Trump had tense meeting with Barr after Justice Department found no widespread electoral fraud: reports

President TrumpDonald John Trump The Federal Watchdog accuses VOA’s parent company of wrongdoing in connection with a complaint named by Trump. had a tense meeting with the attorney general William barrBill Barr Republicans breaking with Trump list grows longer Trump blames Special Advocate Durham for acting too slowly Trump slams election results for 46 minutes in new video post MORE after saying this week that the Department of Justice (DOJ) found no evidence of widespread voter fraud, ABC News and CNN reported.

Sources familiar with the matter told the networks that when Barr visited the White House on Tuesday for a pre-scheduled meeting with the chief of staff Mark MeadowsMark Randall Meadows Despite veto threat, Congress continues to quarantine EPA chief over defense bill after being exposed to someone who then tested positive for COVID-19 The Hill’s Morning Report – Presented by Mastercard – Barr separates from Trump in election; controversy forgiveness MORE, Trump sought to speak with the attorney general while there.

The meeting took place shortly after The Associated Press published his interview with him, in what he said, “To date, we have not seen fraud on a scale that could have affected a different outcome in the election.”

A source told ABC News the Trump-Barr conversation was “intense” but would not give more details. ABC News first reported the meeting on Wednesday.

Trump was asked about Barr’s comments on camera Thursday at the White House.

He rebuffed Barr’s remarks, arguing the Justice Department had not looked enough.

“He didn’t do anything, so he didn’t look. When he looks he’ll see the kind of evidence you see in the Georgia Senate right now. They are currently going through auditions in Georgia and they are finding huge volumes, ”Trump told reporters in the Oval Office. “So they didn’t look very hard. Which is a bummer, to be honest with you, because it’s massive fraud. “

So far, there has been no significant evidence to suggest that electoral fraud decided the election between Trump and the president-elect. Joe bidenJoe Biden Lawsuit Alleges 200,000 Georgian Voters Wrongly Purged from Registration List GOP Lawmaker Blames Newcomer for Presidential Voter Fraud Allegations Haaland is in competition to be first Native American to lead inside MORE.

Barr’s remarks in an interview with the Associated Press were nonetheless notable, as they represented a rift between him and the president, who refused to back down on his claim that the election was stolen from him despite a series of losses in the court and growing calls from Republican officials to move on.

Trump declined to offer Barr a vote of confidence on Thursday.

“Ask me that in a few weeks. They should be looking at all this fraud, ”Trump said. “It’s not civilian. He thought it was civilian. It is not civil. It’s crime. This is really bad criminal stuff.

The White House and DOJ did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the ABC and CNN reports.

White House press secretary Kayleigh McEnany declined to say at a press conference on Wednesday whether Trump and Barr had spoken since the PA interview and whether Trump still had faith in his attorney general .

Sources have told ABC News and CNN that Trump has expressed his anger at his attorney general privately and is considering firing him, although several advisers have suggested not to do so. The Washington Post first reported that the president was considering getting rid of Barr.