>> Reporter: ON JANUARY 6th,
2021, BILL BARR WAS IN HIS
LIBRARY, A PRIVATE CITIZEN ONCE
AGAIN.
HIS OLD BOSS, PRESIDENT TRUMP,
WAS AT A RALLY NEAR THE WHITE
HOUSE GIVING A SPEECH TO A CROWD
OF SUPPORTERS.
>> I KNOW THAT EVERYONE HERE
WILL SOON BE MARCHING OVER TO
THE CAPITOL BUILDING TO
PEACEFULLY AND PATRIOTICALLY
MAKE YOUR VOICES HEARD
>> Reporter: SHORTLY AFTER
1:00 P.M., CONGRESS BEGAN TO
COUNT THE ELECTORAL VOTES THAT
WOULD MAKE JOE BIDEN PRESIDENT BILL BARR GOT A CALL FROM HIS
BILL BARR GOT A CALL FROM HIS
FORMER AIDE.
"TURN ON THE TV.
>> I WAS SURPRISED BY THE NUMBER
OF PEOPLE WHO SEEMED DEAD SET ON
BREAKING THEIR WAY INTO THE
CAPITOL. AND THE WAY -- THE FURY IN
AND THE WAY -- THE FURY IN
FIGHTING THE POLICE, I WAS
HORRIFIED BY
>> STOP THE STEAL.
STOP THE STEAL
>> OBVIOUSLY NO WAY OF KNOWING
THAT THAT WAS COMING
BUT LOOKING BACK AT THE RIOT, DO
YOU FEEL LIKE YOU COULD HAVE
BEEN MORE VOCAL, MORE OUT THERE
ON DISMISSING THESE IDEAS OF
ELECTION FRAUD, OF A STOLEN
ELECTION
>> WELL, ONCE I LEFT THE
DEPARTMENT, I HAD NO ACCESS TO
INFORMATION ANYMORE.
>> BUT IN TERMS OF THE
ENVIRONMENT, YEAH YOU WERE OUT
OF OFFICE, BUT YOU STILL HAD A
VOICE.
AND IF YOU AND OTHERS HAD BEEN
MORE FORCEFUL ABOUT THAT, MIGHT
THAT HAVE SHORT-CIRCUITED
WHATEVER LED TO JANUARY 6th?
>> NO, I DON'T THINK SO.
I THINK, YOU KNOW, THE STORY
YOU KNOW, THE THEME WAS ALREADY
BAKED.
BUT YOU ALSO HAVE TO REMEMBER WE
WERE PLAYING WHACK-A-MOLE.
AND YOU KNOW ONE OF THE THINGS
IS THE PRESIDENT WAS SURROUNDED
BY THESE PEOPLE WHO WOULD VERY
CONVINCINGLY MAKE THEIR CASE FOR
FRAUD.
>> Reporter: ON THE DAY OF THE
RIOT, BARR ISSUED A STATEMENT
DENOUNCING THE VIOLENCE.
AND THE NEXT DAY, ANOTHER ONE.
HE ACCUSED PRESIDENT TRUMP OF
BETRAYING HIS OFFICE AND HIS
SUPPORTERS
>> ARE YOU SUPPORTIVE OF THE
JANUARY 6 COMMITTEE?
>> YEAH.
YOU KNOW, I THINK THE BEST WAY,
WHAT I'M MOST COMFORTABLE WITH,
IS THE DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE
DOING IT THROUGH THEIR PROCESS
BUT, YOU KNOW, THIS WAS THE
CAPITOL.
IT WAS ATTACKED.
AND I CAN UNDERSTAND WHY MEMBERS
OF CONGRESS WOULD WANT TO LOOK
INTO IT.
>> DO YOU THINK THAT PRESIDENT
TRUMP WAS RESPONSIBLE FOR WHAT
HAPPENED HERE, ULTIMATELY?
>> I DO THINK HE WAS RESPONSIBLE
IN THE BROAD SENSE OF -- OF THAT
WORD, IN THAT IT APPEARS THAT
PART OF THE PLAN WAS TO SEND
THIS GROUP
MANY OF THEM WERE OBVIOUSLY
ROWDY AND SEEMED TO BE DRESSED
FOR CONFLICT
SEND THEM UP TO THE HILL
I THINK THE WHOLE IDEA WAS TO
INTIMIDATE CONGRESS.
AND I THINK THAT THAT WAS WRONG.
>> Reporter: BUT THAT'S AS FAR
AS BILL BARR WILL GO
THIS MAN ACCUSED SO MANY TIMES
OF PROTECTING THE FORMER
PRESIDENT, SAYS HE IS STILL JUST
CALLING IT LIKE HE SEES IT
AND HE SEES NO CRIME BY THE
PRESIDENT HERE
>> I HAVEN'T SEEN ANYTHING TO
SAY HE WAS LEGALLY RESPONSIBLE
FOR IT IN TERMS OF INCITEMENT.
