Inside the Justice Department some officials describe a measure of fatigue with the attorney general's and the President's atypical public commentary. Even the open letters signed by hundreds of former Justice Department officials criticizing Barr's decision-making have become less frequent in recent months. "Most people are hanging on and hoping for a change," a former top Justice Department official said. Even before the Hillsdale speech, Barr had taken up the President's unsubstantiated accusations of widespread fraud with mail-in voting expansions prompted by the pandemic. The negative reaction to Barr's comments this week prompted the Justice Department to try to remind of the core message he was trying to impart.

Source: CNN September 18, 2020 21:00 UTC