Barr Claims ‘Numerous Reports’ Of Agitators Flying Into D.C. To Disrupt RNC

TOPLINE

 Attorney General Bill Bar claimed in a CNN interview on Wednesday to have received “multiple reports” of outside agitators flying into Washington, D.C. to start riots during the GOP convention in August after Trump floated a conspiracy theory about a plane “loaded with thugs.”

KEY FACTS

Tangent

Barr also offered defenses of some of Trump’s other conspiratorial claims, particularly surrounding mail-in voting. Asked about Trump telling people to vote absentee and in-person to ensure their ballot is counted, Barr claimed Trump was “trying to make the point that the ability to monitor this system is not good,” adding “I don’t know what the law in the particular state says” when confronted with the fact that voting twice is illegal. Barr also claimed universal mail-in voting leads to “substantial fraud and coercion” despite several states, including deep-red Utah, implementing universal mail-in voting without widespread fraud. When confronted with that fact, Barr called mail-in voting “playing with fire.” Finally, Barr doubled down on his outlandish claim that foreign countries may manufacture mail-in ballots, saying he bases his concerns on “logic” but conceding he hasn’t seen any evidence.

Crucial Quote

Barr echoed Trump’s dismissals of systemic racism, particularly in police violence, and even went as far as defending Trump’s comparison of police shootings to playing golf. “I think what the president was saying there – and I think it’s something that should be said and has to be said – in many of these shooting situations it’s not because of race. It’s because the officer is scared for their life,” Barr said. 

Surprising Fact

Barr even went as far as defending Trump’s proposal to send federal law enforcement to polling places to prevent voter fraud, despite Trump’s Homeland Security Secretary Chad Wolf saying his department lacks the authority to do that. Barr said such measures may be justified if “there was a specific investigative danger, if we detected some problem or risk.”

What To Watch For

Barr said he has seen “preliminary activity” about Russia attempting to interfere in the 2020 election, though he said he believes China – which has been found to favor a Biden victory – is mounting a more aggressive attempt, despite reports that the intelligence community doesn’t share that view. “I’ve seen the intelligence, that’s what I’ve concluded,” he said in defense of his belief, refusing to justify it further.