Trump wanted Bill Barr to hold a news conference saying he wasn’t a crook — but the AG said no

Not even Attorney General Bill Barr would go along with President Donald Trump's plan to tell the nation he had been vindicated of seeking foreign election interference from Ukraine according to a bombshell new report in The Washington Post.

"President Trump wanted Attorney General William P. Barr to hold a news conference declaring the commander in chief had broken no laws during a phone call in which he pressed his Ukrainian counterpart to investigate a political rival, though Barr ultimately declined to do so," the newspaper reported, citing people familiar with the matter.

"The request from Trump traveled from the president, to other White House officials, and eventually to the Justice Department," The Post reported. "The president has mentioned Barr’s declination to associates in recent weeks, saying he wished Barr would have held the news conference, Trump advisers say."

"In recent weeks, the Justice Department has sought some distance from the White House, particularly on matters relating to the burgeoning controversy over Trump’s dealings on Ukraine and the impeachment inquiry they sparked," the newspaper noted.

Watch Washington Post reporter Matt Zapotosky explain the scoop to Chris Hayes: