Secretary of State Mike Pompeo lauded Attorney General William Barr for his handling of the Russia investigation in unusual comments touching on both domestic politics and foreign policy.
President Trump was the subject of a two-year federal inquiry into allegations that he conspired with Russian strongman Vladimir Putin to defeat Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton in his 2016 campaign. Pompeo, a possible 2024 presidential candidate, tweeted Tuesday that Barr adeptly managed the conclusion of the investigation, overseen by special counsel Robert Mueller. Trump and his supporters contend the investigation was based on a hoax perpetuated by the Democrats.
“AG Barr crushed the propaganda generated by Mueller against President Trump and preserved our Republic from the rogue FBI and Special Counsel’s efforts to undermine the 2016 election based on a bogus theory of Russian collusion,” Pompeo said in an extended post on Twitter. “President Trump had AG Barr’s support and commitment to defending law and order against rioters. Protecting our citizens from these looters and anarchists was the right thing to do and AG Barr made it happen.”
AG Barr crushed the propaganda generated by Mueller against President Trump and preserved our Republic from the rogue FBI and Special Counsel’s efforts to undermine the 2016 election based on a bogus theory of Russian collusion.
— Secretary Pompeo (@SecPompeo) December 15, 2020
In an interview with the Washington Examiner Monday, Pompeo acknowledged that Moscow has repeatedly attempted to influence the outcome of elections in the United States. “The Russians continue to engage in malign cyber activity around the world,” he said during an interview at the State Department. “We saw it in [the] 2016 election, less so in the 2020 election. But we’d seen it in the 2012 and the 2008 election as well.”
Barr this week submitted his resignation to Trump and will leave the Justice Department before Christmas. Pompeo is exiting Foggy Bottom to coincide with President-elect Joe Biden’s inauguration.
In Monday’s interview, the secretary did not rule out a future White House bid, although he emphasized that he has not given his political future much consideration. Still, the issue of the Russia investigation could animate grassroots Republicans for the foreseeable future, and Pompeo could be laying down a marker with his adulation of Barr’s role in winding down the inquiry.
Meanwhile, Pompeo thanked Barr for his work on the Central Intelligence Agency advisory board, which coincided with his tenure as director.
“AG Barr first served our Administration as a member of my Advisory Board at the CIA. He made me a better Director and the Agency a stronger espionage force,” he said. “I fully supported Bill to become AG as I knew he would serve with professionalism and elan, he did that and more.”
