AG: ‘No Reason’ For Special Counsel On Election, Biden’s Son

WASHINGTON (AP) — Outgoing Attorney General William Barr said Monday he saw “no reason” to appoint a special counsel to look into the president’s claims of election fraud or the tax investigation into the son of President-elect Joe Biden.

In his final press conference, Barr also reinforced that federal officials believe Russia was behind the cyberespionage operation targeting the U.S. government.

Barr said the investigation into Hunter Biden’s financial dealings was “being handled responsibly and professionally.”

“I have not seen a reason to appoint a special counsel and I have no plan to do so before I leave,” he said.

Barr also told The Associated Press in a previous interview that he had seen no evidence of widespread voting fraud.

Naming a special counsel would make it harder for Biden to shut down investigations. But it’s not clear how it could be done without buy-in from Justice officials.

Barr said the hack of U.S. government agencies “certainly appears to be the Russians.”

In implicating the Russians, Barr was siding with the widely held belief within the U.S. government and the cybersecurity community that Russian hackers were responsible for breaches that have affected multiple government agencies, including the Treasury and Commerce departments.