US attorney general Bill Barr will be leaving his job just before Christmas, President Donald Trump said.
US attorney general Bill Barr Photo: AFP
Barr, in a letter to Trump seen by Reuters, said he would leave his post on 23 December.
The letter came shortly after Barr had briefed the president about the Justice Department's review into the Trump campaign's allegations of voter fraud in the 2020 election. In it, Barr pledged the allegations "would continue to be pursued."
In the letter, Barr also praised what he called Trump's historic record, saying he had helped boost the economy, strengthen the military and curb illegal immigration.
Barr's fate in the waning days of the Trump administration had been in question since he said last week that a Justice Department investigation had found no sign of major fraud in the November election, contradicting Trump's false claims.
At the time, Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer said of Barr's statement: "I guess he's the next one to be fired."
Since the 3 November election, the president, who has made repeated and unsubstantiated claims that the election was stolen, and dozens of his legal team's lawsuits challenging the results have failed.
Trump's legal defence team had accused Barr of failing to conduct a proper inquiry.
Deputy attorney general Jeff Rosen will become acting attorney general.
- Reuters
