Washington (CNN) Former Attorney General William Barr, in a newly released book excerpt, said he suspected then-President Donald Trump's claims of widespread election fraud were "all bullsh*t," but that he launched unofficial inquiries into some of them to appease his boss. "But Barr told me he had already concluded that it was highly unlikely that evidence existed that would tip the scales in the election. He had expected Trump to lose and therefore was not surprised by the outcome. "So, in addition to giving prosecutors approval to open investigations into clear and credible allegations of substantial fraud, Barr began his own, unofficial inquiry into the major claims that the president and his allies were making." Barr told Karl that his "'attitude was: It was put-up or shut-up time,'" adding: "'If there was evidence of fraud, I had no motive to suppress it.

Source: CNN June 27, 2021 19:18 UTC