Karl was told by the former attorney general that he knew Trump would press him to investigate and confirm Trump's often-stated belief that the 2020 election had been stolen. Barr had suspected that there had not been widespread fraud from the beginning.He said that Senator Republican leader Mitch McConnell was understandably worried about the upcoming Senate elections in Georgia and encouraged him to speak out on the integrity of the election.Barr's conclusion of no widespread fraud, which he shared at the beginning of December with an Associated Press reporter, drew the ire of Trump who spoke in the third person.Trump must be hated. Trump must be hated," Barr quoted Trump saying during a subsequent meeting.Karl wrote: "Barr believed that the president was trying control himself, but he seemed more angry than he'd ever seen him."Barr claimed that he had also told Trump that he had undermined his efforts by creating a scattered-shot, incoherent legal group ("a clown show") to challenge election outcomes. Trump said that he did not agree with Barr's statement.
