Bill Barr doesn’t hold back his true feelings about Trump being charged with crimes

By
Claire O'Hare
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OPINION | This article contains opinion. This site is licensed to publish this content.

Former Attorney General Bill Barr slammed the indictment of former President Trump and said it’s “an abomination.”

“Obviously, we don’t have the indictment, so there’s a little bit of speculation involved,” Barr said. “But based on the news reports, if they’re accurate, this is an abomination.”

“It’s the epitome of the abuse of prosecutorial power to bring a case that would not be brought against anyone else. They are going after the man, not a crime. And the legal theory, frankly, is pathetically weak,” he continued.

“They are going after the man, not a crime. And the legal theory, frankly, is pathetically weak.”

Trump is the first president in U.S. history to be indicted.

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The former attorney general delved into the legal arguments that will likely be made by the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office.

“The claim is that [recording the Cohen reimbursements as legal payments] is false and therefore violated a misdemeanor statute in the first instance against false documents,” Barr said. “I actually don’t think that’s a valid claim in this case, because the statute actually requires that it be done with the intent to defraud.”

“They’re assuming that the payments were a campaign finance violation because they were effectively a contribution to the Trump campaign. I can tell you that’s not the law. I don’t think that’s how the Justice Department would view it,” Barr added.

The office of Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg has been investigating the alleged hush money scandal for years. The purported payments include the $130,000 sum given to Stormy Daniels, plus the $150,000 given to former Playboy model Karen McDougal.