Former Attorney General Bill Barr has floated the idea of house arrest for Donald Trump should he be convicted of criminal conspiracy or crimes involving classified documents.
Barr made the comment in yet another revealing interview in which he spoke of his departure from Trump’s White House amid Trump’s attempts to overthrow the election, arguing that the former president was not entitled to “immunity” during his reelection.
Trump’s lawyers argued in a new filing that the date of his January 6 trial in the case be pushed back to 2026.
Fox News host Neil Cavuto asked Barr on Thursday how the Secret Service would handle a prison sentence for their protected person as Trump faces four criminal trials.
“Well, there are ways to get custody without putting him in institutions, you know, federal institutions. You can be grounded and other things,” Barr replied.
Former AG Bill Barr brought up house arrest as he discussed the challenges of imprisoning a former US president
Cavuto wanted to know if people would be “angry” about that outcome.
“Maybe there are some,” Barr replied, as Cavuto raised the issue of special treatment, “because he’s a former president.
“Well, the people — there will be people angry on both sides,” Barr replied.
While in office, Trump moved his domicile from his Trump Tower penthouse in Manhattan to Mar-a-Lago, his private club in West Palm Beach. There he spends much of his time, although during the warm summer months he moves north to his Bedminster golf club.
Built for Marjorie Merriweather Post, the 1927 structure features an iconic 80-foot tower and “magnificent views in every direction for miles,” according to the club website.
Barr said two federal cases against Trump are “serious” and will be tried during the campaign
Trump on Fox News called the allegations against him a “witch hunt” and attacked Barr in a message Thursday
Bedminster is where he hosted the Saudi Arabian-backed LIV golf tournament this month, and where he is accused of abandoning a secret US military strike plan – in a key episode in the classified documents indicted against him.
Barr also echoed Trump’s claim that he should not be charged while running for president. The issue raises potential constitutional concerns, in addition to logistical concerns, as judges try to align their roles and Trump’s lawyers cite that he should campaign.
Trump has repeatedly said the charges were brought to try to bring him down. However, Barr argued that two federal cases against Trump are serious and legitimate.
“You don’t get immunity for two years in the run-up to an election just by saying, ‘Hey, I’m running. You can’t draw me – these investigations have been going on for a while. Everyone knew them before he announced his candidacy,” he said.
“So if there’s a chance to get it resolved before the election, it should be, because the American people should know about it. These are crimes that involve or may involve moral outrages.”
Barr predicted that the two federal cases will go to trial before the election, citing Special Counsel Jack Smith’s Jan. 6 case and charges in federal court in Miami alleging he conspired to preserve national security documents.
“And those are, I think, the responsible cases. They are much more focused. And I think they can and will be tried sooner. The New York case is clearly a political hit, and in my opinion it’s a joke,” he said of Manhattan DA Alvin Bragg’s fraud allegations related to porn star Stormy Daniels. Trump is also being charged in Fulton County, Georgia for attempting to overturn the election there.
Trump is charged with conspiracy to keep national security documents at Mar-a-Lago
Trump also spends time at his club in Bedminster, New Jersey
Mar-a-Lago offers a beautiful view and has a 23 meter high tower
Trump attacked Barr and Fox News, one day when he himself appeared on the Fox Business Channel with former aide Larry Kudlow as an interviewer.
“Why is FoxNews constantly sluggish and lethargic putting on Bill Barr, who didn’t have the courage or stamina to fight the radical left madmen when he was AG, and who, more importantly, refused to fight election fraud,” Trump posted on his website. Truth Social site. “He knew what was going on, just look at his previous comments! Unless FoxNews starts attracting the RIGHT people, their ratings will never recover.”
Barr also once again pushed back Trump’s claim that he had “fired” his AG weeks before the end of his term.
“I resigned on December 14, thinking that at that point the state votes had been certified and the legal process was over,” he said.
“And I also didn’t like the way he spewed the big lie,” he said, using a term adopted by President Biden.
‘I thought that was irresponsible. But he went way beyond what I expected or anyone expected. And during this time, he was told by White House lawyers that if he continued, he would spend the rest of his life in the criminal justice process. And that’s exactly what happened.’