Published 07:26 IST, December 15th 2020
Trump announces new appointments as William Barr leaves US Attorney General's office
Announcing Barr’s resignation on Twitter, Trump said that their relationship has been a "very good one" and that he has done "an outstanding job".
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US Attorney General William Barr, one of the staunchest supporters of President Donald Trump, has stepped down from his position. His resignation comes weeks after he surprised everyone by contradicting Trump's "electoral fraud" claim and said that the Justice Department had found no evidence for the same. While Barr has been accused of being a Trump Loyalist throughout his career, his comment created a rift between the two.
Announcing Barr’s resignation on December 14, Trump tweeted that their relationship has been a "very good one" and that the Attorney General has done "an outstanding job". Announcing his successor, Trump added that Deputy Attorney General Jeff Rosen would assume Barr’s position while Richard Donoghue would assume the role of Deputy Attorney General.
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Meanwhile, the Democratic coalition government took a jibe at this last-minute resignation while celebrating Joe Biden's electoral college victory.
Biden wins the electoral college
Meanwhile, US President-elect Joe Biden sealed his electoral victory after gaining 270 electoral college votes on Monday, December 14. Although the 77-year-old Democrat was already projected to surge past the magic mark, an addition of 55 votes from California electors took his total vote count to 302. The US Congress is now waiting for Hawaii electors to cast their vote before formally accepting the results on January 6.
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According to reports, all the electors cast paper ballots in gatherings that took place in all 50 states and the District of Columbia with masks, social distancing, and other virus precautions in the order of the day. The sealed ballots would now go to Washington where they will be tallied and sent to Congress.
(With agency inputs)
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07:26 IST, December 15th 2020