President Trump wanted Attorney General Bill Barr to hold a news conference to say no laws were broken in the call between Trump and the president of Ukraine, according to The Washington Post. Barr ultimately declined the request.
“The request from Trump traveled from the president to other White House officials and eventually to the Justice Department. The president has mentioned Barr’s demurral to associates in recent weeks, saying he wished Barr would have held the news conference, Trump advisers say.
“In recent weeks, the Justice Department has sought some distance from the White House, particularly on matters relating to the burgeoning controversy over Trump’s dealings on Ukraine and the impeachment inquiry they sparked.“
The request for the news conference, according to the Post, came sometime around September 25th, the time when the White House released a rough transcript of the phone call.
It was not immediately clear why Barr turned down the request, but the Post reports the White House has gone to some length to show Barr and Trump remain on good terms.
