Former AG Barr slams ‘pathetically weak’ legal theory behind Trump indictment: ‘An abomination’
Former AG Barr slams ‘pathetically weak’ legal theory behind Trump indictment: ‘An abomination’
Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg’s office indicted Trump on Thursday
By Andrea Vacchiano | Fox News
Bill Barr: Trump indictment is an abomination
Former Attorney General Bill Barr reacted to the indictment of former President Trump over his alleged 2016 hush money scandal on Friday, calling it “an abomination.”
Trump was indicted by a grand jury on Thursday. He is the first ex-president in U.S. history to be indicted.
Barr appeared on Fox Business to discuss the indictment with host Larry Kudlow.
“Obviously, we don’t have the indictment, so there’s a little bit of speculation involved,” Barr began. “But based on the news reports, if they’re accurate, this is an abomination.”
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William Barr, U.S. attorney general, speaks during a roundtable discussion with federal, state, and local officials, not pictured, at the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Atlanta, Georgia, U.S., on Monday, Sept. 21, 2020. (Al Drago/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
“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 argued.
“They are going after the man, not a crime. And the legal theory, frankly, is pathetically weak.”— Former Attorney General Bill Barr
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.”
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