you pick up $1 billion.’
Trump also needled Barr during a campaign rally in Arizona Monday, saying Biden was lucky because Barr was so ‘fair,’ as the president addressed a rally crowd chanting ‘lock him up.’
‘I know people who would have had him locked up five weeks ago,’ Trump said. ‘Somebody else would have taken this thing and all that c**p and corruption.’
But Trump said Barr, who Democrats have considered impeaching after a series of actions that appear to have benefitted Trump, a ‘very nice man.’
‘Bill Barr is a very nice man and a very fair man,’ he said. ‘Just remember it, because I get angry too.’
Trump’s slams on Barr come follow reports that U.S. attorney John Durham, tapped by Barr to probe alleged FBI misconduct in the Russia probe, will not be taking additional action before the election.
Director of National Intelligence, a Trump loyalist who assumed his post in May, said Monday that the FBI was investigating the issue.