Donald Trump's Ex-AG Bill Barr Calls President's Conduct During Capitol Mob a 'Betrayal'

Former Attorney General William Barr took aim at his former boss following Wednesday's assault on the U.S. Capitol, calling President Donald Trump's conduct a "betrayal of his office and supporters" in a statement to the Associated Press.

Barr, who left his post as chief of the Department of Justice on December 23, added in his statement Thursday that "orchestrating a mob to pressure Congress is inexcusable."

Thousands of Trump supporters gathered Wednesday to protest the outcome of the presidential election. The violent demonstration coincided with a joint session of the House and Senate to certify President-elect Joe Biden's Electoral College victory.

The riot broke out as protesters clashed with federal police and breached the Capitol building. The area was forced into lockdown as National Guard troops from the District of Columbia and nearby states were mobilized to help control the situation. Four people died during the invasion. One woman was shot by law enforcement, and three others died after suffering "medical emergencies," police said.

Trump appeared before the rally's crowd for more than an hour before the attack on the Capitol erupted. The president used the address to continue spreading unsubstantiated allegations of widespread voter fraud, telling his supporters: "We will never give up, we will never concede. You don't concede when there's theft involved."

Later, in a video posted to Twitter, Trump downplayed the violent protest and repeated his unsubstantiated claim that the election was stolen, while also encouraging his supporters to "go home." The clip was removed by Facebook and Twitter, and the president was temporarily suspended from both platforms as well as from Instagram. On Thursday, Facebook announced Trump's suspension is now indefinite and will last at least until the end of his presidency on January 20.

Barr resigned last month after he clashed with Trump over the 2020 election. The former attorney general declared on November 30 that the Justice Department uncovered no evidence of widespread fraud that could change the race's outcome. Barr also resisted Trump's demands for a special counsel to investigate any election irregularities.

Trump and his conservative allies have launched dozens of lawsuits challenging the validity of the presidential race in key battleground states such as Pennsylvania and Wisconsin. But nearly all of these legal efforts have failed, prompting Trump to take a different approach in contesting the election: demanding that Vice President Mike Pence and Republicans in Congress object to the Electoral College count.

"If Mike Pence does the right thing, we win the election," Trump said at the rally on Wednesday. "All he has to do, this is from the No. 1, or certainly one of the top constitutional lawyers in our country, he has the absolute right to do it," Trump said.

Ahead of the riot, Pence had released a statement formally pushing back on Trump's demands. In a statement, the vice president said his "oath to support and defend the Constitution constrains me from claiming unilateral authority to determine which electoral votes should be counted and which should not."

While several senators and more than 100 GOP members of the House joined Trump in rebuking state electors, Pence made the announcement early Thursday morning that Congress had officially affirmed Biden's victory.

Newsweek reached out to the White House for comment on Barr's statement but did not hear back before publication.