Former Attorney General Bill Barr says he believes the indictment of former President Trump for his alleged involvement in the 2016 secret money scandal is “an abomination” and “the epitome of abuse of prosecutorial power.”
Trump made history as the first former president in US history to be impeached.
Barr argued that the legal theory behind the prosecution was “pathetically weak” and that the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office is “pursuing a man, not a crime.”
“Obviously, we don’t have the prosecution, so there’s a bit of speculation involved, but based on news reports, if they’re accurate, this is an abomination,” Barr said on foxnews.
“It is the epitome of abusing the power of the prosecution to present a case that would not be presented against anyone else. They’re after the man, it’s not a crime. And legal theory, frankly, is pathetically weak,” he suggested.
Former Attorney General Bill Barr called Trump’s impeachment “an abomination” and “the epitome of abuse of prosecutorial power.”
Legal theory is pathetically weak. The case is held together with chicken wire, clips, and elastic bands. It’s a lousy case. And it is a shameful episode in our history in which this local prosecutor is trying to affect the political process by presenting this case,” Barr criticized.
He delved into the legal arguments likely to be made, noting how the case likely revolved around how former Trump attorney Michael Cohen recorded the refunds Trump paid him as “legal payment.”
Barr explained how the statute requires that any misclassification of funds be done with the intent to defraud, which may not be the case in this situation.
‘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.
“Actually, I don’t think it’s a valid claim in this case, because the statute actually requires that it be made with the intent to defraud. But I don’t understand the basis of a fraud complaint.
Former President Trump’s legal team went on the offensive Friday following his landmark indictment, vowing the former president would never seek a plea deal and was ready to “fight.”
Barr also disagreed with the claim that the payments were a violation of campaign finance because they were actually a contribution to the Trump campaign.
“They are assuming that the payments were a violation of campaign finance because they were effectively a contribution to the Trump campaign. I can tell you that is not the law. I don’t think that’s the way the Justice Department sees it,” Barr added.
“Hush money payments to keep things secret and things like that are not inherently illegal,” Barr explained.
‘YO I think it’s a weak case all together. Unfortunately, I think it will achieve its political purpose, which is to inject chaos into the Republican process. I think probably the intention of the government here is to help Trump and have all the news focused on this sort of thing for the next two years and turn the Republican primaries into a circus.’
Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg’s office has been investigating the alleged hush money scandal for years, which includes payments of $130,000 to Daniels and $150,000 to former Playboy model Karen McDougal.
Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg’s office has been investigating the alleged hush money scandal for years.
The case against Donald Trump revolves around hush money payments made to adult film actress Stormy Daniels, who says they went on a date.
President Joe Biden dodged questions from reporters about impeaching the Republican he defeated in 2020 and could face again in November next year.
“I have no comment on Trump,” Biden said.
Trump’s legal team went on the offensive Friday following his landmark indictment, vowing that the former president would never seek a plea deal and was ready to “fight” all charges.
Trump, 76, who hopes to regain the White House in 2024, has intervened with attacks on the prosecutors who brought the charges against him and even on the judge who was waiting to hear the case.
‘ELECTION INTERFERENCE, KANGAROO COURT!’ Trump posted on his Truth Social social media platform, adding that Juan Manuel Marchal, the judge who could preside over an eventual trial, “hates me.”
Trump will be booked, fingerprinted and mugshot taken at a Manhattan courthouse Tuesday afternoon before appearing before a judge as the first US president to face criminal charges.
“The president will not be handcuffed,” said Joe Tacopina, one of Trump’s lawyers, adding that he doesn’t think prosecutors “will allow this to become a circus.”
Tacopina said the hush money case brought by Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg against Trump faces “substantial legal challenges” and that the former president will plead not guilty.
There is “zero” chance Trump will take a plea deal, he told NBC’s Today show. ‘It’s not going to happen. There is no crime.
Trump, who is currently at his palatial Mar-a-Lago residence in Florida, was initially “shocked” by the allegation, his lawyer said, but “he is now in the position that he is ready to fight this.”
Predicting his impeachment, Trump called for protests and warned that it could lead to “potential death and destruction” for the country.
And in a statement, the former president said he had already raised $4 million for his 2024 presidential campaign within 24 hours of news of the impeachment.