Bill Barr Laughs Over Trump Saying He ‘Sucked,’ Says He’d ‘Expect’ Attacks

Former Attorney General William Barr dismissed and laughed Saturday at former President Donald Trump’s insult targeting him after the House select committee investigating last year’s U.S. Capitol riot held its first public hearing this week.

The committee aired a clip of Barr, who was widely viewed as one of Trump’s most loyal Cabinet members, testifying that the former president’s claims about massive voter fraud in the 2020 election are “bullish*t,” during a primetime televised hearing on Thursday. Additionally, the committee played a brief video of the former president’s daughter, Ivanka Trump, testifying that she respected the former attorney and “accepted” his assessment regarding the last presidential election.

Trump posted to his social media site TruthSocial in response to the clips, writing: “Ivanka Trump was not involved in looking at, or studying, Election results. She had long since checked out and was, in my opinion, only trying to be respectful to Bill Barr and his position as Attorney General (he sucked!).”

During a Saturday interview with Fox News host Neil Cavuto, Barr was asked about Trump’s response. “What did you think about that?” Cavuto asked.

Former Attorney General William Barr dismissed and laughed Saturday at former President Donald Trump’s insult targeting him after the House select committee investigating last year’s U.S. Capitol riot held its first public hearing this week. Above, Barr laughs during an interview after Fox News host Neil Cavuto asks him about Trump saying he “sucked.” Fox News/screenshot

After chuckling for a few seconds, Barr said, “Well, I considered the source.”

“I sort of ignore those kinds of comments,” the former Trump administration official continued. “But, you know, that wasn’t new Neil. I think people should understand that on December 1st, I gave a public statement through the Associated Press….”

“Yeah, I remember quite well,” Cavuto interjected.

Barr told the AP on December 1, 2020, that there was “no evidence of massive voter fraud leading to President Joe Biden’s win in the presidential election.” He made that assessment after having the Justice Department investigate the allegations.

Barr on Saturday also told Cavuto that he made the “same point” during a press conference when he left the Justice Department on December 22, 2020, after resigning.

“I obviously went over some of the details of my thinking in my book,” he added. “I think the president’s response is something I would expect from him, which is essentially ad hominem attacks.”

Barr wrote in his memoir that he told Trump directly that the allegations were “bullsh*t” and that his legal team after the 2020 election was a “clown show.” The former attorney general made similar comments in his testimony to the select committee, explaining again that the claims about election fraud were “bullish*t.”

“Frankly a year and a half later I’ve seen nothing to change my mind on that,” Barr said in the clip aired Thursday.

Newsweek reached out to Trump’s press office for comment.

Prior to joining the Trump administration in February 2019, Barr had previously served as deputy attorney general under former GOP President George H.W. Bush from 1990 to 1991. The conservative former Justice Department official received significant criticism and backlash from Democrats throughout his tenure under Trump, with some prominent liberal lawmakers even calling for his impeachment.

Although Trump continues to insist that the 2020 election was “rigged” or “stolen,” no evidence has emerged corroborating the allegation. In addition to Barr, dozens of state and federal court judges weighed-in after the 2020 election, consistently ruling against legal challenges filed by the former president and his allies. Even judges appointed by Trump dismissed the lawsuits.