>> Reporter: BARR DOES WRITE
THAT THE PRESIDENT "LOST HIS
GRIP" AND WENT "OFF THE RAILS"
AFTER THE ELECTION
AND IN HIS BOOK, HE LAYS BLAME
ON THE PEOPLE WHO HAD TRUMP'S
EAR AT THE END
>> YOU PUT A LOT OF THE BLAME,
IN YOUR WORDS, ON THE WHACK JOB
SYCOPHANTS THAT FED HIM A STEADY
DIET OF CONSPIRACY THEORIES.
>> YOU'RE PICKING OUT ALL THE
GOOD PHRASES
>> AND -- DOES THAT NOT LET THE
PRESIDENT OFF THE HOOK THOUGH,
THIS IDEA THAT HE'S RELYING
ON -- ON THESE FOLKS
HE'S THE PRESIDENT
>> NO, I DON'T LET HIM OFF THE
HOOK
I THINK ONE OF HIS WEAKNESSES IS
HE, HE IS -- HIS ID IS IN
CONTROL.
FOLLOW HIS WANTS AND HIS
DESIRES.
AND WHERE OTHER PEOPLE MIGHT BE
MODULATED BY LOGIC AND REASON,
HE WILL PUSH, PUSH, PUSH, PUSH,
PUSH
AND AFTER THE ELECTION, I THINK
THERE WERE NO GUARDRAILS
HE HAD NOTHING TO LOSE AND HE
WAS GOING TO GO AS FAR AS HE
COULD.
>> CAN YOU TELL ME, WILL YOU
TALK TO THE JANUARY 6th
INVESTIGATION COMMITTEE?
>> WELL, IF THEY FELT THERE WAS
SOME AREA THAT WAS WITHIN THEIR
PURVIEW THAT I COULD BE HELPFUL,
THEN I WOULD CERTAINLY TRY TO
COOPERATE.
>> SO YOU -- YOU WOULD
COOPERATE?
>> SURE.
>> WE'RE PASSING THE CAPITOL
RIGHT NOW, AND I -- AND IT MAKES
ME THINK THAT THERE ARE STILL
PEOPLE IN THERE, LAWMAKERS WHO
ARE BUYING INTO THE ELECTION
LIE.
IS THAT -- IS THAT HARD FOR YOU
TO RECONCILE
>> WELL, I DON'T KNOW HOW MANY
OF THEM ACTUALLY BELIEVE IT.
I THINK, YOU KNOW, A LOT OF THEM
DON'T WANT TO MAKE ENEMIES WITH
TRUMP.
>> Reporter: IT MIGHT BE TOO
LATE FOR BARR TO WORRY ABOUT
THAT
IN A THREE-PAGE LETTER TO "NBC
NEWS," PRESIDENT TRUMP TRASHED
BARR'S BOOK AS "FAKE" AND HURLED
INSULTS AT HIS FORMER ATTORNEY
GENERAL, CALLING HIM A "COWARD,"
"A BIG DISAPPOINTMENT," "LAZY.
ALTHOUGH PRESIDENT TRUMP IS OUT
OF OFFICE, HE IS STILL VERY MUCH
IN THE NEWS.
>> IF I RUN, AND IF I WIN, WE
WILL TREAT THOSE PEOPLE FROM
JANUARY 6th FAIRLY
>> PRESIDENT TRUMP HAS TALKED
ABOUT IF HE BECOMES PRESIDENT
AGAIN HE WOULD CONSIDER
PARDONING SOME OF THOSE WHO HAVE
BEEN PROSECUTED FROM THE JANUARY
6th RIOTS.
WHAT'S YOUR REACTION TO THAT
>> I THINK AS A BLANKET
STATEMENT, THAT WAS
IRRESPONSIBLE.
THE PEOPLE WHO WERE SHOWN TO
HAVE BEEN ENGAGED IN THIS
BREACH, FORCIBLE BREACH, SHOULD
BE PROSECUTED.
>> Reporter: ALTHOUGH HE DENIES
ANY WRONGDOING, DONALD TRUMP HAS
RECENTLY COME UNDER SCRUTINY FOR
HIS HANDLING OF CLASSIFIED
DOCUMENTS AFTER THE NATIONAL
ARCHIVES RECOVERED BOXES OF
GOVERNMENT MATERIALS FROM HIS
HOME, MAR-A-LAGO
>> IF YOU WERE A.G. RIGHT NOW,
WOULD YOU BE INVESTIGATING THAT?
>> TO TELL YOU THE TRUTH, I
PROBABLY WOULDN'T.
YOU HAVE TO REMEMBER, THE WHOLE
CLASSIFICATION SYSTEM IS DONE
UNDER EXECUTIVE ORDER.
IT'S THE PRESIDENT
THE PRESIDENT DECIDES
EVERYTHING
>> Reporter: AFTER FOUR YEARS OF
TRUMP IN OFFICE, BILL BARR'S
LIFELONG BELIEF IN PRESIDENTIAL
POWER REMAINS INTACT
HE JUST WANTS A DIFFERENT
PRESIDENT.
HE DOES NOT WANT DONALD TRUMP TO
RUN AGAIN.
>> IN YOUR EYES, IS THERE
ANYTHING HE COULD DO TO WIN BACK
YOUR SUPPORT
>> IN TERMS OF THE PRIMARY
PROCESS AND WHO SHOULD BE THE
STANDARD HOLDER FOR THE
REPUBLICAN PARTY
NO